Hotwire Hotel: 4* London (Westminster Bridge - London Eye - Vauxhall) Park Plaza London Waterloo

[jv2489]

My first time traveling to Europe with a family of 3 (including me).  

 

4*

12/17 thru 12/26

France leg of trip: 12/17 thru 12/22

London leg: 12/22 thru 12/26

 

I have no idea which region I should stay in so I'm looking for general recommendations. The priceline express deals I'm seeing look pretty affordable.  Paris ~$120 and London ~$85-90 per night.  Which regions are most family friendly and which hotels are generally close to a metro station?  We're looking to do the usual touristy type stuff so I'm sure we'll be using the train often.  

 

For example, I see the following hotel in the Chelsea area.  This seems too good to be true. 

 

4.5*
London /  Chelsea - Stamford Bridge Stadium

12/22 thru 12/26

$89/nt

Free Internet Available

Pets Allowed

No Smoking Rooms/Facilities

Fitness Center

Handicapped Rooms/Facilities

Spa

Restaurant

Free Internet Access

 

Also, I have a 14 year old.  Do they really charge for more than 2 people to stay in a room if we're sleeping in the same bed?  

 

 

[thereuare]

We will use this thread for the London leg of your trip, please start a NEW TOPIC for the Paris portion.

 

Specifically for the London hotel above:

4.5* Chelsea - Stamford Bridge Stadium & Battersea (<-- CLICK HERE and confirm your dates on the landing page) for $89/nite with:
Pets Allowed
Restaurant
Free Internet available
Free Internet
Fitness Center
==> Rafayel Hotel and Spa

 

As for your general questions, we'll start with your last question as it directly applies to the offer above:

7 hours ago, jv2489 said:

Do they really charge for more than 2 people to stay in a room if we're sleeping in the same bed?

Rooms (and beds) in Europe are generally smaller than what we typically see in the US and elsewhere; one double bed in a room designed for double occupancy is not uncommon.  As well, since all PRICELINE reservations (unless otherwise indicated) are for double occupancy, i would recommend choosing a hotel that shows a Bed Choice, and ideally (if possible) one that also indicated 'children stay free'.

 

For example, for the hotel above it does indicate:

All children under 13 years stay free of charge when using existing beds.

Even if your child was under 13 years old, this room does not show a 'Bed Choice'... so what if if the room you receive only has one double bed?  You would not have much recourse if the hotel did not have a rollaway bed available (or there was not enough space in the room for a rollaway), whereas you would have a much better leg to stand on if you booked a specific room type that had enough bedding to accommodate 3 guests (which is what you need in this instance, if i'm interpreting your post correctly).  I would be less concerned regarding the 'under 13 years old' and showing up with a 14 year old... but i would be a bit more concerned about a 'standard' room in Europe (that did not indicate how many beds or the room configuration) being able to accommodate 3 guests.

 

My suggestion would be to choose a hotel:
1) from PRICELINE EXPRESS that shows a bed choice that can accommodate 3 guests (and it's a bonus if it also indicates 'children stay free'), or

2) use HOTWIRE where you can search for 2adults/1child and HOTWIRE guarantees sleeping accommodations for everyone you include in your search (so you don't have to worry about extra charges or the room not accommodating everyone, as long as you include all guests in your search)

 

As far as location goes, ideally you want to stay as closer to the city center if possible, as this zone is a bit on the outskirts... but it often does become a balancing act between location and budget (since as you get closer to the city center things tend to become more expensive).  Some of the more frequently chosen zones include:

Bloomsbury - Marble Arch - Kings Cross Station & British Museum

Mayfair - Soho

Regents Park - Baker Street - Camden Market

Westminster - Houses of Parliament - Victoria

 

What is your expected budget for this leg of the trip? (per nite before fees/taxes)

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

[jv2489]

Hi.  Thanks for the reply.  I will take your advice on choosing 1 of the 4 zones you listed above and looking for a 'Bed Choice'.  

 

My expected budget is around $130/nt for the London leg.  

[jv2489]

Any guesses on what this hotel could be?  

 

4*
Bloomsbury - Marble Arch - Kings Cross Station

12/22 thru 12/26

$120/nt

Free Internet Available

No Smoking Rooms/Facilities

Fitness Center

Handicapped Rooms/Facilities

Business Center

Restaurant

Free Internet Access

 

 

It looks like the Crowne Plaza London Kings Cross in the same region is $96/nt. Is this a good deal? 

