London Hotels - just starting our reseaerch

[MRSBITS]

This is where we are staying next June.

 

Kirk

And this is where we stayed for two nights in mid-May. The owners, twin brothers, are the best; as well as the staff they have hired for the reception area. Luna & Simone can't be beat for friendliness, location and a wonderful breakfast!

[KirkNC]

And this is where we stayed for two nights in mid-May. The owners, twin brothers, are the best; as well as the staff they have hired for the reception area. Luna & Simone can't be beat for friendliness, location and a wonderful breakfast!

 

Great to hear. They get great review on Trip Advisor also.

 

Kirk

[FoghornLeghorn]

Does the LunaSimone have lifts and AC??

[jersey_boy]

We are booked on an Azamara cruise from Southampton next August. We're thinking of doing a 3 day precruise in London. Seems like every hotel I check does not have vacancy. So, Azamara can get us in one of their contracted hotels, the Mint Hotel Westminster at $703 U.S. per person. We never were in the UK before so that price kind of blew us away even though I realize London is very expensive. My question is this: For $1400+ I expect to stay in a decent hotel and I have not been too satisfied with hotels that we stayed in Barcelona & Venice using Celebrity (same people as Azamara as you are aware I'm sure). Can anyone provide some insight about the Mint Hotel Westminster? Thanks.

[hubofhockey]

We are booked on an Azamara cruise from Southampton next August. We're thinking of doing a 3 day precruise in London. Seems like every hotel I check does not have vacancy. So, Azamara can get us in one of their contracted hotels, the Mint Hotel Westminster at $703 U.S. per person. We never were in the UK before so that price kind of blew us away even though I realize London is very expensive. My question is this: For $1400+ I expect to stay in a decent hotel and I have not been too satisfied with hotels that we stayed in Barcelona & Venice using Celebrity (same people as Azamara as you are aware I'm sure). Can anyone provide some insight about the Mint Hotel Westminster? Thanks.

 

Is this during the Olympics? You should read reviews of the hotel on Tripadvisor.com and then decide. That's a better resource for hotel reviews than you will find here on these boards. Alternatively, you could also start your vacation in Paris instead of London and then fly or take the train to Southampton.

[Globaliser]

My question is this: For $1400+ I expect to stay in a decent hotel and I have not been too satisfied with hotels that we stayed in Barcelona & Venice using Celebrity (same people as Azamara as you are aware I'm sure). Can anyone provide some insight about the Mint Hotel Westminster?

Almost certainly, you're seeing limited availability because of the Olympics. This does not necessarily mean that the hotels are fully booked; they may just be holding back inventory. We have no way of knowing.

 

AFAIK, the Mint Hotel is a pretty standard 4*-ish hotel with no particularly special features. If you're paying almost $500 a night, I hope that they're putting you up in their best suite.

[iancal]

We have used Priceline for London and have been very pleased. We always bid 4 star. This past April we got the Marriott Kensingon for three nights @ $101USD plus about $27. per night in taxes and fees. On our return to London a week later, we got the Marriott Maide Vale for $92. per night plus fees. We were very pleased with both hotels-especially the Kensington location. It took some bidding but it was worth it for the six nights. We also did Hotwire for airport hotels in Heathrow (got the Sheraton) and Gatwick (got the Crowne Plaza) for $56. and $39. respectively.

[phabric]

We are booked on an Azamara cruise from Southampton next August. We're thinking of doing a 3 day precruise in London. Seems like every hotel I check does not have vacancy. So, Azamara can get us in one of their contracted hotels, the Mint Hotel Westminster at $703 U.S. per person. We never were in the UK before so that price kind of blew us away even though I realize London is very expensive. My question is this: For $1400+ I expect to stay in a decent hotel and I have not been too satisfied with hotels that we stayed in Barcelona & Venice using Celebrity (same people as Azamara as you are aware I'm sure). Can anyone provide some insight about the Mint Hotel Westminster? Thanks.

 

Check out http://www.booking.com. It is part of Priceline (where you bid), Booking.com sets the price. They may have rooms available for your time.

 

Our cruise is August 1-13/12, so we are staying in Southampton pre cruise and London post cruise.

[jersey_boy]

Uh uh. I messed up. I thought the Olympics was later in the month of August. It's actually the paralympics that is late in August. So, my original planning would then be smack in the middle of the main Olympic games. No way I'm going to be in London during that time because of the crowds, etc. Guess I'll transfer directly to Southampton after arriving at Heathrow and do London another time. Thanks all for your help.

