offerendum

I will stay at FSPL in January (not my first stay) and lets say: My room is surely not >400 sf

robyng

But - just to compare. For some random days in April - the Executive Conservatories are 1140 pounds a night = $1848. They're apparently 1 large 527 sf room with 1 bath (couldn't find a floor plan). For the same random days - the 600 SF Canary Wharf Executive Suite - with a separate sleeping room and 1 1/2 baths - is 670 pounds = $1086. That's a heck of a spread between the 2 FS properties! Robyn

robyng

Well - people who live in Europe have 3 things going for them when they travel in Europe. First - their trips are generally shorter than ours are - and they can travel over the weekends and get weekend rates (at least in city properties). I can live with just about anything in terms of space for a few days.

Second - they generally arrive at a sane time of day (not in the early am like many flights from north America) - without jet lag. I'm at the point in my life where I can't (and don't want to) do an early arrival on a "space available basis" - wander around town in a daze until 4 pm - and then crash. So I have to reserve a room for the night before arrival.

Third - especially if they live in cold countries - they don't mind January in London (when rates seem to be somewhat lower and specials more common). I'd need a whole new wardrobe to go to London in January .

Anyway - hope you have a great trip! Robyn

MikeFromTokyo

The FS Park Lane does occasionally offer third night free. FSPP TA might also be able to negotiate a confirmed upgrade to an executive conservatory.

Notwithstanding room size, FS PL should command a premium over FS CW. A 70% premium is quite substantial however.

Shangri-La

I can't imagine this location ever turning into condos. I can't imagine FS wanting to let go of this location--it's prime real estate and a property that greatly helps it compete with other luxury hotel chains on a global scale.

offerendum

Ooops, my fault. Of course my room is over 400sf - I wanted to say, that entire level etc. isn´t interesting for me, it´s only interesting what I pay for a "proper" romm/ suite. For example entire level at FSPL is sometimes with 3for 2 promotion relative cheap. But it seems also to be relative basic. On the other hand a proper suite is at least x3

With weekends you are mostly correct. Last time more and more cities getting more expensive at weekends. New trend....

TRAVELSIG

Given that the hotel just had a complete refurbishment and reopened I don't think it will turn into condos anytime soon not to mention planning restrictions which is another topic.

If you are looking for space in London and don't want to spend 800 GBP per night may I suggest the Town Hall Hotel which is only 4 km from the city, next to train and underground as well as bus connections, and has wonderful one bedroom suites with in suite washer, dryer, and dishwasher for quite reasonable weekly rates. The hotel also has a 1* michelin restaurant, an excellent concierge, and a great pool if that is important to you.

There are a number of options in London that don't involve trekking out to Canary Wharf.

offerendum

Did I miss something. As I see Viajante has "only" 1 Michelin-*

TRAVELSIG

Thanks- you are indeed correct and I have updated my post to reflect this.

Kettering Northants QC

Random days in Easter might take in Easter? Which may accentuate the normal differences - touristy west even more expensive, canary wharf even quieter

Kagehitokiri

re owner, while FS may have had some kind of stake in the past, i think that ended with this transaction >

MANCHESTER

I think this highlights the point. The FSPL is priced at the same level as the other 5* hotels in the west end, which just highlights what good value the FSCW is. At weekends, you can often get a room for about £200 when the FSPL, Connaught etc want in excess of £500 for a similar sized room. At this point, unless money is no object, CW becomes attractive, even considering the distance.

robyng

I don't have a very good sense of London overall - or how to get from here to there. But it seems like some things I've done on recent trips - ranging from the Tate Modern to St. John restaurant to the Tower of London (all somewhat in "East London") - are kind of halfway between the FSPL and FSCW.

I wouldn't reflexively conclude that anything a leisure traveler wanted to see was on the west side of town. People should take a look for themselves in terms of their personal travel itineraries - and decide what location works best for them.

BTW - I ran across the Asian restaurant where we had lunch on Canary Wharf. Wagamama. It was quite good for casual Asian - a lot of fun - and is still alive and kicking .

BTW - my only regret about FSCW is it's 100% non-smoking. Otherwise - I'd book it in a minute (perhaps not next year but in the future). A deal breaker for me (since I smoke). Perhaps an attraction for others. FSPL is still a smoking allowed property. Robyn

robyng

I think I was looking at early April - not Easter week. But I wouldn't swear to that . Anyway - people should check rates on whatever particular dates they care to travel. Robyn

robyng

Thanks for the hotel recommendation. Actually the way I got into the London hotel stuff was booking our trip overseas next year. First booking China (during an unfortunate time) - and then getting "cold feet" and thinking about a "safe" trip to London. But then ultimately deciding on Singapore. In the course of exploring the "safe" trip to London - I looked into the hotel situation. I probably would have gone "safe" with the FSCW after screwing up with the China plans (once bitten - twice shy) - but it doesn't have smoking rooms. And there is no way on earth I'm going to spend close to $2k/day for a week at the FSPL for what I think is a smallish accommodation (the FS George V was bad enough for 500 sf give or take overlooking a not so pretty courtyard at $1200/night in 2008).

I don't know about anyone else here. But we have a really nice house with a very comfy master bedroom suite (also a guest bedroom suite I use when my husband starts to snore and wakes me up!). And - over the years - well I've taken home/incorporated into our house the best features of the luxury hotels we've stayed at. From the linens and towels - to the bathrobes - to the toiletries (I buy my favorite hotel soaps and shampoos - a lot in hotel sizes - on line) - to the decor ideas (although I haven't yet bought a hotel mattress/box spring ). I'm not the only person who does this - it's apparently a trend. So - except for the room service - and the twice a day maid service (and my current housekeeper would arrive 5 days/week instead of once a week for an extra $14k/year - the cost of a week at FSPL) - I guess I pretty much live in a luxury hotel. And need something more than these amenities in terms of tempting me to travel.

FWIW - the last thing we did in terms of bringing our hotel room home was - after our stay at FS Tokyo in September - where our room had a Nespresso Pixie machine (we had never used one before) - well we bought one (it's great for our morning coffee).

I guess the broader question I'm raising is why people travel - probably a subject for another thread. Robyn