U.K. and Ireland - Olympic bargains galore as London's theatres and hotels slash rates

I just got an email from the Corinthia Hotel, an upscale hotel that believes it is a luxury hotel, that they are now offering rates of GBP320 up (excl VAT) with no minimum stay during the Olympics. Not sure if all dates are available.

The hotel is located near Charing Cross station.

This is not far above their regular rack, although they often have sales.

In the recent Hoxton sale, they were offering £1 rooms right through August.

IMO, London hotels are far from sold out and prices can only fall in the coming weeks.

I've read this isn't unusual for Olympic host cities and the more I think about it, it doesn't surprise me in the least. I'd never take my wife and kids to see the "canoe sprint" let alone fly half way across the world to do it, but because it's here, I want to do it.

Very few events will surely attract the 'pay anything' brigade. 100m finals and the like maybe, but elsewhere you've presumably got locals (incl. 'near Euorpe') and contestant friends & families. I may have to stay in London during week 1 but I'm not sweating it (and worst case scenario I can be home in 90 mins...)

IMO, London hotels are far from sold out and prices can only fall in the coming weeks.

I suspect too that the high prices are in part a triumph of hope over experience. I remember, for example, in the months before the solar eclipse in 1999, some hotels in Cornwall were charging ridiculously high rates: these rates had to come down in many cases because people simply weren't paying them.

In the mean time, though, hotels lost a lot of business, some of it ongoing, annual business – the eclipse was in August and lots of families and also some retired people take an annual summer holiday or break in that part of the country. Some, I know, found other places that they're still visiting each summer...

That scenario won't play out in London, of course, but I do sometimes wonder at the wisdom of pushing prices sky-high because of a one-off event.

Desperation is setting in now. A lot of places seem to be not far off their usual August prices. The Guoman chain, which is only in London in the UK, has even launched a 50% off sale which covers the games. And Park Plaza are giving away a free night (well, 50,000 Carlson points, so actually up to 5 nights!) if you pay for 1 night at the moment, covering all of August.

It's a non-refundable rate, but the Cumberland Hotel through Guoman is right next to a subway station and was a decent rate at 150 GBP.

That scenario won't play out in London, of course, but I do sometimes wonder at the wisdom of pushing prices sky-high because of a one-off event.

I think it has a worse impact for London. Typically any olympic host city actually damages its own tourism as short sighted profiteering bumps prices up then tourists from pretty much every single country on the planet go home afterwards and tell everyone how expensive it was there.

So for two weeks you get the chance to showcase on TV the best that your city has to offer, the swing park in Silvertown, the bus garage in Bow and Hackney's numerous reverred fried chicken outlets. Then when everyone goes home all that good work gets unstitched.

Champions League final 2008 in Moscow is a great example of a city becoming renowned for ridiculous hotel prices after a short term price hike

I think it has a worse impact for London. Typically any olympic host city actually damages its own tourism as short sighted profiteering bumps prices up then tourists from pretty much every single country on the planet go home afterwards and tell everyone how expensive it was there.
You might be right. I suppose I was thinking that the through-flow of people in London is very much bigger (and less local) than in Cornwall, and so there'll always be more "new" people visiting London, and also that there are a lot more people who "must" come to London (for one reason or another) than to Cornwall.

You might be right. I suppose I was thinking that the through-flow of people in London is very much bigger (and less local) than in Cornwall, and so there'll always be more "new" people visiting London, and also that there are a lot more people who "must" come to London (for one reason or another) than to Cornwall.

Lets hope for London's sake that you are more right than I am. London IS London and regardless of any short term negative publicity that she gets for silly proftiteering in July. There are still millions of people around the world that would chew their arms down to a stump for the chance to visit.

. There are still millions of people around the world that would chew their arms down to a stump for the chance to visit.

Unlikely, given that there are piles of tickets (except from the UK site) and piles of hotel rooms available!

