In the final countdown to the wedding of the year, many luxury hotels in London report they still have plenty of space for last-minute visitors. Prince William, second in line to the throne, will be marrying his student sweetheart Kate Middleton on Friday April 29th , but unless you’re a hermit I guess I’m not telling you anything new. What is a surprise is that luxury hotels in London are not fully booked for the event.
As always for travelers, this is good news as the hotels are now throwing in all manner of extras to fill their rooms. Many London hotels have resisted the urge to hike the prices, although London is never a cheap place to stay. What guests will find is that staying two nights or more will net them all sorts of goodies.
Champagne is a popular freebie, but a Champagne Flight on the London Eye looking out over the rooftops of the city is even better. Those staying in the Cadogan Hotel junior suite get afternoon tea and a Royal Wedding dinner thrown in. One Aldwych, a cool boutique hotel in London, still has rooms available along with the classy Bermondsey Square Hotel and the Lancaster London. The May Fair is reportedly dishing out souvenir crystal champagne flutes to its guests. Even the well-located Athenaeum which is just a stroll across St James Park from Buckingham Palace still has availability, as do various Hilton hotels.
The spokesperson for the British Hospitality Association put out an upbeat message saying that London hotels still expect many visitors to arrive at the last minute to celebrate. He explained away the disappointing bookings as being because people are taking long Easter breaks which means they may find themselves at other destinations rather than London for the celebrations.
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
London’s River Thames is lined with some grand old buildings, including the grand Ministry of Defense building which was once the hub of espionage during World War II. Built in 1885 at the height of Queen Victoria’s empire, this landmark edifice has fly-on-the-wall views of Britain’s ever-changing capital city. Now defunct, their cover blown, the undercover agents have moved on, giving Corinthia Hotels the opportunity to create a new flagship luxury hotel in London’s epicenter. Situated on Whitehall Place, SW1 it is within strolling distance of most London attractions including Trafalgar Square and the London Eye.
The Spirit of Corinthia Hotels has gradually crept across the former enemy territory opening luxury hotels in St Petersburg, Tripoli, Khartoum and other colorful cities of culture, finally reaching London, which will be its flagship luxury hotel.
Corinthia Hotels work hard to bring an atmosphere of boutique to their opulent hotels, and their aim is to become the world’s premier luxury hotel group. Think gold-standard luxury and Mediterranean hospitality in exquisite, individually designed hotels. Due to open in April, the first guests to this grand hotel will be part of history-in-the-making, although it’s soft opening to host a pre- BAFTA awards breakfast allowed Colin Firth (Academy award winner for the King’s Speech) to be among the first to approve the historic venue.
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
If you’ve got something to celebrate, then consider inviting a few friends to share the occasion at a champagne party at the May Fair luxury hotel in London. This is the newest offering for oenophiles from the 150 bar, named after the magnum-sized 150cl bottles of bubbly which are served at this exclusive bar. The focal point is the floor-to-ceiling glass magnum fridge holding one of Europe’s finest collections of premium magnums, among them a limited edition set of Dom Pérignon bottles in vivid colours.
The 150’s latest indulgent offering is a series of semi-private magnum champagne parties which include vintage champagnes paired with a delectable menu of small plates which are prepared to complement the champagne by head chef, Silvena Rowe. The packages come in all tastes and sizes but the most decadent has to be the Dom Pérignon Vintage Rose 1998 Experience. Designed for 12 discerning guests and priced at £4,400 (approx. $6,800), the package includes four magnums of Dom Pérignon Vintage Rose 1998, paired with four delicate canapés for each guest. They include seared diver-caught scallops and sevruga caviar remoulade; crispy spiced jumbo prawns with avocado and tahini; West Mersea native oysters with sevruga caviar and finally, pomegranate glazed foie gras.
If you want to participate in the Moët & Chandon Imperial Experience, make sure you take the empty bottle home with you – it is personalized with Swarovski crystals!
Finish the party in the May Fair’s Palm Beach Casino in the Grand Art Deco Ballroom which has one of the largest gaming rooms in London. And after all that fun and bubbly you may want to book a night so you can stumble into bed in one of this luxury five star hotel’s signature suites.
by Gillian at Luxique luxury hotels
The French have had to concede that London offers a better experience for tourists than Paris.
The Paris-Il-de-France Regional Tourism Committee commissioned a survey to explore ways to boost international visitors. To the surprise of many, London was placed ahead of five other European cities, including Paris, Rome and Berlin.
The report found that tourists liked London better than other cities for its taxis, restaurants and landmarks, including Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye.
The city was given an impressive score of 82 out of 100 for the welcome it offered visitors from abroad. Paris – officially the world’s most popular tourist destination in terms of number of visitors – tied in second place on 79 with Amsterdam.
So what’s so wrong with Paris? Well, public transport is considered poor, with tickets difficult to buy and the Metro looking increasingly old and dirty.
Paris hotels – which have shot up in price in the decade or so since the introduction of the euro – were also found wanting, with a total mark of 74 per cent, compared with 89 per cent for London.
One fault that was found with Londoners was that so few were able to speak a foreign language.
by Andy Moreton
Paris or London? Do both! Luxique can direct you to the best luxury hotels in Paris and London – and at the best available rates.
Hotels in London have begun cashing in on next year’s royal wedding by raising their prices for a room on April 29th.
