Since the worldwide pandemic back in 2020, there has been a huge rise in hotel prices across the globe, particularly in London. As one of the worlds most visited cities, just behind Hong Kong and Bangkok, London is an extremely sought after location for tourists around the world. No wonder prices are slowly on the rise!
Debs and I live about an hour and a half away from the big city, but whenever we have a night out there we prefer to stop overnight and really make the most of the day and evening. Over the past five years I've noticed the price we're paying per room per night has gone up by almost 50%.
There are lots of small, cheaper hotels throughout London but honestly, we're a little boujee and choose to stay in 4*+ hotels, especially when in cities. We find the amenities, location and views are always a little better if you're willing to pay just a tad more. A recent study showed that the average cost of one hotel room for one night in London to be around £220, and for anything 4* and above you're looking at around £350 per night.
The May Fair, London.
Still, with that all being said we know for a fact that you absolutely can find good deals in the city if you're willing to put in a bit of work, for example, I recently found a fabulous 4* hotel deal in central London for just £101 per night - bargain! Here's everything I do to find the best price...
Decide on a budget, and be realistic.
If your budget is lower, the standard of the hotel will match the price. Personally, I'd recommend a budget of between £150 - £250 for a good, central 4* hotel.
Sign up to hotel websites and choose one platform to begin your search.
I personally use TripAdvisor, booking.com, secret escapes and direct google searches to do my planning but there are tonnes of other websites out there including Expedia, hotels.com and trivago.
Once you've chosen a platform, enter your logistics (how many nights, what part of London and how many guests) and do your first search. I tend to do a map search when I'm doing this first part to find 3-5 hotels in the area that I want and are within my budget. Choose your top three and re-search the same logistics across your chosen platforms.
Sign up to Secret Escapes, specifically.
This is not an ad, just a word of advice from someone who thought this app was a scam. It's not. It's legit. We recently stayed in a gorgeous hotel in London at a much lower rate just by booking via secret escapes. It doesn't always work out and I'd always advise cross-checking the price BUT occasionally, this app has saved me £100's on hotels in London and Europe.
South Place Hotel booked via Secret Escapes
Try to use the same platform, providing the price is right.
Because I book so often via booking.com and have a membership account with them, this usually ends up being the best deal for me. I get discounts on certain hotels at certain times, plus it is linked to my Virgin Red account that gains me points to spend on Virgin flights and holidays: Win Win!
Always check the hotel's website
There have been several occasions where the hotel has actually matched or beaten prices I've found on other websites. It's not always the case but it's definitely worth a look. When we booked for four of us in Amsterdam I actually booked direct with the hotel, which was cheaper by around £100 per couple. They also sometimes advertise offers on their website that you won't find elsewhere so it's always worth a look before booking.
If you can, allow flexibility with dates.
This is never the case with us as whenever we're going to London, it's usually for something booked in advance BUT... If you're coming from afar and planning an actual holiday, have a play around with the dates before confirming time off work (if you can). Quieter weeks or weekends in London will be cheaper but the hotel will never make that public knowledge. I've stayed in 5* hotels at a weekend for less than £250 when their regular rates can be up to £500 per night just by shuffling my dates around before booking.
Lastly, but probably the most important piece of advice I have...
Before you book, clear your search history
The World Wide Web knows absolutely everything about you including what time of day you poop. (TMI I know but honestly it wouldn't surprise me if this was a thing). The more research you do for a certain date, a certain location or certain flights: the search engine is learning. It knows exactly what you want and it'll charge you a premium for it. By clearing your history you're essentially wiping the memory of the search engines and it can sometimes save £100s of pounds on a holiday!
Happy Travelling!
Becca x
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