Bits: £100 Qatar Airways discount, Starwood / Design Hotels competition

News in brief:

Get up to £100 off Qatar Airways with a promotional code

Qatar Airways has launched a new discount code which is exclusive to small travel sites like HfP.

You save £10 on discounted economy tickets, £30 on full fare economy tickets and £100 on business class fares.

It is valid to 33 destinations (listed here) from any UK departure point.  You must book before 16th December for travel up to 14th November 2016.

Full details can be found here.

My review of the Qatar Airways A380 First Class service from Doha will hopefully appear on HFP in the next 10 days or so.  

There are some photos of the astonishing First Class lounge in Doha on our Instagram feed where I described it as “one of the defining structures of our time, a statement of intent.  Not just the most impressive lounge but one of the most impressive buildings you will ever enter of any sort“.  I’d had a few glasses of Krug when I wrote that, but I meant it.

Starwood / Design Hotels competition – we have a HfP winner

I have written before about the new Starwood partnership with Design Hotels.  To promote it, Starwood has launched a ‘daily play’ competition.

It has been running for a few days already and one HfP reader has already won 10,000 SPG points, which I value at £150.

The link to play is here.  There are daily ‘instant win’ prizes and every entry gets you a spot in a grand draw for 50,000 SPG points and five free night vouchers.  You can play each day until 18th December.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points for signing up and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points.