[Giantfan13]

We are booked on an Azamara cruise from Southampton next August. We're thinking of doing a 3 day precruise in London. Seems like every hotel I check does not have vacancy. So, Azamara can get us in one of their contracted hotels, the Mint Hotel Westminster at $703 U.S. per person. We never were in the UK before so that price kind of blew us away even though I realize London is very expensive. My question is this: For $1400+ I expect to stay in a decent hotel and I have not been too satisfied with hotels that we stayed in Barcelona & Venice using Celebrity (same people as Azamara as you are aware I'm sure). Can anyone provide some insight about the Mint Hotel Westminster? Thanks.

 

Jersey Boy

 

I may not have read this right. You are going to pay $1400 a night for a hotel room??. To be honest, I think even during the Royal Wedding, those rates are just astronomical. Come on man, London is a big city and I'll bet anything you can secure a decent room for a lot less than that. Widen your search. As long as you are a block or so from a Tube station, you can stay anywhere in the city and be in central London in a short time.

Unless, of course, money is no object?????:D:D:D:D:D

 

Cheers

 

Len

[jersey_boy]

Len, yes you read it wrong. It's $1400 for 3 nights. And, no I am not paying that to Azamara; thus the reason for my original comment/question. It's a moot point anyhow because I don't want to be in London during the Olympics.

 

 

Jersey Boy

 

I may not have read this right. You are going to pay $1400 a night for a hotel room??. To be honest, I think even during the Royal Wedding, those rates are just astronomical. Come on man, London is a big city and I'll bet anything you can secure a decent room for a lot less than that. Widen your search. As long as you are a block or so from a Tube station, you can stay anywhere in the city and be in central London in a short time.

Unless, of course, money is no object?????:D:D:D:D:D

 

Cheers

 

Len

[KirkNC]

Does the LunaSimone have lifts and AC??

 

No I don't believe they have either.

 

Kirk

[Globaliser]

Guess I'll transfer directly to Southampton after arriving at Heathrow and do London another time.

A sound decision to avoid London.

 

But don't forget that if you have three nights pre-cruise, you could actually go somewhere else. Three nights in Bath, for example, might be a lovely way to start your holiday.

[jersey_boy]

A sound decision to avoid London.

 

But don't forget that if you have three nights pre-cruise, you could actually go somewhere else. Three nights in Bath, for example, might be a lovely way to start your holiday.

 

We are going to take another look at this. Our booked cruise begins in Southampton and ends in Lisbon. Maybe we'll ditch the 3 day precruise and apply all the money saved (hotel/meals/tours, etc.) to the follow up cruise on the Az Journey that begins in Lisbon and ends in Monte Carlo. When I add the entire costs saved from the precruise and add discounts from Az for a back-to-back it actually pays for one fare. That way we're cruising for 3 weeks.

[Globaliser]

That way we're cruising for 3 weeks.

I like that thought!

[MRSBITS]

Does the LunaSimone have lifts and AC??

No lifts or AC; however, my husband and I requested a first floor room because we have 3 bad knees out of four. We were given a delightful room just off the lobby on the first floor. We were adjacent to their free wifi access, with a small staircasedown to the breakfast room

[FoghornLeghorn]

Thanks Kirk and Mrsbits!

[handfordr]

Jersey Boy

 

I may not have read this right. You are going to pay $1400 a night for a hotel room??. To be honest, I think even during the Royal Wedding, those rates are just astronomical.

Cheers

 

Len

 

The Royal Wedding weekend was the cheapest weekend to stay in London this year, IF you booked within 10 days of the wedding itself.

As soon as the wedding date was announced all the hotels quadrupled their rates. As everybody who wasn't going to the wedding steered well clear of London that weekend although the numbers attending the wedding were large, they only filled a small fraction of the beds.

Hence rooms were almost being given away in London the immediate runnup to the wedding.

 

The same phenomenum has happened in the last few Olympics where if you had the nerve to hang on a week or so before the event you could pick up a comfortable hotel at a bargain rate as all the options the big operators had on blocks of hotel rooms were released when most people refused to pay the room rates asked.

[Globaliser]

Of course, as there are some people who will pay the increased prices, this can still be a big winner from a yield management point of view.

