Problem
Where can you get a hotel at a cheap price in London, but fairly central, or near your conference venue?
Answer
This year the World Travel Market, London, has a brilliant website. You can see how far each hotel is, a picture of either the bedroom or the front.
One year when I went to The World Travel Market I stayed in two hotels. A friend drove me to the first, which was a walk to the nearest train to Excel. The second, I think it was also Ibis, was down by the City Airport, with a cafe in the large car park next door for a fast snack. I had to drag my suitcase on wheels uphill to Excel. Both were basic hotels, clean and bright with hard headboards. Good enough.
So what's on offer this year from the glamorous website?
World Travel Market has negotiated deals of average ten percent off for people attending and booking through the site.
I'll give you the prices you would pay normally, with the discount you get through the site in brackets. If you leave booking to the last moment, some of the hotels will be able to offer only one night, which means dragging your luggage around with you all day.
I thought it was best to stay by the exhibition centre so that I could race there in the morning for the early breakfasts. However, the evening events are sometimes held by tourist boards at hotels in the centre of London.
Story
In fact, I lost my suitcase. I put it down on a stand and when I looked for it, it was gone, I never found out whether it was stolen or thrown away by cleaners at the end of the day. I went back to lost property - a long walk through a huge exhibition centre, and phoned for days afterwards but no luck. Fortunately, I was wearing my best outfit, had to wave goodbye to the rest of my clothes and nightdress
.
HOTELS
Travelodges £38 (£29 booked for and through WTM during the days of their show.
Other basic one star? hotels are IBIS.
Better if you are staying with somebody else, in a room alongside yours, because there is nothing to do at the hotels and you might be in an isolated place.
They have a page on hotels at lowest prices.
Anyway, here are the hotels in ascending price order:
Bromley Court Hotel £60 (£54 from WTM)
39 Suites Bayswater £69 (£65 when reduced) Only 24 rooms.
Best Western Burns £79 (£66) 105 rooms - a big place.
Days Hotel London Waterloo £79 (£67). That sounds very central and convenient to me.
The Royal Foundation of St Katherine (£70, when 10% off). Also convenient near the river, if you want to be that part of London. You check the map.
Best Western Cromwell £94 (£79)
Park Lane Mews £94 (£84).
The most expensive and central, as far as I can see, on my list got only a three-'star' rating on Tripadvisor but you have to read the comments. One person cares about being central, whilst another wants eggs for breakfast and another wants the receptionist to smile. Another can't get a cot for a baby which isn't your problem and would never affect you.
The others scored three and a half, whilst Days Hotel got four, and Royal Foundation of St Katherine did the best with four.
By the way, the English would say deals, whilst Americans say steals.
If you are organising another event or a smart negotiator or canny shopper you might be able to get the same reduction on another day.
The WTM site gives distances by car, aiming their site at people at the exhibition who will be transporting stuff for the stand.
You can see the locations on street view. Also find your way back on foot from a nearby station using your mobile phone.
I presume these are single rooms. Sharing is another story.
Sometimes a conference has a shuttle bus going to some of the hotels. It can be a saving in money and time which makes it worthwhile going to a specific hotel.
https://london.wtm.com/help/book-accommodation/?tab=deals
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Where can you get a hotel at a cheap price in London, but fairly central, or near your conference venue?
Answer
This year the World Travel Market, London, has a brilliant website. You can see how far each hotel is, a picture of either the bedroom or the front.
One year when I went to The World Travel Market I stayed in two hotels. A friend drove me to the first, which was a walk to the nearest train to Excel. The second, I think it was also Ibis, was down by the City Airport, with a cafe in the large car park next door for a fast snack. I had to drag my suitcase on wheels uphill to Excel. Both were basic hotels, clean and bright with hard headboards. Good enough.
So what's on offer this year from the glamorous website?
World Travel Market has negotiated deals of average ten percent off for people attending and booking through the site.
I'll give you the prices you would pay normally, with the discount you get through the site in brackets. If you leave booking to the last moment, some of the hotels will be able to offer only one night, which means dragging your luggage around with you all day.
I thought it was best to stay by the exhibition centre so that I could race there in the morning for the early breakfasts. However, the evening events are sometimes held by tourist boards at hotels in the centre of London.
Story
In fact, I lost my suitcase. I put it down on a stand and when I looked for it, it was gone, I never found out whether it was stolen or thrown away by cleaners at the end of the day. I went back to lost property - a long walk through a huge exhibition centre, and phoned for days afterwards but no luck. Fortunately, I was wearing my best outfit, had to wave goodbye to the rest of my clothes and nightdress
.
HOTELS
Travelodges £38 (£29 booked for and through WTM during the days of their show.
Other basic one star? hotels are IBIS.
Better if you are staying with somebody else, in a room alongside yours, because there is nothing to do at the hotels and you might be in an isolated place.
They have a page on hotels at lowest prices.
Anyway, here are the hotels in ascending price order:
Bromley Court Hotel £60 (£54 from WTM)
39 Suites Bayswater £69 (£65 when reduced) Only 24 rooms.
Best Western Burns £79 (£66) 105 rooms - a big place.
Days Hotel London Waterloo £79 (£67). That sounds very central and convenient to me.
The Royal Foundation of St Katherine (£70, when 10% off). Also convenient near the river, if you want to be that part of London. You check the map.
Best Western Cromwell £94 (£79)
Park Lane Mews £94 (£84).
The most expensive and central, as far as I can see, on my list got only a three-'star' rating on Tripadvisor but you have to read the comments. One person cares about being central, whilst another wants eggs for breakfast and another wants the receptionist to smile. Another can't get a cot for a baby which isn't your problem and would never affect you.
The others scored three and a half, whilst Days Hotel got four, and Royal Foundation of St Katherine did the best with four.
By the way, the English would say deals, whilst Americans say steals.
If you are organising another event or a smart negotiator or canny shopper you might be able to get the same reduction on another day.
The WTM site gives distances by car, aiming their site at people at the exhibition who will be transporting stuff for the stand.
You can see the locations on street view. Also find your way back on foot from a nearby station using your mobile phone.
I presume these are single rooms. Sharing is another story.
Sometimes a conference has a shuttle bus going to some of the hotels. It can be a saving in money and time which makes it worthwhile going to a specific hotel.
https://london.wtm.com/help/book-accommodation/?tab=deals
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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