Unlikely, given that there are piles of tickets (except from the UK site) and piles of hotel rooms available!
Yes, but in general it remains a popular destination. And if I wanted to visit London for ordinary touristic purposes, or even for business, I wouldn't choose to come around the time of the Olympics if I had no interest in that event - i.e. if I didn't have tickets, basically.

Unlikely, given that there are piles of tickets (except from the UK site) and piles of hotel rooms available!

I said to have the chance, I didn't say they are sat on sufficient cash to fly all the way to see the ladies' downhill archery or fork out £200 for a hotel room

the olympics are almost always unique in the hype and then the lack of attendance. for hype and attendance and serious price gouging, there is world cup soccer and nfl playoffs. back in 1980(?) when italy was host country, they even changed their exchange rate.

the olympics are almost always unique in the hype and then the lack of attendance. for hype and attendance and serious price gouging, there is world cup soccer and nfl playoffs. back in 1980(?) when italy was host country, they even changed their exchange rate.

Italy hosted the world cup in 1990

back in 1980(?) when italy was host country, they even changed their exchange rate.

I don't recall Italy hosting a summer games/circus in the past 40 years. There was the Torino winter circus though.

I don't recall Italy hosting a summer games/circus in the past 40 years. There was the Torino winter circus though.

Point was about the world cup football (a world cup where teams from all over the world participate - now there's a novel idea....)

Anyone found anything reasonable, circa £100 a night, yet? I was thinking people may be starting to dump availability as we are only a month out.

Anyone found anything reasonable, circa £100 a night, yet? I was thinking people may be starting to dump availability as we are only a month out.

Hampton by Hilton in Croydon is £120. Only 20 minutes on a train to Victoria.

Anyone found anything reasonable, circa £100 a night, yet? I was thinking people may be starting to dump availability as we are only a month out.

£100 a night is about as cheap as it gets for somewhere decent and there's going to be some pressure on rooms. Think you'll have to wait until the 11th hour for prices like that - not a month out!

£100 a night is about as cheap as it gets for somewhere decent and there's going to be some pressure on rooms. Think you'll have to wait until the 11th hour for prices like that - not a month out!

These days you rarely get anything better than a Holiday Inn Express for £100 on a midweek night in London at any time of year!

These days you rarely get anything better than a Holiday Inn Express for £100 on a midweek night in London at any time of year!

You can - you just need to know where to look ;)

I frequently score the Grange at St Pauls for £99 as a (not very) top secret hotel on Lastminute.com and just before Christmas I got the Grange at Tower Hill twice for £79 on a similar wheeze.

Admittedly this is booking no more than 48hrs out, but I saw the Hilton at More London going for £99 for tonight (when I looked yesterday) and the CP Blackfriars is frequently up there for £120.

£100 a night is about as cheap as it gets for somewhere decent and there's going to be some pressure on rooms. Think you'll have to wait until the 11th hour for prices like that - not a month out!

Fair enough ST, but you know when loads of rooms get "dumped" pre-event there can be an element of panic from the hotel.

Fair enough ST, but you know when loads of rooms get "dumped" pre-event there can be an element of panic from the hotel.

Time will tell, but those bargain rates I manage to pick up in low low season only come up at the 11th hour, not weeks in advance. Hoteliers have no reason to start giving rooms away a month out. It's not perfect but Trivago can be a good place to keep an eye on these things...

Here's an interesting piece from Reuters about this:

London hotels Olympics dream fades | Video (http://uk.reuters.com/video/2012/06/29/london-hotels-olympics-dream-fades?envprodukx=0&videoChannel=2603&videoId=236263861)

ST and others, thanks for your help.

Just back for a few weeks at the Euros and it was around about this time prior to the tournament that hotel prices began to dive in Poland, hence the query.

Well, I've just got my usual hotel for £210 during the games. The usual coporate rate is £135, and rooms were £400 a few months ago. I thought of holding off for a couple more weeks, but decided not to take a chance.

