I can't help but think this seems a bit like a scam...
Hoping to get some insight from you folks...

The concierge at my London Hotel said that if we want him to reserve a cab to pick us up from a London location (not the hotel), the car service charges a 10 pound booking fee in addition to the charge to bring us back to the hotel. If he calls to reserve regular taxi, the taxi charges a 5 pound booking fee.

(this is if we wanted a cab to pick us up at a restaurant or the theatre, to then bring us back to the hotel)

I have never heard of a booking fee before. Just checking to see if the concierge is a little scam artist...

I don't understand what the disctinction between a cab and a "regular taxi" is, but that said I do know that if I ask my hotel in Paris to call a cab to take me to, say, the airport, there's always a small booking fee, so I don't think the concept is all that abnormal. 10 pounds does sound like a lot, though!

Thanks for responding. Appreciate your insight.

What I meant was that there is a private car service the concierge uses that charges the 10 pounds, and he can also call a regular taxi which has a 5 pound booking fee.

I just am not used to this. Isn't London expensive enough?

This sounds like a scam to me - never been charged a booking fee for a cab in London in my life, and I live here.

Ditch using the hotel for your cabs, it sounds like the concierge has got a tasty little business going for himself. It's just as easy to ask your restaurant to call a cab for you. Ask for a minicab about 20-30 mins before the end of your meal.

I also don't know what he means by a car service vs a regular taxi. If he means a regular taxi as in a black cab, then you just stop them in the street anyway. You CAN order a black cab (Comcabs is one such company), but they're always more expensive than a car/minicab service.

Another alternative (if you want picking up from the theatre, for eg) is to order your own minicab from your mobile or hotel telephone before you go out. Addison Lee is a very reputable and reasonably priced car service (biggest in London I think) - which means they're also very popular, so do make sure you book ahead. They have smart, branded MPVs.

http://www.addisonlee.com/servicespage.html

And no one charges a booking fee. That's just *£@!?!!.

Kate has given you good info. Just a couple of comments.

I assume the hotel is pre-booking a minicab for you. Minicabs are very common in London and a good way to get around w/o the extra cost of a "black" cab.

(For anyome not familiar w/ the term - a minicab is not a Mini or even usually a small car. It is a car service that cannot pick up fares from the street - must be booked ahead)

I use mini cabs at least once every time I'm in London and have NEVER paid a booking fee. I just call the car service/minicab myself. If I have asked the concierege/bell capitan/front desk to ring the cab for me I will of course tip them for their trouble.

But I usually only use minicabs when going a fair distance - like across town or in from the airport. Unless the restaurant is all the way across town - I'd just hail a regular cab on the street or have the restaurant call me one.

However, you shouldn't just hail a random minicab in the streets, although black cabs should be fine. That can be quite dangerous, particularly for solo women.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/1442694

I have been told that there is a distinction between the traditional black cab and a taxi. Here is my understanding of the situation to date.

The traditional London black cabs and the taxi operations are not under the same controls. Where the taxis are concerned, the whole game is that the hotel concierge calls the taxi outfit, and pockets his commission up front.

If you want a black cab, hail one on the street or go to a cab rank.

I ran into that dodge this year. The hotel at which I was staying was small, and black cabs did not congregate at the door in a cab rank.

To get a ride to Victoria Station, I had to have the desk person call. When the vehicle came, it was not the traditional black cab but a so-called taxi.

I am not sure what the difference is except that to be a licensed black cab driver, the driver must pass a very rigourous exam on how to find his or her way in London. It takes years of practice and training to learn the craft of driving a black cab.

The taxis as nearly as I can tell are some guys with cars or vans who have a license to drive people around for a fee. Because they are usually in league with hotels, the usual request is for a ride to one of the train stations or an airport. So the taxo drivers don't have to know London like a cabbie.

I agree, the 10£ fee sounds suspiciously like a gyp. That fee will just about take you from the Kensington Close Hotel to Euston Station in a regular black cab.

At any rate, that is my understanding of the situation.

PS there are private car hires as well.
I used one last year to get to Luton because of various personal reasons.
I did not use the hotel to call the car service, however. I booked it myself in advance over the internet well in advance. I knew the fee before I got in the car.

There was an "internet discount" which I am sure is the commission paid to a hotel for calling for you.

OK, just to clear up all this confusion about car service/taxi/minicab/black cab.

"TAXI" is a generic term for any vehicle you pay to use as a passenger.

There 2 distinct kinds of taxis in London.

1. A black cab. The famous black cab is the one you hail on the street. An orange lit sign will signal that it is free. They have probably the most intensive training in the world, know every London street like the back of their hands, take a minimum of 2 years to train (called 'The Knowledge'), operate under strict pricing regs (by the visible meter), are required to keep their cabs immaculately clean, always speak English and wear their badges as a code of honour. If you're ever in trouble, it will probably be a black cab driver who will rescue you and give you the kiss of life.

You 'can' order these through a small number of black cab companies (comcab, zingo, radio taxis to name but a few), but these pre-ordered black cabs are more expensive than hailing one so few people bother.

2. Minicabs (aka car service). these are normal cars, run by private firms, and licenced to take pre-booked passengers ONLY. They are NOT allowed to cruise the streets, and if you are approached by a normal car offering a taxi ride, you must refuse - these are illegal, probably uninsured and for all you know a serial murderer.

If you order an airport transfer, or a taxi to colect you from a restaurant, it will almost certainly be a minicab that collects you. Perfectly safe and legal, and cheaper than a black cab.

Thank you for explaining the whole mini cab/black cab confusion. So minicabs are ordered car service and black cabs are normal 'flag them down' taxis. Have I got that right?

When, lets say, a restaurant calls a cab for you--what are they calling then? Are minicabs usually more money?

Pretty disturbed that the hotel is charging this weird fee. It's a reputable hotel though.

LOTRHP: No - mini cabs are cheaper than black cabs. That is their main (only, really) advantage. The restaurant will call what you ask them to - in other words if you want a regular cab they will call one, and if you ask for a minicab that is what they will call.

But I think you are worrying too much - you can usually hail black cabs after dinner w/o any problems. The one problem is right after the theatres let out because there are LOTS of people looking for cabs. But if you go have a drink or late supper the crowds thin out and black cabs will be easy to find.

(Just FYI - "black" cabs are not all black anymore. They are every color under the sun so don't worry if a cab is purple or covered w/ adverts. If it is the same model as the black ones w/ the illuminated "taxi" sign on the roof -- it is a regular "black" cab)