I am in the early stages of choosing a hotel for our 7nt stay in London March /April 2007. We are looking for a quad room and have done a lot of research in the last 48 hours and have come up with somewhat of a list. I know I will still be looking around until closer to our arrival date in case of any discounts but this is what we have so far on the list and want to hold something in case we don't find anything else

We can't use priceline because we are traveling with children and don't want to end up in different hotels or in two rooms that will end up costing me more

We are also considering renting a flat but the few places I have contacted have not responded yet and that is why they are not on this list

If anyone can comment on location, and hotel itself as to what you would prefer or which you would choose

Le Meridien - £150.00 plus VAT - http://www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeri...ropertyID=1925

Marriott Marble Arch - £142 plus VAT

Holiday Inn Mayfair £105 Saturday and Sunday each nights / £135 rest of the time, per night, plus VAT

londonvicaragehotel.com - £140.00 including full breakfast and tax

www.windermere-hotel.co.uk - £134.00 including tax and full breakfast

There were others that I liked but they were higher then £150.00 per night


Thanks

Sorry one more

www.avonmorehotel.co.uk £112 including tax and breakfast

I haven't stayed at the HI Mayfair for a couple of years now and I understand it may have been renovated since then...hopefully someone will know.

What I do know for certain is its excellent location (if you are a Tube user) about 1/2 block (and absolutely no farther) from the Green Park Tube stop and the Marks & Spencer right next door and the drug store on the other corner.

Have you used www.londontown.com? It lets you plug in many lodging preferences, then it pulls up a list for you. You can also book hotels, plus ground transportation. It is very helpful and works easily.

Maureen
I have but they are only coming up with one hotel so far for £175 at the Hilton Metropole. I think it is too early for them to show much availability

I can't comment on those hotels, but I stayed a week at Astons Apartments https://www.astons-apartments.com and it was fabulous! They have specials almost every month on their website. It is close to everything and is in a very pleasant neighborhood being South Kensington. Tube stations are 2 mins. walk away and also the many museums on Cromwell Road are within walking distance. There are losts of places to eat near Astons or you can go to the supermarket about a block away and use the kitchen in your apartment. I really enjoyed my stay there. Have fun in London! It is one of my favorite cities in the world!

For 4 people for a week I highly recommend a flat instead of a hotel. Lots of 2 bdrm (or 1 bdrm + sofa sleeper) apartments are available in the £100-£150 range. You would get more space and a washer/dryer - both big advantages over a hotel.

Janis, thank you as always
We are looking into it but so far the 4 places I have contacted have not responded at all. I emailed them on Friday and since it was the weekend I am giving them until the end of this week to respond. One was the apartments you recommended in another post

I want to hold a hotel also just in case and go from there, that is the reason for my post to try and get some advice on which hotel is better from what I have listed. I always like having something to fall back on.

You are asking abou a trip more than nine months away - some places may not even have their rates set for next year.

Also - the UK is a bit better than some other parts of Europe, but it is very common for agencies/owners to take several days to answer e-mails. They don't tend to give them the same urgency many American do.

Janis - I understand, I like planning early and then as the time gets closer re-check what is available. I also understand that some people will take longer to get back to me but I think a week is sufficient enough to at least get a response saying that they don't have the rates available yet and to check back at a later time. I would think that is common courtesy

I am not in a hurry to book but like to get as much information as possible to make the best decision for our family. Since our dates fall into a few days before Easter I don't want to wait until only a couple of months before to check availability. Believe it or not I already got two replies from small hotels saying they are booked for my dates

I think I weighed in on a different thread of yours (?) in favor of the Holiday Inn Mayfair. Our room was well appointed, and the front desk staff assured us that all of the rooms had been recently redone. What I didn't like about the flats we were considering was the pay in advance/strict cancellation policy. That doesn't work for us, as we have had plans change on more than one occasion in the past.

Have you considered using Priceline? We got the Thistle Marble Arch Hotel through Priceline for 2 nights (on our way back from Italy) at the end of March for $53 (US Dollars!) per night (not per person). We had a great stay and will definitely try Priceline again for London. You just can't beat a deal like that - IMHO.

JJ127: as the OP says - Priceline isn't an option. PL only deals inn double rooms.

noe847: True, most flats require deposits. But many do not require full payment until the last minute or even after arrival in London.

Forget the Windermere. They will not guarantee in writing a smoke-free room. They don't actually have rooms that are completely off-limits to smokers, according to management last year.

I think ours was full payment 30 days in advance, nonrefundable.

Sorry, I posted before I looked in my records. The apartment had a strict 14 day in advance full payment no cancellation policy.

The Vicarage Hotel looks fairly typical of that type--there must be a hundred hotels in that general area tucked away in those endless blocks of Victorian flats. If you all are big breakfast eaters, it might be worth it to stay there. Otherwise, you'd be better off at one of the other hotels.

Mkingdom2, have you weighed in on the relative merits of H.I. Mayfair vs. Mariott Marble Arch and Le Meridien??

noe847: yes - some do have requirements like that. But if you shop around you can find lots that just ask for a deposit. I've probably rented 20 or more flats over the years and only once had to pay in full a month ahead.

That's good to know, janis, thanks.

"have you weighed in on the relative merits of H.I. Mayfair vs. Mariott Marble Arch and Le Meridien??"

Since I haven't been to London in many many years and last time stayed at what is now the Holiday Inn Forum I am not sure how to weigh the merits of these three hotels, that is why I am asking here what everyone thinks of these hotels and which would be the best option. The HI Forum was fine for 4 single 21 year olds back then but looking for something more this time around. I know where Le Meridien and HI Mayfair are located, can't figure out how far the Marble Arch Marriott is in regards to the other two.

Plus it is always better to get first hand accounts since what you see on the websites isn't always what you get