Two nights in London, need hotel advice.
 

Hello, my husband and I will be stopping in London for 2 nights and one full day, and I'd really appreciate advice as far as special place to stay. We'll be celebrating our 28th anniversary on the day we are in London, so we are willing to splurge a bit on a hotel. I've done some research, and it looks like there are a lot of very nice expensive hotels, so it's hard to narrow down my search. Thanks for your feedback!

What is your "splurge" amount? One person's splurge is another's normal, everyday. W/ a $/£ amount we can help more.

Sorry, you are so correct. We'd love to find something 500.00USD or under a night, but are willing to go higher. It seems like a lot of nice hotels, like Covent Garden are closer to $550.00 for their smallest rooms. We've never been to London, so we wanted to stay in a more central area. We are looking for atmosphere and not a convention type hotel.

Even with your 'open wallet' attitude I would go to Priceline and see what you can do in the Mayfair/Soho (Covent Garden) area for a 5*. Check biddingfortravel.com to see what other people are getting for the time of year you will be there. You might get a nice surprise.

Wow, where have I been? I just checked out biddingfortravel for the first time. Now I've got to run for some advil. I'm sure it's not so bad once you understand it, but I'm not sure it will happen soon. :)

I'd be more inclined to recommend Hotwire and a 4.5* or 5* hotel. The reason is that many of the 5* hotels in London have engendered complaints. Surprisingly, 4* hotels seem to have fewer complaints, particularly if you stick to Mayfair.

But if you want super-special, then it's probably best to avoid both. Check out the Luxury Hotels forum in FlyerTalk, where there are many posts about fine differences between the top star hotels.

If you don't want to risk using Priceline or Hotwire (both are great for London BTW) -- checkout Londontown.com Often some really good deals - but not in teh PL league price-wise.

Awhile back we had a nice stay at the Sofitel St. James.
It was about $500 a nite then (!!!). Now, a Sofitel is not a luxury hotel.. but this one was very nice and very well located. (Near St. James Park, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly, etc.) I'd go back again. (If I could afford it -:)

On Bidding for Travel it looks like someone got the Sofitel St James for $195/nt plus tax and service fees.

Thanks for the tips. I'll have to see if I can devote some time to
comparing websites, etc. How does the Sofitel compare to Sheraton Park Lane, Chesterfield Mayfair, Le Meredian Picaddilly and Covent Garden as far as location, atmosphere? I notice them mentioned often.

The west end of London is pretty compact and easy to get around in. If you look at a map like the one Priceline shows of the areas you will see that location-wise any hotel in what they refer to as Mayfair-Soho will be in a pretty good area near Covent Garden.

Check out this one. They have some special packaged which might keep it within your budget. This is a fabulous small hotel:

http://www.egertonhousehotel.com/

Also, I stayed next to this hotel in a flat & it seemed very popular & is also on a quiet street right off Brompton Road. They also have specials:

http://www.thebeaufort.co.uk

Have you checked Tripadvisor for their reviews? We stayed at the Renaissance Chancery Court London a few years ago and it was excellent. The Marriott County Hall is also suppose to be great.

Thanks. I've spent some time on Tripadvisor, but it helps to be able to narrow down the options. Appreciate the info. I'm do some more research on the hotels mentioned above.

Ok, I've been doing some research and finally have narrowed down some hotel choices. I'd appreciate feedback. Again, it's our first trip to London, we arrive late Friday night and leave early from Heathrow on Sunday morning. We plan on doing the hop on/hop off bus to be able to see as much as possible in the one full day that we have. Comments please on pro's and con's to Renaissance London Chancery, London Marriott Grosvenor Square, Sofitel St. James, Chesterfield Mayfair. Thanks for helping me narrow it down.

cliquot - do a search here on "London Marriotts" and you will come up with some good information on the Renaissance London Chancery, London Marriott Grosvenor Square.

I did a search and it helped me to narrow it down.

Enjoy your anniversary!

When will you be in London?

Thanks, good idea. We'll arrive London May 2nd, then continue on to
Budapest for a Uniworld Danube cruise, ending up in Prague. We are so looking forward to that part of the trip also!!

I think I've got my hotel choice narrowed down to Renaissance Chancery Court or Sofitel St. James. Has anyone stayed at both? Would love to have a comparison of the rooms/atmosphere/location to help me decide. Thanks for your suggestions and advice. I welcome any other options.

I've got a $180 rate for a Saturday night stay in the Sofitel St. James through the Priceline.

arikson:
Help,
I have been on Priceline for June 30 and July 1 and have bid up to $148 and have not got anything in 4 or 5 star.
Any tips??
Thanks.