All Hotel prices in London have at least doubled for end of April

ebayqueen_2

Getting really cross as I search for a Hotel in London for a few days in the week ending 30th April. I know its the week of the Royal wedding but its incredible that the prices are so high. We travel regularly as a family to see football matches, but we cant now because of the ridiculously high prices.

Is this legal!!!!!!!


I know it will price out alot of UK residents but is it because most of the tourists will be American or Japanese!!!!!!!!

Rip off is the term that comes to mind:eek:

System

the thing is though that people will be willing to pay it and the hotels know that so they're making the most of it. It's not illegal and it's just good business sense from the hotels point of view. Not good for the bargain hunting consumer though I agree but it's to be expected!

triggerhappy_2

Basic supply and demand. Hotels have quieter periods where they charge lower rates, and busy periods where they charge higher. The hotel industry has really suffered during the recession with fewer business people staying in hotels and fewer leisure customers at the weekends. They need to make money where they can, and around big events is where that happens.

dacouch

It's a bank holiday as well.

The trades unions are talking of a mass strike over the period of the Royal Wedding, who could predict that they would chose the Royal Wedding and to hold a strike which also coincides with a two bank holidays.

So it might be worth holding back on booking the hotels as you may decide against travelling or it may work in your favour if all the hotels are empty due to the strikes as the prices may come down

NoSatisfaction

It is totally legal I am afraid and a case of supply and demand but I appreciate that it is very annoying!

It may be worth phoning up just before you intended to go just in case any hotels have any last minute drop outs.


The hotels will not normally be able to change the price of a booking already made, but be aware that some chains over book and will no doubt give preference to those that have paid more.

Coopdivi

So what's to stop you staying in a hotel just outside London?

As an example I have checked the room availability at the Travelodge, Borehamwood which is about 20 miles north of the centre of London. 2 adults checking in on Friday 29th April and leaving on Sunday 1st May (2 nights) would be charged £92.60. Even when you factor in the extra train or bus journeys to and from the hotel it still strikes me as being a reasonable cost. Especially when you include the cost of getting into the (probably) Premier League ground which you are presumably quite happy to pay.

http://www.travelodge.co.uk/search_and_book/rooms_rates.php?hotel_id=373&from=list

And there's plenty of Travelodges and other budget hotel chains dotted around the outskirts of London to choose from.

http://www.travelodge.co.uk/search_and_book/list.php

Mk14:37

Hotels and B&Bs in the South East - Eltham, Bexley, Dartford - around 30 mins on the train to Charing Cross - still coming up at around £80 per night at that time.

Freddie_Snowbits

They'll be cheap bewteen May and the Olympics, so if you can wait. Now I'll get my Dead Kennedy's single on the IPod and blast away with the old ones

DCFC79

Course its legal, the hotels are a business so tehy are just maximising they're revenue during the royal wedding

OP have you tried hotel ibis, they might have rooms for the weekened you want, you might have to sacrifice location for 1 further afield and get the train in

ebayqueen_2

Hi folks thanks so much for all your advice. Its just that we are 4 adults...me and my husband and 1 son and daughter 15 and 17 so 2 rooms are required. Even travelodge is quite expensive but we are looking at up by Finsbury park for small hotels, as its an Arsenal match we are going to.

I think we are quite used to being in central london so we will have to consider either right out at the edge or avoid London until after as suggested!

Thanks for all your help

p00hsticks

I know it's not much help, but I suspect it's more accurate to say that hotels have sold out of cheap rooms rather than that they have put their prices up - certainly as far as I can see chains such as Travelodge, Premier Inn and Holiday Inn are charging their normal flexible rates, it's just that no saver rates are available. Most hotels only have a limitied number of cheap saver rooms, and it looks like these ave all been taken up - in fact, it appears that some of the more central hotels such as County Hall have no availability at all at that time.