I also see some 'Private Rental' options for $100-110/nt.  I kind of like the idea of a kitchen but are these units sketchy?

[thereuare]

For this one:

4* Bloomsbury - Marble Arch - Kings Cross Station & British Museum (<-- CLICK HERE and confirm your dates on the landing page) for $119/nite with:
Business Center
Restaurant
Free Internet available
Free Internet
Fitness Center
==> best guess would be the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Kenilworth

 

However, in light of my comments above, which of the following room types do you think guarantees that you'll have two beds in the room (or that it will include a pullout sofabed OR have enough space for a rollaway to be brought in, should one be available)?

Double Or Twin Bed - Standard Room

Premium Room

Room Assigned At Check-In - Sleeps Two Adults

Suite

 

Regardless, why the one above when (if you're going to ignore the occupancy issue) there is this one which is cheaper and gets better reviews:

4* Westminster - Houses of Parliament - Victoria (<-- CLICK HERE and confirm your dates on the landing page) for $101/nite with:
Restaurant
Free Internet available
Free Internet
Fitness Center
==> Crowne Plaza London - Albert Embankment is my best guess here... only King bed is the 'room choice' offered here but at least that is better than a double, queen, or a non-descriptive room of 'deluxe' or 'premium'; although i think from a location point of view you would ideally want to be on the other side of the river as this hotel looks to be about a 15 minute walk to the nearest tube stations

 

Or 'safer' from an occupancy point of view would be HOTWIRE searching for 2adults/1child:
4* HOTWIRE Westminster Bridge - London Eye - Vauxhall for $98
Free Internet
Pet Friendly
Smoke Free
Fitness
Restaurant
Deaf Accessible
Room Accessible
Bathroom Accessible
==> revealed as Novotel London Waterloo... similar locations as to above

 

4* HOTWIRE Tower Bridge - Tower of London for $142
Free Internet
Pet Friendly
Smoke Free
Fitness
Restaurant
Travel Accessible
Room Accessible
Bathroom Accessible
==> Novotel London Tower Bridge is my guess here... which i think may be just on the outskirts of the 'center' of the city, but you're very close to multiple train options to get you to wherever you want to go

 

As for the Crowne Plaza LONDON - KINGS CROSS Hotel this hotel has a 5.2 out of 10 rating by previous PRICELINE guests, with a 5.9 rating for location... what would make this seem like a good option?  As well, if you click this link for the Crowne Plaza LONDON - KINGS CROSS Hotel and scroll down to the map, you can scroll in/out and see that there are not really any tube (ie- subway) stations in the immediate walk-able area (which reconfirms the 5.9 rating for 'location').  Your first 'litmus test' should be looking for hotels that indicate that they are favorable/better than average... on PRICELINE an overall review score of at least 7.0+ (8.0 is even better)... on HOTWIRE you want to look for 85%+ or good TA reviews (when shown)

 

So what was it about the hotel(s) you asked about above that made you interested in those, as it would seem to me that even at first glance there are hotels that are better reviewed for similar (or in some circumstances) even less?

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

[jv2489]

Great information...thank you.  I listed the hotels above because I thought they would be in desirable areas, but thank you for your guidance on the overall scores of 7+/85%+.  Of the options you listed I like the one below the best!  I will most likely book after I figure out my Paris Leg (and will reply with my final decision).  I'll create another post for that but will close this one out after I book.  Thank you!

 

4* HOTWIRE Westminster Bridge - London Eye - Vauxhall for $98
Free Internet
Pet Friendly
Smoke Free
Fitness
Restaurant
Deaf Accessible
Room Accessible
Bathroom Accessible
==> revealed as Novotel London Waterloo... similar locations as to above

[thereuare]

6 hours ago, jv2489 said:

I will most likely book after I figure out my Paris Leg

Keep us updated on your decision, but also keep in mind that HOTWIRE offers can change/disappear at any time.

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

[jv2489]

I went ahead and booked 

 

4* HOTWIRE Westminster Bridge - London Eye - Vauxhall for $126
Free Internet
Business center

Fitness center

Indoor pool(s)

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Smoke-free rooms

Spa services
==> revealed as Park Plaza London Waterloo

 

This was more expensive than the Novotel London Waterloo but this hotel does seem nicer. Thanks for your help.   

 

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you got two nice deals for each leg of this trip and that you're all set and looking forward to your family vacation.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board.

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

Have a great trip!