London - Not convinced about my hotel booking

[Adenauer]

Tried to delete the thread as my questions were answered. It appears that I can't or that I'm too thick.

Edited by Adenauer on Monday 29th August 11:31

[The Mad Monk]

Personally, I prefer The Goring in Victoria or The Stafford in St James'.

[essayer]

My usual approach is to go on Tripadvisor and look at the photos that guests have taken. If you start seeing pics of hairballs in sinks or mouldy shower grout, it’s time to look elsewhere.

That place looks decent. If it’s not up to scratch try over the road (ask for Liz)

[Adenauer]

The Mad Monk said:

Personally, I prefer The Goring in Victoria or The Stafford in St James'.

Thanks, but I think I should mention just how good the price is, bearing in mind that the two you have just mentioned are both well over a grand for the time we're there.

The booking is for 3 nights and it's 650€, in a superior room and with breakfast. That just seems suspiciously cheap to me, even though it's through booking.com

[Adenauer]

essayer said:

My usual approach is to go on Tripadvisor and look at the photos that guests have taken. If you start seeing pics of hairballs in sinks or mouldy shower grout, it’s time to look elsewhere.

That place looks decent. If it’s not up to scratch try over the road (ask for Liz)

Is she still running her B&B?

[Austin_Metro]

Booking.com appear (thought I saw bbc news reports) to have had difficulties with fake listings recently - if it is suspiciously cheap I’d want to check with the actual hotel that they have your booking and this isn’t a duplicate listing.

[Adenauer]

Austin_Metro said:

Booking.com appear (thought I saw bbc news reports) to have had difficulties with fake listings recently - if it is suspiciously cheap I’d want to check with the actual hotel that they have your booking and this isn’t a duplicate listing.

Hmm, I have a horrible feeling you might have something here. Just looked on the hotel website and the same room etc. for the same period is 1,083.00 pounds. That's a tad more than 650,00€.

[Jonathan27]

Adenauer said:

The Mad Monk said:

Personally, I prefer The Goring in Victoria or The Stafford in St James'.

Thanks, but I think I should mention just how good the price is, bearing in mind that the two you have just mentioned are both well over a grand for the time we're there.

The booking is for 3 nights and it's 650€, in a superior room and with breakfast. That just seems suspiciously cheap to me, even though it's through booking.com

Superior room is just hotel speak for a basic room. Plenty of people would avoid booking a room called 'basic' so they jazz up the name a little.

[Adenauer]

Just called the hotel, they have my booking and even confirmed the price. So as long as it's not a flea infested cesspit, we'll be fine.

[Adenauer]

Jonathan27 said:

Adenauer said:

The Mad Monk said:

Personally, I prefer The Goring in Victoria or The Stafford in St James'.

Thanks, but I think I should mention just how good the price is, bearing in mind that the two you have just mentioned are both well over a grand for the time we're there.

The booking is for 3 nights and it's 650€, in a superior room and with breakfast. That just seems suspiciously cheap to me, even though it's through booking.com

Superior room is just hotel speak for a basic room. Plenty of people would avoid booking a room called 'basic' so they jazz up the name a little.

Well, it's 6m² larger than a standard room so I'll take that, ta, especially in London.

[abzmike]

I use hotels.com, and have never had any issues. For 9-12 Feb in a superior room with brekkie they are #1,238, so that 650 euro looks more like a nightly rate... I've been caught out on Booking.com with that when browsing in the past.
As for the hotel it has decent reviews, bit it is quite a noisy/grubby street tbh.

[Austin_Metro]

Adenauer said:

Just called the hotel, they have my booking and even confirmed the price. So as long as it's not a flea infested cesspit, we'll be fine.

Pleased to hear it! Enjoy London.

I’m hoping my Airbnb is real when I go there tomorrow!

[Adenauer]

abzmike said:

I use hotels.com, and have never had any issues. For 9-12 Feb in a superior room with brekkie they are #1,238, so that 650 euro looks more like a nightly rate... I've been caught out on Booking.com with that when browsing in the past.
As for the hotel it has decent reviews, bit it is quite a noisy/grubby street tbh.

I've never had a problem either, I'm even a Genius level 3 soldier, or something

Price details
Superior King Room
£461.10
20 % VAT is included.
£92.22
Total price
£553.32

Can't really say it clearer than that.

Not fussed about it being a grubby street, we're coming over to see a few shows and so I can get my annual fill of full English breakfasts, I don't plan on spending much time on the street.

[arfur]

Adenauer said:

I've never had a problem either, I'm even a Genius level 3 soldier, or something

Price details
Superior King Room
£461.10
20 % VAT is included.
£92.22
Total price
£553.32

Can't really say it clearer than that.

Not fussed about it being a grubby street, we're coming over to see a few shows and so I can get my annual fill of full English breakfasts, I don't plan on spending much time on the street.

Make sure you take a wander over to the Regency for one of those breakfasts ! They even take cards now !!!

[mcdjl]

Adenauer said:

Austin_Metro said:

Booking.com appear (thought I saw bbc news reports) to have had difficulties with fake listings recently - if it is suspiciously cheap I’d want to check with the actual hotel that they have your booking and this isn’t a duplicate listing.

Hmm, I have a horrible feeling you might have something here. Just looked on the hotel website and the same room etc. for the same period is 1,083.00 pounds. That's a tad more than 650,00€.

How long ago did you book and did booking.com give you a discount? I've just tried for tonight and at 276 for one night that's roughly in line



Edit: booking.com listed a discount from the direct £341

Edited by mcdjl on Monday 29th August 09:30

[Adenauer]

arfur said:

Make sure you take a wander over to the Regency for one of those breakfasts ! They even take cards now !!!

Really??

https://www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x487604dd806...

[bitchstewie]

I wouldn't sweat it.

I just went on Booking.com and put in a random 3 nights near Buckingham Palace in February and Rubens came up and it's about £600 (though a bit more for the sort of room you have).

Either way the price and booking look completely legit.

[Louis Balfour]

Adenauer said:

Morning,

We're off to London for a few days next February and I have booked a hotel, it's supposedly a five star hotel near Buckingham Palace. I wouldn't normally bother with five star but the price was so cheap I couldn't resist

Now I'm a bit worried that I'll be walking into some sort of ancient dump, it' that cheap! 99% of the reviews I have read are very good, but I don't really trust them.

Can any of you London savvy chaps say 'it's actually alright', or, 'don't even think about staying there'. The Rubens at the Palace.

Danke

I've yet to work out quite how booking agencies work, but I have on a number of occasions booked hotel rooms all over the place for a fraction of the rack rate.

In some cases, the hotel isn't aware of the booking until nearly the arrival date. I can only assume that their booking system has the room suspended and then my name appears against it at some point.

What I have noticed, though, is I have often had the most basic room in the hotel. Presumably booking agency bookings are the least profitable and guests arriving through that channel get what they have paid for,

[Adenauer]

mcdjl said:

How long ago did you book and did booking.com give you a discount? I've just tried for tonight and at 276 for one night that's roughly in line

Booked a few weeks ago, early bird discount, genius discount, free room upgrade, free breakfast.

[Cudd Wudd]

Adenauer said:

arfur said:

Make sure you take a wander over to the Regency for one of those breakfasts ! They even take cards now !!!

Really??

https://www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x487604dd806...

If Morty is in, probably best not to intervene.