Demand for accommodation has surged since the date was announced – there’s said to have been a trebling of hotel bookings. Some hotels in the capital are down to their last few rooms on the big day.
One industry source said: “Demand is extremely high, and where demand catches up with supply, prices go up. There are still some very good deals available, though people who want to be part of the celebrations need to book as soon as possible or risk missing out.”
The wedding is expected to help provide Britain with a two-year tourism boost, with
some experts believing the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be more popular than the Olympic Games in 2012.
by Andy Moreton
Book now to avoid disappointment! Luxique offers a regal selection of luxury hotels in London.
A plan has been put forward to build a cable car service across the Thames in London.
Transport for London wants to provide the new link between the Royal Docks on one side of the river and the Greenwich Peninsula near the O2 Arena on the other.
At least 34 cable cars, carrying ten people each, would be suspended 50 metres (164 feet) above the river. It’s thought the gondolas could take 2,500 passengers an hour – equivalent to 50 bus-loads, or the hourly number of people using the Blackwall Tunnel road link.
The planning application says cable cars are considered one of the most reliable forms of public transport in the world. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said the service would provide ‘a unique and pioneering addition to London’s skyline’.
If it’s approved by the two local boroughs affected, it’s hoped it could be in operation by the London Olympics in 2012.
by Andy Moreton
It’s a great city to explore at any time of the year, so take a look at Luxique’s comprehensive selection of luxury hotels in London.
Tourist chiefs in the UK have been rubbing their hands with glee at the announcement of a royal wedding next year.
VisitEngland Chief Executive, James Berresford, said that with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics following in 2012, the tourism industry had a tremendous opportunity to attract many extra overseas tourists.
“I’m absolutely thrilled for [Prince] William and Kate [Middleton, his fiancée], and thrilled for tourism as well,” he said. “The wedding next year will mean that once again the eyes of the world will be turned to our nation. We will have a wonderful opportunity to showcase all that is best about the country.”
Last week, the Office for National Statistics announced that the number of visits made to the UK by overseas residents in the first nine months of this year totalled 22.48 million – a 2% dip on the 2009 total.
by Andy Moreton
Whatever the occasion, whatever the weather, London remains a must-see city. Take a look at Luxique’s selection of luxury hotels in London.
Tourists from abroad have been barred from visiting one of London’s most famous sights, Big Ben, because of security concerns.
The police feared that terrorists could pose as tourists and try to blow up the London landmark. Plans to vet all foreign visitors hoping to tour the world-famous tower proved too complex and costly.
British citizens are still allowed to visit Big Ben, but they must apply in writing to their Member of Parliament. The Keeper of the Great Clock, Michael McCann, said: “We don’t do public tours, but you can write to your MP with a reason for wanting to see it and they arrange a tour for you. We do a tour up to three times a day which sounds a lot, but there are only 16 people on a tour.”
Before the 75-minute visit, guests have to pass through strict security checks. Under the supervision of armed police, all visitors pass through a metal detector, and a wall-mounted camera takes a picture of their faces before they’re issued with photo security passes.
by Andy Moreton
Many of Luxique’s carefully selected luxury hotels in London will have special deals at this time. Check out the full list.
A report in a London evening newspaper suggests that the new owners of Harrods are planning to build a luxury hotel in London on the roof of the iconic store.
Harrods was bought by Qatar Holdings, on behalf of the Qatari royal family, in May for £1.5 billion ($2.4 billion). It’s situated in Knightsbridge, one of the most fashionable and prestigious parts of London. One industry source told the Evening Standard: “A ‘Harrods Hotel’ would be popular with wealthy foreign visitors … you can imagine some people virtually living in it.”
Harrods’ Managing Director, Michael Ward, said it was a serious possibility, although no definite decisions had been taken. “Are we looking at it? Yes. Have we considered it? Yes. It is something we would do.”
According to sources, the plans for the hotel could also include the conversion of the store’s top floor into a restaurant.
The acquisition of Harrods by the Qataris ended the colourful 25-year reign at the business of the flamboyant tycoon, Mohamed Al Fayed. He had said previously that he would like to house his mausoleum on the store’s roof.
by Andy Moreton
Luxique offers an unrivalled selection of luxury hotels in London, including a dozen in Knightsbridge, a short walk from Harrods.
Within two years, there could be a single smart card allowing travellers to ride the London Underground, the Paris Metro and the New York Subway.
The company running the tube, Transport For London (TfL), is speaking to its counterparts in the United States and Europe about the possibility of harmonising the ticketing systems. With millions of tourists crossing the globe to visit major cities for business and leisure, the aim is to simplify their travel and spare them the bureaucracy of buying a local card.
In London, most commuters pay for travel using a top-up card known as an Oyster, which has been in place since 2003 and is used by about seven million people. TfL plans to run a ‘contactless payment’ scheme as an alternative to Oyster, allowing people to use public transport by scanning their debit or credit cards on a special reader.
The next technological step would be to develop a common internationally accepted card, making life considerably easier for the tourist.
- London’s museums and galleries enjoyed a blockbuster summer as recession-hit Britons stayed at home and an influx of foreign tourists swelled visitor numbers. Attendances were up by an average of 11 per cent, with some attractions enjoying a 24 per cent boost
by Andy Moreton
Luxique has an unrivalled selection of the finest luxury hotels in London – some large and traditional, some small and chic.
