According to a report by the Financial Times, some London hotels have increased prices so much that they might well price themselves out of the market with tariff increases of up to 500%.
The paper quoted one tour operator, who asked to remain anonymous, who said one of the four star London hotels they feature had increased room prices from £200 to £1100 over the London Olympic dates. Other policy changes include a London hotel wanting a 70% non-refundable deposit by September 2011.
VisitBritain are worried that these changes will affect the numbers of people coming to the Olympics, so have created the “fair pricing and practice charter” which aims to keep prices reasonable and encourage people to come to London for the games.
Not all London hotels are taking such drastic price hikes and if the Sydney Olympics are anything to go by, those will be the ones booked solid during the games with the rest having to slash prices at the last minute to achieve full room bookings.
What are the best ways to book London Olympic hotels?
1) Compare prices of hotels – Just as with a cooker, fridge or TV, hotel prices aren’t always the same from every provider so use one of the hotel comparison features such as UKhotel London hotels.
2) Check the cancellation details – When booking a hotel, check the cancellation details especially in London as ticket allocations won’t be confirmed until after April 26th. Most sensible hotels will still allow you to cancel after this date, so avoid any which specify non-refundable deposits or tariffs.
3) Consider the hotel chains – One of the least likely to massively increase prices are the hotel chains such as Travelodge and Premier Inn. The slight problem with these is you can’t book the Olympic dates until this July, but you are guaranteed quality accommodation.
4) Check the reviews – A lot of sites such as Laterooms and Superbreak have reviews from customers and these can be invaluable for finding out what the accommodation is really like.
5) Remember London has good transport – A lot of people will be trying to get hotels close to the venues but remember that whereever you are in London, there’s likely to be a transport option especially with the London Underground. Hotels further from the venues are likely to be significantly cheaper too.
