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Archive for February, 2012

London is consistently at the very top of the list for the most visited cities in the world. Paris may be first but London is a regular close second. A value of around 30 billion U.S dollars is spent by tourists every year visiting Britain and the bulk of that is spent in London.

Most visitors to the U.K. want to see London more than any other part of the country and finding and booking a cheap hotel near London is a priority before they even leave their own country to begin the journey.

Multi-millionaire high fliers may be able to afford some of the hugely expensive Pall Mall five star establishments but the vast majority of visitors are looking for cheap yet clean and comfortable hotels preferably near all the attractions that London offers.

West London and in particular the area around Hyde Park and Paddington have numerous hotels all within walking distance of many key London attractions. Hyde Park and Regents Park are two of the London Royal Parks which belong to the Crown Estates Office and as such are superbly looked after and provide a feel of the countryside even though the visitor is in the heart of London.

A stroll in Hyde Park could lead one down to Buckingham Palace or in another direction, along Europe’s busiest shopping street; Oxford Street. Beyond Oxford Street are the other major shopping streets of Regents and Piccadilly Street. At Piccadilly the visitor is now at the heart of theatre land and without doubt no other city in the world compares to the size and success of this form of entertainment.

The weary traveller wants to find their hotel is clean, warm and comfortable. The receptionist is the most important person in the hotel and for a foreigner the receptionist may be the very first person they have spoken to since landing on foreign soil. First impressions cannot be overrated and a friendly smile can make a huge difference to the visitor. In some ways you could say that it is possible to quantify the quality of a hotel from that very first introduction.

One of the wonders of the internet is that it is harder for advertisers to lie about their product and if a cheap hotel near London is found through surfing the net then the visitor must be sure that there is supporting evidence by way of photographs and preferably testimonials before booking. There are many bargains to be had and booking well in advance as well as being flexible with dates will help ensure the best prices.

Competition is healthy for any business and although it was true that many years ago there was an appallingly poor choice of hotel in London which should really be called bed and breakfasts of the worst standard, the quality now of mid-range cheap London hotels is generally of a very good standard.

If you are going away and hoping that you will not sit for days in a hotel – choose a cheap hotel rooms. At the same time, the question arises whether there is room telephone, TV, and faucet – hot water. It is not bad with knowledge to choose where and with what comfort to live in another city.

Classification. The most common system in the world classification of hotels – from one to five stars. In each country has its own classification requirements. For example, in France, five-star hotel just does not happen: taxes are too high for such a luxury. This conflict with the tax departments of hotel owners decided to simply – every downgraded its hotel unit, but if you want to note the increased level of service added to the stars “+” (plus). Now, 4 + means the same 5 and the class of service and prices. And in Britain, along with the stars of the classification of hotels can designate other symbols: the “crown”, “key”, “moon”, “Sun”, “diamonds”, etc. But it also happens that the first class service is very low, for example in the United States. Occurs and a special classification for a specific hotel chain, for example, “economy class”, which speaks for itself.

Location. When choosing cheap hotel rooms is very important to know how far is hotel from the international airport, the sea and the beach, can walk to get to the city center. If you are traveling by car, it is better to choose a motel not far from the main road.

A view from the window of the room. This indicates an important detail when booking, however, for a fee and may be absent in the selection of cheap hotel rooms.

Capacity and amenities. This includes the location, area and number of rooms, number of beds, equipment, furniture, etc.

Radio, TV – important parts of the equipment room, which certainly indicated in the description of the hotel. A set of these facilities depends on the class rooms and the hotel in general.

Hot water, shower or bath are usually almost every room. But in the cheapest hotel rooms can only be installed washbasin and shared bathroom and toilets are on the floor.

Air-conditioning in the room – an urgent need in the country with hot climate. In some hotels air-conditioned centrally managed.

Phone room (with access to the city for a fee) is usually available in every room.

Accessories. Hair dryer (optional in hotels 4 * and above), a glass of water, a stool or chair, desk, refrigerator, etc. The order of bed linen and towels, a common procedure for cleaning rooms and washing glasses, garbage removal, etc. also depend on the class of hotel and discharge rates.

Mini-bar. Very expensive attribute of a hotel room. Mini-bar – a fridge with a camera under the key and alarm system.

Parking for cars. In most countries – it is the whole problem, and if the hotel does not have its own parking lot, ask in advance, where you can park your car and how much it will cost.