From the Guardian July 7,2012

Olympic bargains galore as London's theatres and hotels slash rates
• Long-haul operators report 90% drop in advance bookings
• West End theatres offer cut-price tickets
• Exclusive restaurants have tables available

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jul/07/olympics-london-hotels-slash-prices

Obviously, I'm not the only person avoiding London during the games.

Not only hotels - Eurostar is also having problems with selling over-priced capacity.

Just checked Friday 3rd August, for example, and 9 of the 11 trains from London to Brussels on that date are now showing fares of £39 - the lowest fare on this route. A couple of weeks ago, several of them were priced at £80+.

Greed. That's all it is. As much as I love the Games and what they stand for, I can't believe how businesses have been building up to ripping people off for those 2 weeks. High prices and the uncertain economic times means that a lot of people won't be going.

Still, it should be great for all Londeners getting cheap theater tix etc!! :D

Greed. That's all it is. As much as I love the Games and what they stand for, I can't believe how businesses have been building up to ripping people off for those 2 weeks. High prices and the uncertain economic times means that a lot of people won't be going.

Still, it should be great for all Londeners getting cheap theater tix etc!! :D

Pigs get slaughtered and hopefully that will happen to all the hotels that were greedy.
Cheers
Howie

Doesn't help someone like my friend who has booked and paid for a non-refundable stay at a London hotel. He now finds that the prices have dropped by 30%!!!!!!

I know this is annoying, but obviously your friend thought it was with the price he paid at the time, otherwise he wouldn't have paid it.

I, for one, am glad to see that many places are getting their just desserts for greed leading up to these games. Now all we need is for the Guardian to run a follow-up story in a few months about all of those greedy landlords who turfed out perfectly good tenants who'd been with them for years just for the (elusive) chance to make a couple of extra quid. Would be so nice to see what's gone around come back around.

I know this is annoying, but obviously your friend thought it was with the price he paid at the time, otherwise he wouldn't have paid it.

I, for one, am glad to see that many places are getting their just desserts for greed leading up to these games. Now all we need is for the Guardian to run a follow-up story in a few months about all of those greedy landlords who turfed out perfectly good tenants who'd been with them for years just for the (elusive) chance to make a couple of extra quid. Would be so nice to see what's gone around come back around.

They already have! Here (http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/may/18/east-end-tenants-eviction-olympics?INTCMP=SRCH) and here (http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/apr/01/london-2012-olympic-rental-false-start?INTCMP=SRCH) and here (http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/feb/03/tenants-olympic-lets?INTCMP=SRCH). There is one more, more on topic one that I've not been able to locate.

I live in a complex of 200+ appartments. Our lease prohibits us renting out the flats for less than 6 months. However, the freeholder is happy to consider short term rentals for the Olympics for a fee. They've also forwarded us contacts that want places for £2000 per week for 4 to 5 weeks. Trouble is, you have to virtually empty your flat in that time.

Of course, not everyone is going to bother to do it the right way... We rumbled the people in the next flat as it had turned into multiple rooms with different people renting them out. Ok, it was just the lounge, but 6 people in a 2 bed flat was against the lease. Someone had signed the rental agreement with the agency and then sublet the rooms. They were given 2 weeks to move out and thankfully left without a fuss. I wouldn't be surprised if who ever signed the rental agreeement was planning to turf them out before the Olympics anyway.

They already have! Here (http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/may/18/east-end-tenants-eviction-olympics?INTCMP=SRCH) and here (http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/apr/01/london-2012-olympic-rental-false-start?INTCMP=SRCH) and here (http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/feb/03/tenants-olympic-lets?INTCMP=SRCH). There is one more, more on topic one that I've not been able to locate.
Ah - but I'd like to know if the scheme is going to backfire on any landlord and their greed has made them far worse off than they otherwise would have been. But thanks for the links anyway - very interesting (and disturbing) reads.

They already have! Here (http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/may/18/east-end-tenants-eviction-olympics?INTCMP=SRCH) and here (http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/apr/01/london-2012-olympic-rental-false-start?INTCMP=SRCH) and here (http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/feb/03/tenants-olympic-lets?INTCMP=SRCH). There is one more, more on topic one that I've not been able to locate.

