joefreshman

I will be in London for 4-5 days twice in the summer of 2015 (end of June and end of July) with my family (wife, two five year olds and an 18-month old). I don't think I'll be there any weekend days, only weekdays.

I'd like to be able for all of us to stay in a nice hotel/hotels while there, preferably in a decent-sized suite. i'm willing to apply for some cards/change spending strategy/etc to be able to do this without completely breaking the bank. (So could I spend something like $300-400/night out of pocket but get the benefit of a room that would have a rack rate at 2-3X that?)

Since I don't think i'd be able to use the Citi Hilton two weekend nights, and because hotel points are so mediocre, I'm wondering whether I would be best off with the Barclaycard Arrival? Or is there some way to use my AMEX Plat or a Visa Signature card combined with other benefits to get significant discounts off regular rates?

LondonElite

I can't help you with points, but with five people you'll almost certainly have to have two rooms or a junior suite. London luxury hotels tend not to have the arrangement of two queen beds in a room the way to would in the US. There are exceptions of course.

But if you are talking luxury hotels (5*) for midweek next summer, I'd say you're looking easily at $600 per room per night.

Dummy bookings for various hotels throw up ca £400+ per night next June, midweek.

miles_navigator

Check out the Marriott County Hall. They have larger (for London) rooms with 2 double beds. You have to confirm with the hotel if they can fit a crib or roll-away bed in the room. Rooms are 45K Marriott points per night with 5th night free in 1 stay. You would need Chase Marriott 70K cards, and probably Chase Ultimate Rewards to transfer to Marriott.

As LondonElite said, it is just easier to get 2 rooms next to each other. Though Hilton's program is mediocre they have cash and points available sometimes and so does Hyatt and Starwood. Finding availability is a different matter.

The Marriott London Regents Park has a larger room with kind bed and a pull out sofa bed. They will allow 5 (if the remaining are kids). Perhaps you can get a points reservation and then pay a cash fee to upgrade. Call them directly.

szehui

What are your current balances/status memberships? Any work travel that pushes you to a particular hotel chain? If you have a significant Arrival card balance the best strategy may be to double down. The Chase Hyatt free nights are easy to pick up, but they only work for standard rooms, so may not be of best help here. Maybe also grab the SPG Amex if you haven't already gotten it.

joefreshman

It looks to me like St Ermin's (autograph collection, Marriott category 8) will accept 5 people in a room--two queen beds and a rollaway or crib. Sounds like Marriott would be a decent choice, and I don't have any UR cards (Ink or CSP), or the Ritz 140K card, so I may go for those.

84fiero

Well....the adjectives "cheaper-luxury-family" are ones that don't go well together with London hotels. Pick two of the three and you'll find more success, generally.

Even with a family of 3 it took some planning to find what we wanted on our past trips to London (we weren't set on anything luxurious though). Looking for two rooms gives you more to choose from than one room that accommodates all five of you.

With a party of 5, it might be worth looking into an apartment rental - I don't have any direct experience with London rental costs but others on here may.

You might search through the Family Travel forum on here, as well, for any tips or past experiences.

joefreshman

I'm going for the cheapest luxury-family options. I hadn't thought about two rooms, but I'll check those options out. I really dislike dealing with airbnb and other rental setups--I much prefer the convenience and lack of scheduling and preparations needed when staying at a hotel.

LondonElite

Maybe our definitions are different, but there is no luxury Marriott or Hilton in London. They are decent business hotels, but for places like the Dorchester or Claridge's you will need to accept very high rates. For decent business properties, including any number of SPG, Marriott, or Hilton options, you may be able to redeem points, but these do not qualify as 'luxury' hotels.

frankmu

Not luxury, but the Hilton London Metropole has a family room that has two queens and a pull out sofa bed. http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/uni...ons/rooms.html

Not in the city center, but close to Paddington Station, the Heathrow trains and across the street from the underground .

BearX220

I hate to say it but you may need to modify your expectations. You said upthread you're looking to spend $300-$400 per night, but that won't take you very far in London. More comfortable hotel rooms easily go for £300 or £400 per night (e.g. $550 to $700), often more, and you may need two rooms.

Marriotts in particular have some "double double" rooms that can sleep four, which are rarities in Europe, and budget (two-star) hotels will often have "family" rooms with multiple beds, but there's not much inventory in between, and not at the price point you've specified.

You might consider staying outside London to drive the cost down, near a train station, and commuting into the city.

BobKop

If you have Club Carlson Gold status or up (fairly easy to get via status match with another hotel program, or apply for the credit card to get it) gets you 2for1 nights, or 4for2 nights in EMEA (2 rooms per gold member max) if one of them is in the weekend; also for some of their hotels in London . This should get you some significant savings (if your nights touch the weekend).

They are not yet available as they only make them available 6 months in advance (so now you can see up to March). The rate is not available for an occupancy of 4, but you should well be within budget considering the price of the room for 2 people with the 4for2 will be per night (including VAT):

- Park Plaza County Hall London: 82 pounds
- Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London: 97 pounds
- Park Plaza Riverbank London: 79.50 pounds
- Plaza on the River London: 132 pounds

So even if June prices are 30% higher than the March prices, you should still come out on your budget (82*2*130%=213 pounds = $346 per night)

LondonElite

The OP did say luxury hotels. No Park Plaza even comes remotely close to luxury. I would call these a collection of mid-level business hotels, no more.

Mary2e

Luxury is defined differently by different people. I suspect the OP is not looking to stay at a Four Season or Ritz type hotel.

I'm thinking he's more in the nice 3-4* business hotel type range.

Kagehitokiri

"winner" is probably four seasons canary wharf
but one aldwych sometimes has such low rates
and consider firmdale, soho house, town hall hotel

check free night / discount offers at luxury hotels
(including through virtuoso / amex FHR / etc)

if budget had been a little higher, i would have said request move to luxury hotels forum
but with free night offers, good/top luxury hotels should definitely be in reach

LondonElite

Maybe I missed this upthread, but it would be helpful if joefreshman could give us a little feedback on what he ideally would like to compromise on. 84fiero made the very useful comment that luxury/cheap/family are not compatible with the London (or Paris, Manhattan) hotel scene. Choose two of those adjectives and we can probably find something.

Also, as I have pointed out, I think we may have different definitions of luxury (as Mary2e also notes). Having lived in London for nearly 20 years, the set of luxury hotels is pretty clear. Off the top of my head I would include:

Ritz
Claridge's
Dorchester
Connaught
Mandarin Oriental
Bulgari (not my kind of thing at all)
Four Seasons
Brown's
Lanesborough
Jumeirah Carlton Tower
Corinthia
Rosewood
Wellesley
Goring
Blakes
Savoy

There is a huge selection of extremely good hotels below this 'arbitrary' list of mine. For those above, I suggest that point are going to be of no use, and your minimum price point is going to be £500 per room, even booking far in advance.

For hotels that are part of the big flags (Hilton, Marriott, Starwood, Intercontinental, etc) you may be able to use points but the cash price for anything in central London that claims to be 5* is going to be £400+.

My suggestion is to be clear about whether you are paying in cash or points. If it's the latter, your choice is limited and you probably want to book yourself in soon. If it is the former, be prepared for it to cost a fair bit (and you won't get a price that is 33% of rack rate; not in London, and not midweek summer!) I would also think about which of the parameters is most important. Staying in a top hotel with two five-year-old and a baby might not be such a great idea when you feel all eyes upon you at the breakfast table (which will probably run you £40 per person).