Safe. To avoid theft in hotels, it is best to use the hotel safe. Usually it is in the lobby or directly in the room.

Meals and services. In the description of hotel services necessarily indicate how you will be fed and at what time. Also in the room usually on the table is a sheet with the price list of additional services. The higher the category of hotel, the more additional services.

Conditions for leisure. Well sure the hotel has a gym, tennis courts and other sports facilities, sauna, outdoor or indoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi, massage rooms, hairdressing.

We must also note that some hotels are required to make a special deposit. It serves as insurance in case if using a mini-bar, or telephone, you leave without paying. On departure from the hotel you are sure to return the deposit amount.

Now you know how to choose a cheap hotel rooms and gathering in the way, do not forget about the conditions of payment for services. You can pay by cash, check or credit card. Specify in advance a list of credit cards that are accepted at the hotel, restaurant and shop.

Often people travel to spend their vacations with their family, for business trip or meeting or seminar or may be for a short stay or for some other reason. Everyone needs comfort, fun, facilities, and satisfaction under their desire budget. But due to lack of information related to cheap hotels people have to compromise.

Information related to cheap or budget hotel can be obtained either from websites or travel agents. Here are some tips for those who want to book cheap hotels without much hassle so that they can stay within their budget:

* The best option to book your hotel room is through a website that specializes in cheap and discount travel packages. You will not get the actual rates from any travel agent.

* You should not book hotel at last minute. If you are flexible and if you book hotel about 6 weeks ago then you will be able to get a room for a very good rate.

* If you book the hotel online then you can save quiet a bit from regular price. You just need to pick the destination and dates of your stay. It is the first step in which you have to decide where you want to go and which dates you are going to be there. There after you have to pick a hotel out of the available hotel list. Make sure that you are happy with the hotel that you have picked. Decide the size and number of room that you want to book. The last step is to enter information and reserve room using any online payment system.

* You can approach travel agent for booking hotel. Making choice online is difficult task because you have to make choice from the wide range of list especially in case of big cities. Travel agent guides you to choose right package that suits your budget. You do not have to worry at all. You just need to specify your choice and leave the rest to travel agent. They will take care of all your needs.

Cheap hotels offer world class facilities and personalized services at the most reasonable rates. You can get unique blend of business and pleasure at extremely affordable prices. If you want traveling a pleasant experience and that too within your budget then you should make a pre-hand research regarding the hotels. This will prevent you from making any mistakes and allow you to know value for money.

It’s not always easy to find a cheap hotel that you know you would be comfortable staying in. Often, the prices charged in large cities like London, Paris, New York, etc. don’t really seem to equate with the word ‘cheap’.

That said, it is possible to find a cheap hotel. You just need to know where to look!

There are a number of budget hotel chains who offer a good standard of accommodation at an affordable price. These vary by country – you’ll probably know the ones in your own country but if you are travelling abroad, you may need to do some research.

The advantage of using a hotel room provided by one of these chains is that it will be fairly cheap and that you can rest assured that all the standards you expect from a budget hotel room will be catered for.

The disadvantage can be that sometimes the location is a bit ‘out of the way’. Some cheap hotel chains have branches at out of town locations. You may also miss out on the personal service you would expect from a smaller, owner-run establishment.

The next alternative is to look for an individual hotel. Smaller hotels are often run by their owner and this can be a good way to dig out a cheap hotel.

Because the owner is most likely running and looking after the hotel, this means that cheap hotels in the UK can sometimes be like hidden gems. The care and attention you’ll get from a cheaper place can often be much better than you’d get in, say, a mid-range hotel chain. After all, it’s the owner’s livelihood that depends on it, so they’re more likely to make sure everything is just right for you.

Naturally you will want a clean, comfortable room. Since you are on business, you should also look for other things such as an internet connection. More hotels nowadays are offering this facility but you should check what is available and how much it will cost. It’s no fun arriving at a hotel only to find that the only broadband hotspot is already packed with other business travellers. Whilst it is possible to use the latest mobile phones to get an internet connection, they charge by the Mb and this can start to get expensive very quickly.

At the end of the day, it’s probably your business department’s choice what budget you have for overnight travel costs. Of course, if you’re on a tight budget like an increasing number of cost conscious business travellers nowadays, you may not have too much of a choice of where to stay. But with very few exceptions there are almost always acceptable places to stay when you are travelling on business.

Copyright 2005 S Wander