I live in a complex of 200+ appartments. Our lease prohibits us renting out the flats for less than 6 months. However, the freeholder is happy to consider short term rentals for the Olympics for a fee. They've also forwarded us contacts that want places for £2000 per week for 4 to 5 weeks. Trouble is, you have to virtually empty your flat in that time.

Of course, not everyone is going to bother to do it the right way... We rumbled the people in the next flat as it had turned into multiple rooms with different people renting them out. Ok, it was just the lounge, but 6 people in a 2 bed flat was against the lease. Someone had signed the rental agreement with the agency and then sublet the rooms. They were given 2 weeks to move out and thankfully left without a fuss. I wouldn't be surprised if who ever signed the rental agreeement was planning to turf them out before the Olympics anyway.


Very crazy...of course my family and friends coming over for the Olympics get the best deal going...FREE! ;)

not just the hotels. I live in Wash, DC and have received quite a few airline promotional emails for LHR flights for July and August. I spot checked pricing and found tickets for less than fall travel. Too bad we took our vacation in May. Maybe not too bad since we had two weeks of marvelous weather in Rome and Tuscany.

We moved our quarterly meeting next week to Manchester to avoid London, and suspect other groups are either moving meetings or not holding them in July. My flight to MAN was pretty much what I'd expect to pay during normal conditions, and an upgrade was easy to obtain.

Many thanks to the OP for posting. I checked rates at my just-before-the-Olympics-stay hotels and have shaved 55+ GBP off my original bookings.

Anyone found any of said hotel bargains as yet?

I'm collating them into a blog (see my signature)

The Hoxton are offering the first few nights at £99 now, but they're the first decent property I've seen selling off during the olympics.

I'm collating them into a blog (see my signature)

The Hoxton are offering the first few nights at £99 now, but they're the first decent property I've seen selling off during the olympics.

Seeing the K west out by the Westfield for $90/nt for some nights on Hotwire. Not the greatest location but not awful either.
Cheers
Howie

I'm collating them into a blog (see my signature)

The Hoxton are offering the first few nights at £99 now, but they're the first decent property I've seen selling off during the olympics.
I just the following in an email from the Hoxton:

Ssssshhhhhhh...special offer just for our Fan Club.
We're bonkers! We have a handful of rooms just for our fan club between £49 and £99 for the rest of July...

Good man ST,

I can get a HiE for around £100, but keeping my options open.

Good man ST,

I can get a HiE for around £100, but keeping my options open.

No problem. I'm trying to keep to the better hotels that I know - I dig around to avoid having to settle for £100 in a HiEx!

Aye, toss up is that it isn't a bad location though.

Another one added with quite a lot of olympic availability. It's a top secret one, but I think I know which one - Park Plaza at Westminster Bridge for £99.

Anyone found any of said hotel bargains as yet?

'Bargains' is relative.

If you want cheap, look at hotels on, say, Monday 13th August which is the week AFTER. By London standards, that is a very cheap night for a Monday. eg Park Plaza County Hall is £103 + VAT. Monday 17th September is £199 + VAT.

Raffles,

I'm in town for the Olympics(1/8-6/8)- normal work hotel is down Canary Wharf direction and no points to play with, so looking for a "relative" bargain, given that I am going to three sessions a day in various locations and therefore will be spending no time in the hotel.

'Bargains' is relative.

If you want cheap, look at hotels on, say, Monday 13th August which is the week AFTER.
You've lost me. How does a discussion about bargain hotel prices during the Olympics benefit from looking at prices after the games are over?

Lastminute.com is offering a top secret hotel for those dates at £109 a night.

It seems to be the DoubleTree Westminster.

Best bet is to search by price and then in the description look for "This stunning hotel is close to a cultural epicenter"

Making a quick trip to Bristol/Bath (25/26 July) to see/hear the greatest living guitarist, Richard Thompson perform.

Wouldn't even think about staying in UK during the games... no thanks.

