Is there a way to get even slightly reasonable late London stays?

blizeH

I sometimes go to London at late-ish (two week) notice, and hate driving back at night so would like to stay over.

This Saturday I've been keeping an eye on prices for the past couple of weeks and the cheapest I've seen is £100 for a Travelodge 6 miles out of town - I'm fine staying further out as long as it's on a tube, but the price is still pretty high.

I've looked on Hotels.com and Expedia and even shared rooms in a hostel are going for around £60.

Are there any other sites worth looking at? Or any tips/tricks to get cheaper last minute deals? Thanks!

Alan_Bowen

The problem with London is that demand frequently outstrips supply and leaving it to the last minute isn't always the best idea. Laterooms may help, I found plenty of rooms available around £60 for this Saturday but I wouldn't vouch for their quality or location.

One hotel on the Park Royal Estate in west London claims it is 10 minutes to the centre, even Concorde couldn't have done it in that time, 30 minutes would be pushing it and frequently a lot more. You can ask the system to show in quality or price order so that can be helpful. Trivago may help although I don't always find their pricing to be as cheap as they claim.

If you do find a hotel, consider phoning them direct and see if they can beat the price as they have to pay all these websites a commission if the bookings are made on line

EconomicsGirl

If you are not fussed about character and just looking for comfor table and clean then Premier Inn site is worth a try. Found one is zone 5 good area £78 for Sat night (tonight) for double.

blizeH

Thanks both! I've also just realised it's the London Marathon on Sunday which probably won't have helped with the prices.

In future I'll definitely give Laterooms (but make sure I check the locations based on your post!) and Premier Inn a look - not overly fussy about character, but yeah something clean and with an ensuite is all we're after, so Travelodge, Premier Inn are perfect.

EconomicsGirl

It is also worth bearing in mind many tube lines end in different counties so may not come up on a London search but you can get to central London in say 30 mins. The one I looked at yesterday doesn't come up on a London search but is zone 5. The location can be very important though particularly once it's dark.