Hotels
London Vacation: London Hotel Basics
If you?re accustomed to traveling within the United States on vacation, you can traditionally expect a hotel to ask you to choose your bed size (a king, a queen, or two doubles) and whether or not you want smoking or non-smoking. Things aren?t necessarily the same when visiting the U.K., and you need to know some of the differences before you make your room reservations in order to avoid disappointment.
First of all, en suite bathrooms are not always customary in London. If you?re visiting an upscale hotel or a chain, you can feel confident that there will be a bathroom with either a tub or shower accessible in your room. However, since bed-and-breakfast options are affordable and popular with tourists, you need to ask and confirm that you?ll have your own bathroom when you arrive. Otherwise, you may find yourself sharing a communal restroom ? just like in a college dorm.
Air conditioning is not always available either, so it?s best to inquire in advance if you?re traveling to London in the summer months. Many smaller hotels and B&Bs will offer fans in their rooms. Otherwise, you?ll be opening the window and hoping for the best. Smoking and non-smoking options are becoming more widely available in England?s capital city. You?ll need to make your request in advance, not upon check-in.
Finally, room types are very different. While it?s nearly impossible to find a hotel or motel in the U.S. with a single twin bed in the room, it?s very likely you will be given just such a room if traveling alone and ask for the wrong thing. A single room is for one person, with a single bed. A double room is for two people, with one double bed. (Many advertise queen-size beds in their double rooms, but they certainly don?t feel as large as American-sized mattresses.) A twin room is for two people, with two single beds. A triple is for three people, usually with one double bed and one single but sometimes just three single beds. Finally, a quad is for four people, with two double beds, four single beds, or one double and two singles. You can see how it gets confusing!
Avoid a surprise at checkout and ask if breakfast and especially VAT (value added tax) are included or not in the price of your nightly room rate. If breakfast is included, it?s a great way to save money each day of your vacation. Tax is 17.5% and can add a considerable amount to your final bill.
London Vacation Experts look forward to providing you with accurate, up-to-the-minute information about planning your London travel! Our website contains the most helpful tips, reviews, and resources for air travel, accommodations, ground transportation, sightseeing, restaurants, and entertainment. Visit us at online: http://www.londonvacationexperts.com. |
Constance Parker-Street
Similar articles
Hotels And Other Cheap Accommodations
Hostels have been around in one form or another for a long time. They are oriented towards young travelers and anyone else seeking cheap accommodations. Read more →How To Get The Cheapest Hotel Room
When you get off the bus in the Andean Mountain resort town of Banos, Ecuador, you'll see several people quickly moving towards you. Some of them will be the actual owners of the hotels in town, and others are working on commission. Read more →Rhode Island Hotels
Hordes of visitors gravitate to Rhode Island in the summer, bringing to the state more than a billion dollars in revenue every year. The immensely scenic state offers myriad opportunities for both the tourist looking for beaches and water-based activity, and the traveler wishing to soak in some history. Read more →Sundry Thoughts On Hotels In India
Hotels in India have an infinite variety that you can hardly fathom. Much like the diversity of its national culture, the hospitality industry in India too has different ways of treating different guests coming from different parts of India as well as from all over the world. Read more →Aphorism
There is no looking at a building here after seeing Italy.