 

Suppose a hotel has 100 rooms, and each normally goes for £100 per room per night. If full, the hotel takes £10,000 per night.

 

An event is announced. The hotel puts the price up to £300 per room per night. It sells "only" one-third of them at this price. Two weeks before the event, the hotel "slashes" the price of the remaining two-third to £75.

 

Total revenue per night: (£300 x 33) + (£75 x 67) = £14,925.

 

The effect of the £300 price is to tease out those buyers who really are prepared to pay that price, and to take that money off them; even if there are many other buyers who are not prepared to pay that.

[hubofhockey]

Of course, as there are some people who will pay the increased prices, this can still be a big winner from a yield management point of view.

 

Suppose a hotel has 100 rooms, and each normally goes for £100 per room per night. If full, the hotel takes £10,000 per night.

 

An event is announced. The hotel puts the price up to £300 per room per night. It sells "only" one-third of them at this price. Two weeks before the event, the hotel "slashes" the price of the remaining two-third to £75.

 

Total revenue per night: (£300 x 33) + (£75 x 67) = £14,925.

 

The effect of the £300 price is to tease out those buyers who really are prepared to pay that price, and to take that money off them; even if there are many other buyers who are not prepared to pay that.

 

Only works if those already registered don't cancel and rebook at new rates. I locked in a prepaid rate at a 10% discount at St Ermins for July 7 ($316 USD vs $351). Maybe it's a good move. Maybe not. I didn't want to wait. I figure that London will be busy even three weeks before the Olympics because the summer vacation season is shortened.

[jersey_boy]

The Royal Wedding weekend was the cheapest weekend to stay in London this year, IF you booked within 10 days of the wedding itself.

As soon as the wedding date was announced all the hotels quadrupled their rates. As everybody who wasn't going to the wedding steered well clear of London that weekend although the numbers attending the wedding were large, they only filled a small fraction of the beds.

Hence rooms were almost being given away in London the immediate runnup to the wedding.

 

The same phenomenum has happened in the last few Olympics where if you had the nerve to hang on a week or so before the event you could pick up a comfortable hotel at a bargain rate as all the options the big operators had on blocks of hotel rooms were released when most people refused to pay the room rates asked.

 

A little common sense is in order here. Giantfan seriously misinterpreted my comments. I did not say $1400/night but it's taken a life of it's own because of his error. Kind of ridiculous that he thinks that. In any event, I don't care what they charge in London during the Olympics because I won't be there.

[Globaliser]

Only works if those already registered don't cancel and rebook at new rates.

And many won't cancel/rebook, or won't be able to for all sorts of reasons.

 

Yield management is an extremely complex business. Nit-picking holes in a ultra-simplified illustration doesn't mean that it doesn't work. Of course it works, because it's not only done by hotels, but also by trains, planes and automobiles.

 

But if you understand a bit of what's going on, you can sometimes make it work to your personal advantage.

[handfordr]

I saw a job description the other day for the Yield Manager position at the Hilton Heathrow.

Seemed a main part of that job is placating customers who have complained after finding out they bought their room the wrong day of the week and 'overpaid' without giving too much in the way of refunds back.

[hubofhockey]

And many won't cancel/rebook, or won't be able to for all sorts of reasons.

 

Yield management is an extremely complex business. Nit-picking holes in a ultra-simplified illustration doesn't mean that it doesn't work. Of course it works, because it's not only done by hotels, but also by trains, planes and automobiles.

 

But if you understand a bit of what's going on, you can sometimes make it work to your personal advantage.

 

I routinely cancel and rebook car rentals and hotel bookings. Train and plane tickets are different since most are non-refundable. I don't disagree that some won't cancel and re-book. But a substantial reduction of rates that doesn't attract new business risks losing revenue on those already booked. In the present situation with the OP, I have no clue if the cruise line hotel bookings are refundable. But if they were refundable, OP could book that hotel and then look for all specials at other hotels right down to the end.

[Globaliser]

But a substantial reduction of rates that doesn't attract new business risks losing revenue on those already booked.

Naturally. But any yield management department will have a pretty good handle on the conversion rate, so they can work out how much revenue they're likely to be losing with any particular pricing change.

 

The point is that the model of posting only super-high advance rates for the time of a special event and then cutting them dramatically close to the event concerned is not necessarily a strategy born of stupidity and desperation in succession, but just as likely to be a deliberate and successful yield management technique.