You've lost me. How does a discussion about bargain hotel prices during the Olympics benefit from looking at prices after the games are over?

It was an example of how hotels are having to adapt to the changing tourist pattern this year due to the Games. In the gap between the Olympics and Paralympics, tourist and business bookings are dead (everyone is avoiding London this year) and there are no Games visitors to pick up the slack.

Raffles,

I'm in town for the Olympics(1/8-6/8)- normal work hotel is down Canary Wharf direction and no points to play with, so looking for a "relative" bargain, given that I am going to three sessions a day in various locations and therefore will be spending no time in the hotel.

Doubletree Westminster as per above secret deal would be OK. Five minutes walk to Jubilee Line tube which is what you need for Stratford and Greenwich,hotel is walkable to the Mall for events there.

I have booked my brother there for Sat 4th, he is off to Stratford that day.

Hilton Park Lane can be had for GBP 239 over the weekend during the Olympics. Not as cheap as some reported here, but seems like a good rate for a solid hotel in a perfect location. What would be a normal summer weekend rate for this property? Not much less I would assume.

Hilton Park Lane can be had for GBP 239 over the weekend during the Olympics. Not as cheap as some reported here, but seems like a good rate for a solid hotel in a perfect location. What would be a normal summer weekend rate for this property? Not much less I would assume.

Unrenovated rooms are poor, hotel generally dated. Also lots of VIP's staying here over the games so you will face heavy security every time you walk in. Frankly, I would choose the Doubletree even if the prices were the same.

Looks like the Apex on London Wall is doing a secret hotel deal through Secret Escapes during the Olympics. £99/nt

When will these opaque rates start becoming transparent?????

Looks like the Apex on London Wall is doing a secret hotel deal through Secret Escapes during the Olympics. £99/nt

When will these opaque rates start becoming transparent?????

Possibly never, if they've sold a lot of £300 non refundable rooms!

Possibly never, if they've sold a lot of £300 non refundable rooms!

You mean refundable, I assume!

You mean refundable, I assume!

Well, both really. How would you feel towards the hotel you are staying at if you knew they'd taken £300 off you for a room now selling at £99, but were refusing to refund the difference? You would hardly be a willing spender in their restaurants and bars, would you?

I doubt that anyone holding a £300 per night refundable 4-star night in London during the games has not already cancelled and rebooked, even it meant changing hotel.

It does look like hotel prices in London are starting to fall for the Olympics. They are still more expensive than usual put now there is plenty in the £150-200/night range whereas a few months ago there was hardly anything under £250.

I briefly thought about the business class fare bargains to London, but decided I didn't want to deal with the LHR immigration and customs lines.

I briefly thought about the business class fare bargains to London, but decided I didn't want to deal with the LHR immigration and customs lines.

Actually, LHR has been coping well this week. The media were all hanging around waiting for chaos but nothing happened. If anything it's flowing better than usual due to the extra staff on duty.

I briefly thought about the business class fare bargains to London, but decided I didn't want to deal with the LHR immigration and customs lines.
Well I booked for the weekend after the closing ceremonies, before I read about the immigration horrors! :eek:

But yes, the hotels are borderline reasonable. I think even the Waldorf was something like US$250, but I refuse to stay at any Hilton properties...

I'm seeing midweek Government Rates of £118 including breakfast + VAT at several Holiday Inn's (not expresses) in the Kensington and Regents Park area this week including Thursday. These are the standard prices. Couple of weeks I was struggling to get anything for less than £300 at the same hotels.

This is looking quite feisty...

Malmaison on offer pretty much every night from now until the end of September via Secret Escapes for £125 or £135 B&B, incl. VAT.

If you're not an SE member there's a link in my blog (below) that will get you a further £15 credit for joining. :)

I don't recall seeing this about the Chase Visa Lounge. It's on Pall Mall and open daily with no charge.

https://www.visaviplounge.com/chase/index.cfm

Been following hotels religiously, finally pulled the trigger on Hotwire. 4* in Westminster for $158 plus taxes, got the Doubletree Westminster. There is a decent condo in Bayswater area for $130/nt plus taxes for my nights which betterbidding.com said was the grand plaza.

