Reservations for tea at Brown's
 

Need information regarding reservations for tea. I have e-mailed Brown's twice to request a reservation and have not heard back as yet. Has anyone had any problems making reservations. Should I just call directly from U.S. or wait until we are there. I would prefer to do this ahead of time to be certain we have 5:00-5:30 reservations before the theatre. Thank you.

This was exactly my experience in December 2001. They have a very well-designed web site, but apparently no one to administrate or use it for its function. I have also requested a brochure and have received nothing.

I called Brown's from the US to make reservations for tea. I will say that the person on the other end of the phone line did not inspire confidence, and I came to find out a few weeks later upon confirmation that the person did not properly record the time of our reservation. Unfortunately, we ended up having to cancel the reservations once we arrived in London, but we did give 24 hours' notice; (would not want to be be labelled as American no-shows, an apparently ongoing problem as I've learned here)

Regarding all the no-shows....<BR><BR>Come on, how many tourists know for sure when they will want a cup of tea and a small sandwich 2 weeks in advance? I know I would not know. <BR><BR>These hotels need to realize that people's schedules change rapidly when travelling as do people's thirsts and hunger. Consequently, there are bound to be alot of no-shows, and understandably so. Plus, with the ridiculous prices charged for a cup of tea and a small sandwish, these hotels should kiss the feet of tourists who actually show up at all !!!!

Hi Scaltreto, I stayed at the hotel for a week last year and the Tea Room was never over crowded. You can call from the U.S. to reserve if you're worried but just stopping by one day would be fine. It was most crowded from about 12-2pm but there were stll open spots availible. This was during the month of May.

Hi Scaltreto,<BR>I EMailed my request to Brown's for tea about a month ago and did get an EMail confirmation back several days later - maybe five days or so. About a week later, I again EMailed to revise to a later time the same day and again received a response a few days later. Hopefully, you should hear back soon. Joy

I too have had the same problem at Browns and usually end up phoning them. The Ritz has always answered my tea booking e-mails immediately.

Why not just have your hotel make the reservation for you?<BR>I'm sure they'd be happy to.<BR>You can confirm when you arrive.<BR><BR>Regarding the posting on no-shows. I strongly disagree that it is ever acceptable to be a no-show, barring some sort of personal emergency.<BR>Empty tables drive prices up for the business owner, and consequently for everyone else. The "ridiculous prices" charged for afternoon tea are what the traffic will bear. When we go to Brown's or the Ritz we're paying for an experience as well as the food, and we're all free to have a sandwich and a "cuppa" somewhere else. I don't expect the establishment to kiss my feet for coming, just provide perceived value. Plus I think being a no show is just plain rude. I'd be pretty upset if they decided to turn the tables and overbook or just randomly give my table away without notice and then tell me that they weren't sure if I felt like coming or not.<BR>

Thanks for all responses. Checked my e-mail this morning and Brown's had very kindly responded with the exact time I requested. We're all set; I can't wait--two weeks from Sunday.