Peninsula Hotels is regarded as one of the world’s best hotel groups. Peninsula has just a dozen properties around the globe, and they’re all very highly regarded, from Chicago, to London, to Istanbul, to Hong Kong.
Continue reading: Peninsula PenClub: Why It’s The Best Way To Book Peninsula Hotels
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Where would you say Peninsula is the best or one of the best options in the city?
London, Istanbul, Shanghai, Hongkong, Beijing. Bangkok is still very good, but needs a renovation. The US ones are ok.
HERA is the name of the travel agent loyalty program. It allows them to collect points on any bookings they make ( https://travelpros.accor.com/en/hera-loyalty-program.html). Accor Preferred is the correct name of the program that offers guest benefits.
Chinese hotel chains like Pen, Langham, MO are the best (Raffles by extension). Hopefully they t’ll turn Steigenberger into a proper Asian chain
Yea Chinese hotels (Pen/MO/Langham, and Raffles by extension) in the US are just not that great vs their Eurasian counterparts like HK Pen or London MO. But that’s more due to American hotels being bad in general especially staff manners
Can this "Peninsula time" be applied to reservations made via Agoda, Hotelscom etc? Just checked and the nightly rates are easily 100+ dollars less on 3rd party platforms. So for a stay of several nights, there really is no point in paying hundreds of dollars extra to get a 100 dollar credit...
Disagree with respect to Mandarin Oriental. Expensive hotels but not luxury hotels -- poor service across the board. I have zero idea how its Paris location received the "Palace" designation.
The article expressly stated: "Specifically, the TravelWits portal lets you book Peninsula PenClub rates directly. You’re still booking through a specific travel advisor’s platform, but it’s great to be able to compare rates. These portals do have to be password protected, so if you’d like to use Ford Beckett Travel’s portal, you need to email [email protected] to request the password."
Most of their properties are tired and badly in need of a renovation and they are 5x more expensive than they should be. They have the 24 hour reservation policy because their properties are never full and need some incentive for people to book there.
It is a bit dated, but great service and breakfast and super comfy bed. We got a good deal and would happily go back. It's not going to win the hard product of the city award, but a really solid nice hotel in the city if the price is right, which it often is.
I think officially the answer is 'no' however I have done so multiple times in Beverly Hills; booked via Agoda and then emailed the property in advance to request it and have not had it denied yet. It is not available for all room types and must be requested far enough in advance. Probably it's at the property's discretion when it's through an OTA, and maybe some properties won't let you, but BH consistently has allowed it.
Happily stay at Beverly Hills each time I'm there and have tried a lot of the other top hotels in the area. Great service, breakfast, super comfy bed, nice pool. One of my favorite places to go. Hard product, similar to others, is not going to feel super modern necessarily, but it feels luxurious and well maintained.
I would agree that overall they are due for remodels at many properties, but the service, food, and pen time benefits are all great. I'm happy to stay at a Peninsula when the price is right, and in some cities such as Beverly Hills, they are my preferred property.
Manila is such a weird outlier. Of all places...
BUT it's probably the most affordable of all the Peninsulas. I'm a poor sheepherder in my country of Mypos and the Manila Peninsula is the only Peninsula that I imagine I'll stay in.
Shoulda named it Pen Island… *cough*
Good to see you are still around, sir. Hope the snow has been kind to you.
Where would you say Peninsula is the best or one of the best options in the city?
London, Istanbul, Shanghai, Hongkong, Beijing. Bangkok is still very good, but needs a renovation. The US ones are ok.
Yea Chinese hotels (Pen/MO/Langham, and Raffles by extension) in the US are just not that great vs their Eurasian counterparts like HK Pen or London MO. But that’s more due to American hotels being bad in general especially staff manners
Happily stay at Beverly Hills each time I'm there and have tried a lot of the other top hotels in the area. Great service, breakfast, super comfy bed, nice pool. One of my favorite places to go. Hard product, similar to others, is not going to feel super modern necessarily, but it feels luxurious and well maintained.
Accor program is not Preferred anymore, HERA is the new name.
HERA is the name of the travel agent loyalty program. It allows them to collect points on any bookings they make ( https://travelpros.accor.com/en/hera-loyalty-program.html). Accor Preferred is the correct name of the program that offers guest benefits.
Is Ford an advisor for them??
The article expressly stated: "Specifically, the TravelWits portal lets you book Peninsula PenClub rates directly. You’re still booking through a specific travel advisor’s platform, but it’s great to be able to compare rates. These portals do have to be password protected, so if you’d like to use Ford Beckett Travel’s portal, you need to email [email protected] to request the password."
Is this the club where boomers can find a pen pal?
Chinese hotel chains like Pen, Langham, MO are the best (Raffles by extension). Hopefully they t’ll turn Steigenberger into a proper Asian chain
Disagree with respect to Mandarin Oriental. Expensive hotels but not luxury hotels -- poor service across the board. I have zero idea how its Paris location received the "Palace" designation.
Can this "Peninsula time" be applied to reservations made via Agoda, Hotelscom etc? Just checked and the nightly rates are easily 100+ dollars less on 3rd party platforms. So for a stay of several nights, there really is no point in paying hundreds of dollars extra to get a 100 dollar credit...
Or, a guaranteed room upgrade. Or, breakfast for two. Yep, you're no fool.
I think officially the answer is 'no' however I have done so multiple times in Beverly Hills; booked via Agoda and then emailed the property in advance to request it and have not had it denied yet. It is not available for all room types and must be requested far enough in advance. Probably it's at the property's discretion when it's through an OTA, and maybe some properties won't let you, but BH consistently has allowed it.
Stayed at the one in NYC. Dated. Poor service. Moved on.
It is a bit dated, but great service and breakfast and super comfy bed. We got a good deal and would happily go back. It's not going to win the hard product of the city award, but a really solid nice hotel in the city if the price is right, which it often is.
Most of their properties are tired and badly in need of a renovation and they are 5x more expensive than they should be. They have the 24 hour reservation policy because their properties are never full and need some incentive for people to book there.
I would agree that overall they are due for remodels at many properties, but the service, food, and pen time benefits are all great. I'm happy to stay at a Peninsula when the price is right, and in some cities such as Beverly Hills, they are my preferred property.
Manila is such a weird outlier. Of all places...
BUT it's probably the most affordable of all the Peninsulas. I'm a poor sheepherder in my country of Mypos and the Manila Peninsula is the only Peninsula that I imagine I'll stay in.