News: update on Virgin Upper Class Wing closure, ibis Styles Paignton hotel opens

News in brief:

The closure plans for the Virgin Upper Class Wing have changed

Last week we covered the closure of the British Airways First Wing and the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Wing security channels, as part of the process of upgrading the security scanners at Heathrow.

Whilst the Terminal 5 First Wing closure is progressing as planned (the security lane will be closed until March / April), there has been a change to the Virgin Atlantic plan.

This is what is currently happening:

• Now until 21st February: the Upper Class Wing drop off, check in and Private Security channel are open but there is a temporary entrance into the Upper Class Wing from the terminal. The only people impacted are those who come into Terminal 3 via the main entrance (for example anyone arriving by public transport) and want to use the dedicated security line in the Wing.

• 22nd-28th February: there will be a full closure of the Upper Class Wing

• 29th February to 13th May: the Upper Class Wing will be open for drop off and check in but the private security channel will be closed – you will be redirected into the main terminal to clear security

You can check for the latest updates on this page of the Virgin Atlantic website.

ibis Styles Paignton hotel is now open

We don’t cover the seaside resort of Paignton in Devon much on HfP, unsurprisingly, but it does now have two brand new hotels.

A Mercure opened last year, and an ibis Styles opened yesterday – website here. These are both part of Accor Live Limitless.

The 121-room ibis Styles Paignton features “a design that draws inspiration from the surrounding seaside landscapes, as well as being home to all-day dining restaurant Deller’s Cafe and an ice-cream parlour.” It is the first ibis Styles in the UK to have a dry spa, with three treatment rooms.

You can find out more about the ibis Styles Paignton on its website here, and the website for the adjacent (same ownership) Mercure is here.

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Accor Live Limitless update – January 2024:

Earn bonus Accor points: Accor is not currently running a global promotion

New to Accor Live Limitless?  Read our review of Accor Live Limitless here and our article on points expiry rules here. Our analysis of what Accor Live Limitless points are worth is here.

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