Priceline Hotel: Child Friendly Hotels in London?

[Mr. T]

Hello there,

I am planning to go to London this summer and I have a few questions.

I was looking into hotel prices before I start bidding, and I noticed that a lot of hotels on the priceline list will not offer me a room for 2 adults and an infant. Has anybody a booked a room in London through priceline and encountered a problem with the number of guests/children allowed?

I started bidding today for a 5* hotel in Mayfair (using the PRICELINE link on this forum), and reached up to $170 with no success. Would it be too early to start bidding now for a room in May? When is the best time to start bidding?

Thanks!

[thereuare]

There can definitely be an occupancy issue with children, but somewhat less of a risk (imo) with an infant. How old will the infant be at the time of travel? Where will the baby sleep... do you travel with a Pak n Play, want one from the hotel, or will sleep in the bed with 2 adults?

You can also try Accor Hotels as i believe (double check in your searches) that they allow up to one (or maybe two??) children to stay for free in the room at no additional charge.

What are the actual dates of your trip?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[Mr. T]

I will be staying in London 29 April - 3 May. The baby will be 1 year old at the time of travel, and will be sleeping in bed with 2 adults.

[thereuare]

Using PRICELINE for this stay would be a calculated risk. Besides the hotel taking issue with triple occupancy, i think a bigger is that you could receive a room with only one (small) bed which are common in Europe. While this is somewhat less likely at a 5* hotel, a room with such a bed barely holds two adults, let alone a baby sleeping between the two.

A safer bet would be to use HOTWIRE but still search for 2 adults. HOTWIRE defines 'children' as ages 2-17, so by searching for 2adults/0children you're still within their terms. Then once you receive a hotel you can call and inform them that you'll have an infant and see what type of rooms/accommodations you'll be assigned (or if they have a pak n play avaialble). At least this way if you have a problem, you can notify HOTWIRE and tell them that you only included 2adults/0children in your search because the infant is less than 2 years old, and leave it to HOTWIRE to rectify the situation (or cancel the reservation, at their discretion)... with PRICELINE if you call the hotel and have a problem, you'd have no recourse since they only guarantee double occupancy (with no stipulation for children/infants)

Based upon the above let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[Mr. T]

I have checked HOTWIRE. It only gives me 2 hotels (4 and 5 star) in Mayfair-Soho area, Chelsea-Knightsbridges area, and The City-Tower Bridge area.

The 5 Star hotel is for $330/night, which is above my budget. In addition, I have checked the Hilton website, and I can get the Hilton on Park Lane for $240, or the Hilton Tower Bridge for $270 (advanced purchase rate). I have checked with both hotels, although they will not offer rooms online for 3 occupants (including the infant), they have no problem having an infant on board, and asked me to add it as a note on the reservation.

The 4 Star hotel with the following amenities for $130

Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-Speed Internet Access.

I am thinking that it's a little too early, but I'm leaning towards trying bidding on priceline, with a target price of $150 - $180 for a 5 star hotel in Mayfair-Soho area.

I appreciate your help.

[thereuare]

Once you're ready to bid let us know and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow. However, i'll add that i don't think there is too much risk in bidding now, for if you were accepted with a bid of $180 or less, any lower prices in the future wouldn't be by much.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.