I don't recall seeing this about the Chase Visa Lounge. It's on Pall Mall and open daily with no charge.

https://www.visaviplounge.com/chase/index.cfm

You'd probably be excused for missing it, as it had drifted down to page 2, but there's a thread on this already:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/u-k-ireland/1363912-chase-visa-vip-lounge-during-olympics.html

A person from one of the tourist promotion agencies (not sure which as I missed the intro) said this morning on BBC Breakfast that hotel occupancy levels in London this year are broadly similar to last year at around 80%. Prices too are now comparable for last minute bookings, but are still higher for more than a week away.

I've found London hotel prices for games dates to be BELOW what they have traditionally been for July/August bookings and with far better availability.

This has changed significantly in the last week or so. Prior to that, nearly everything was showing sold out or availability only at ridiculously high prices.

I just booked 2 nights at a Hilton property for £51 plus VAT. I've never seen it below £70 in the past and usually in the £120 range.

All your 5-ring circus bargains in one place now...

stut
Moderator
UK & Ireland

Prepaid rates at the Hyatt Churchill for late August dropped from 320+VAT a night yesterday to 256+VAT today. Regular rates dropped too, but so far no special rates (senior, auto club, etc) seem to be available.

Prepaid rates at the Hyatt Churchill for late August dropped from 320+VAT a night yesterday to 256+VAT today. Regular rates dropped too, but so far no special rates (senior, auto club, etc) seem to be available.

Aside from a moderately nice club lounge, I feel this property is a bit 'seedy' after the room adjoining mine was used as a brothel, but otherwise Secret Escapes is offering the Malmaison at Farringdon for £125 a night incl tax & breakfast - a far nicer experience than the Hyatt IMO (and a good few miles closer to the Olympic Park). Oh, and a far better breakfast as well...

ps. I do not work for secret escapes.

And the Hoxton have now loaded FANCLUB rates for the whole of August. Between £49 and £99, incl VAT!

There is always tons of excess last-minute hotel inventory just before the Olympics. Doesn't matter what city.
1) The normal tourist crowds unconnected with the Olympics defer their travel
2) Businesses move venues for meetings and conferences to other cities, or defer until after the Games.
3) Corporations that advance block-book rooms to entertain clients from around the world and for employee rewards, don't have the numbers of guests materialize and release them back (some sell directly to any takers)

The amount of Olympic-connected traffic generated, does not more than offset all the other business lost or foregone during this time. Those unconnected with the Olympics definitely aren't going to deal with the extra hassles and high costs to try to co-exist during this time.

The experienced Olympics-attendees learned this long ago, and generally don't start looking for a room in the host city until one month before the start of the Games, some even wait until only 2 weeks before. Those who advance-booked non-refundable rooms at very high cost are the losers, but it's of their own doing.

I've just picked up the Paddington Hilton for £118 for Saturday night and there are lots of places where rooms are £50-100. If you can get some last minute tickets then there are hotel bargains to be had.

Lengthy piece on BBC News just now about this. One example given was an (un-named) hotel near Hyde Park which had cut it's rate from over £500 to under £100 per night.

Other areas mentioned were shops and food outlets being quiet, and Olympic advisors outnumbering the tourists they were there to help.

Other areas mentioned were shops and food outlets being quiet, and Olympic advisors outnumbering the tourists they were there to help.

One of the strangest things about London at the moment is that you cannot walk 100m without some purple shirted helper saying hello, asking if you are OK and need any help.

Lengthy piece on BBC News just now about this. One example given was an (un-named) hotel near Hyde Park which had cut it's rate from over £500 to under £100 per night.

Other areas mentioned were shops and food outlets being quiet, and Olympic advisors outnumbering the tourists they were there to help.

Saw this at London Bridge tonight tons of people in purple vests and not so many riders.