Hotwire Hotel: Help ID London Hotels

[caineroad]

:)

Hi guys! I was wondering if anyone could help me. I found a couple of things:

May 26th 2007 for 2 nights (checkout 5/28)

2 adults, 1 room, for London.

I got, 3* hotel in Bloomsbury-Marble Arch for USD$89/night

amenities: Restaurant, Business Center

4* hotel in Regents Park- Baker Street for USD$109/night

amenities: Fitness Center, Pool, Restaurant, Business Center

I also would love to stay in Soho-from what I understand you can't beat the location (I would love to stay somewhere convenient and close to bars/restaurants... Cheapest i found on hotwire is

3.5* hotel in Mayfair/Soho for USD$153/night

amenities: Restaurant, Business Center, High Speed Internet Access, Tennis Nearby

I also have been checking out the Melia House Hotel, just on priceline (not bidding or anything) which lists at about 109 pounds (218 USD approx) not an amazing rate but from what I understand, great hotel

Please help! what should I do? should I take a chance on one of these hotels or go with Melia House- at least I know what it is!

[WillTravel]

If you book through the Sol Melia site, I think if you are a member of the loyalty program you might be eligible for a 2 for 1 breakfast deal. But double-check that.

Personally, based on those rates, I would bid for a 3* in Bloomsbury-Marble Arch on Priceline in such a way that the total was less than the total Hotwire price, and if that failed, I would take HOTWIRE. But this depends whether you would be comfortable with a 3* hotel in London - so far I've been very pleased, and our accommodations have been good-quality, but I'm not the most demanding person either.

[caineroad]

Thank you for your quick response and advise... good suggestion.

I am really opting for a good location- since I doubt I will be in the hotel much. Is Soho a better area or Bloomsbury/Marble Arch? No idea what either are like!

[WillTravel]

The Priceline zone is set up in such a way for Bloomsbury-Marble Arch that you can have either a really convenient location (which is what happened to us when we got the Holiday Inn Bloomsbury) or a middling location. But either way, I would personally be happy with it, because you'll be near transport options no matter what. And I'd prefer it to the location of the Hilton Metropole (which I suspect is the $109 option in your list). Still, many people are quite happy with the Hilton Metropole too - because it's right near a tube stop so pretty convenient.

The Mayfair-Soho zone is the very best for guaranteeing an excellent location from which you can walk to the central tourist sights - but it's also much more expensive, generally speaking - and some sights will still be too far away anyway. So if you want to consider this, I'd decide what your highest possible limit is, and bid for it.

Based on the Hotwire list, it's quite possible the 3* you would get in Bloomsbury-Marble Arch is the Holiday Inn Regents Park (yes, it's confusing that a hotel with Regents Park in the name is not in the Regents Park zone). The reviews for this one are pretty good, but other 3* hotels could be possible too because the amenities are not unique. You'd be able to walk to a lot of sights from this hotel, but I would guess it's about 1/2 mile less central than a typical Mayfair-Soho hotel would be. I'd be very happy with this hotel and location, particularly if the alternative was to pay $50-100 more a night to be in Mayfair-Soho.

When I'm considering possible locations, I like to figure out how far they are to the sights. You can do this with these two web sites:

http://www.mappy.com (enter the address of the hotel and the address of your attraction and choose Pedestrian to get a walking itinerary)

http://www.thetube.com (use the Journey Planner to work out how to get from your hotel to the attractions)

[caineroad]

Thanks so much for your help.

I decided to take a chance on the Mayfair/Soho- and I got the Kingsway Hall Hotel for 153/night on Saturday and Sunday nights (5/26,27) which actually seems to be in Covent Gardens rather.... but, still happy with the outcome... thank you again!

[WillTravel]

The Covent Garden area is perfect for tourists wanting a central location - enjoy your trip!

[thereuare]

Did you ultimately use HOTWIRE?

Was this the hotel (and amenities) that you purchase?

3.5* hotel in Mayfair/Soho for USD$153/night

amenities: Restaurant, Business Center, High Speed Internet Access, Tennis Nearby

Thanks!