Have you used Londontown.com/ ?
 

I see a good price for a hotel I'd like for August. Londontown.com/ says that you can cancel 48 hours before and not be charged. What about having to cancel later? Sorry, but I often have trouble finding this out from a hotel. Thanks.

I have used Londontown very successfully, but I didn't cancel so can't comment on that. I thought the cancellation policy was related to the particular hotel, but 48 hrs is not unusual for those kind of hotels through a booking service. I imagine what happens would be spelled out in their terms (you probably get charged a day or something). A hotel should tell you their cancellation terms, but if you think there is a good chance you will cancel, maybe another route would be best for you.

We have used londontown.com twice now to book the Rubens Hotel and were completely satisfied. Just remember that you HAVE to cancel thru the londontown.com website 48 hrs prior to your arrival date. I would imagine you would be charged for 1 night's room if you cancelled later, but why not email londontown.com directly to find out for sure?

Hi
On several occasions I contacted hotels directly to see if they would match their rates that were posted at londontown. In all cases but one, the hotel matched the rate,and I dealt with them directly. Note that I contacted the hotels by email or fax, didn't rely on official rates on their websites.

elaine, I'm just curious: what's the benefit to contacting a hotel directly to see if it will match a rate posted at londontown.com? Based on my one experience of booking through londontown, I didn't see much difference between booking through londontown and booking directly with the hotel: I immediately got an e-mail confirmation of my reservation directly from the hotel, and when I called the hotel to confirm my reservation shortly before leaving for London, they confirmed my reservation without reference to the fact that it had been made through londontown. I understand that I would have had to cancel through londontown, if I had had to cancel, but that wasn't an issue for me.

Obviously, it pays to call the hotel directly if you can get a lower rate than the rate posted on londontown by doing so, but what's the advantage of booking directly with the hotel if all they do is match the londontown rate? I realize that londontown must get a cut of the rate you pay by booking through londontown, but why should that make a difference to me if I pay the same rate either way? Just wondering if I'm missing something here.

In general, if you booked the room with the hotel, the chances for errors or problems are lower than if you used a 3rd party. ALso it is easier to deal with changes.

Keith