Mckenzie Ultimate Guide: Passrider Series

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels

McKenzie Ultimate Guides: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels

By Kerwin McKenzie (Amazon Bestselling Author)

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels

Normal copyright laws are in effect for use of this document.

You are allowed to make an unlimited number of verbatim copies of this document for individual personal use. This includes making electronic copies and creating paper copies. As this exception only applies to individual personal use, this means that you are not allowed to sell or distribute, for free or at a charge paper or electronic copies of this document. You are also not allowed to forward or distribute copies of this document to anyone electronically or in paper form.

Mass production of paper or electronic copies and distribution of these copies is not allowed.

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the following friends who provided guidance, support and input.

• Alexis Brathwaite • Nadia Karim • Joe DWR Martin • Lake Phalgoo • Lee Sample • Richard Sawyer • Sam Wiltzius

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels About the Author

I’m a commercial aviation enthusiast and a global traveler living in the United States. I’ve worked in the airline industry for 16.5 years and hold a Masters degree in Aeronautical Sciences from Embry- Riddle Aeronautical University known as the “Harvard of the Skies.” In addition, I’ve also visited over 105 countries and counting and flown countless airlines and aircraft types.

I still remember my first airplane flight in the summer of 1974 as if it were yesterday. My flight was on a Cessna SkyMaster from the Tinson Pen Aerodrome in Kingston, Jamaica, to Boscobel, Jamaica, lasting a little under two hours. I was elated as my dream to fly on an airplane had finally come true!

My first commercial airplane flight was during the summer of 1980 on BWIA (now Caribbean Airlines), from Kingston, Jamaica to Fort-de-France, Martinique. I spent 17 days there as a French Exchange student. On my way back, I stopped in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, for two days.

Today, I fly as often as I can, sometimes just for the sake of being in the air and around an airport or an airplane. My itinerary may take me to Nagasaki, Japan, or as close to home as Corpus Christi, Texas.

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels We Want to Hear from You!

If you have any comments, please go to http://www.kmugs.com/contact-us we want to hear from you.

In addition, you are invited to join the facebook community at http://www.facebook.com/passrider where you can interact with your fellow passriders.

Here you can ask questions, post videos, photos, etc. that are related to passriding.

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels Table of Contents

Copyright ...... 2 Acknowledgements ...... 3 About the Author ...... 4 Central London Hotels ...... 7 • Accor Hotels ...... 7 • Hilton Hotels – 1-800-HILTONS; U.K. 0870 5 90 90 90; Outside U.K. 00800 4445 8667 ...... 9 • Holiday Inn – 1-888-HOLIDAY; 0800 40 50 60; 0800 43 40 40 (Express) ...... 9 • Marriott Hotels – 1-800-MARRIOTT ...... 10 • Travelodge – (http://www.travelodge.co.uk/saver_rooms) ...... 10 • Hoxton Hotel ...... 11 • Ashley Hotel ...... 12 • Cardiff Hotel ...... 12 London Heathrow Airport Hotels ...... 13 • Accor Hotels ...... 13 • Hilton Hotels – 1-800-HILTONS; U.K. 0870 5 90 90 90; Outside U.K. 00800 4445 8667 ...... 13 • Holiday Inn – 1-888-HOLIDAY; 0800 40 50 60; 0800 43 40 40 (Express) ...... 14 • Marriott Hotels – 1-800-MARRIOTT; 44 20 7012 7316 ...... 14 • Yotel – 1-877-90YOYEL; +1 646 449 7700; +44 207 100 1100 ...... 14 Food Choices at the Airport ...... 15

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels

Central London Hotels Finding a reasonable hotel in London can sometimes be a chore. One of the main issues is that, the city is quite large and new visitors don’t really know where to stay at all. Also the hotels can be really pricey. The beauty of London though is that they have a pretty good public transportation system so that makes it easier to find a place to stay. Services such as hotels.com provides a wide range of hotels in the London area, but if you want the airline-discounted rates, it will be necessarily to book online if you know the codes or contact the hotels directly. It is good to start at hotels.com though as this way, you can see the current rates and do a very good comparison-shopping as sometimes the local specials are better than the travel-industry rate. In addition, with the advent of new services such as Airbnb.com and 9flats.com you can now further reduce hotel costs by booking a room in a house or rent complete houses from ordinary people like yourself. Plus, if you are looking for a bed and breakfast, why not try Easy Bed and Breakfast that is run by a friend of mine in London. For the uber budget conscious, try HostelWorld.com for size. They have offerings for hostels, budget hotels, guesthouses and apartments. A great area to look for discounted rooms in London is in the Earl’s Court area. You can access this area via the District and Circle Underground lines and alighting (getting you in the British lingo) at the Earl’s Court station; they just knock on doors, there are plenty.

The purpose of this Guide is to steer you in the right direction so you can find a place at a reasonable price in a decent location. It’s easier to do this by hotel brand name as then you can see the locations and check for other properties in those areas as well, so here goes:

• Accor Hotels • First go to the Web site, enter London, United Kingdom (or the property number if you have it), your arrival and departure dates, select the number of rooms requested, the number of persons in your party and your Le Club Loyalty number if you have one.

If you have a special contract number (you can request this from your airline pass bureau if your airline has an agreement), check the box that reads “Business travellers with contract,” now click “Search.” On the next page, enter your Client Code and the Contract Number. Click Search. By default, the results are returned based on the distance from Central London. There are a few options on the left to Refine your search. I’d use price to limit the number of results. Now check the rate on the following hotels:

o Novotel London Excel • Custom House for the Excel Centre DLR station o Novotel London Greenwich • Greenwich OverGround station • Greenwich DLR station o Novotel London St. Pancras • Kings Cross St. Pancras or Euston Tube stations o Novotel London Waterloo • Westminster or Lambeth North Tube stations • Waterloo International Railways station o Mercure London-Bloomsbury © 2012 – MUG: Passrider Series |Page 7

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels • Goodge Street Tube station o Ibis London Euston St. Pancras • Kings Cross St. Pancras or Euston Tube station o Ibis London Docklands • Blackwall or Canary Wharf DLR station o Ibis London Greenwich • Greenwich Tube station • Cutty Sark DLR station o Ibis Budget London City Airport • Pontoon Dock DLR station o Ibis London City • Aldgate East Tube station

If you do not see these hotels, it means that the contract rate is not available at that particular hotel. So then start over your search and do not check the “Business travelers with contract” check box. Complete the booking online if you are happy with the rate you are seeing.

Note that you cannot call Accor to book a contract rate, nor can you get the rate at the front desk. It can only be booked online.

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels • Hilton Hotels – 1-800-HILTONS; U.K. 0870 5 90 90 90; Outside U.K. 00800 4445 8667 • If you have a promotion code, enter it in the promotion code box (under the “add special rate codes” link). The code is “AL” to see the travel industry rates. Remember, you must show your airline ID to get these rates. Failure to do so will result in the normal most times higher rates being applied. You usually have until 2p local time to cancel the reservation. Please verify this information at the time of booking. • Locations in great proximity to Central London that are usually not too expensive are: o Euston • Euston Tube station o Islington • Angel Tube station o Metropole • Edgeware Road Tube station o Paddington • Paddington tube station o Olympia • Kensington Olympia station o Green Park • Green Park Tube station o Canary Wharf • South Quay on the DLR o Hyde Park • Queensway or Bayswater Tube stations o Kensington • Holland Park and Shepherd’s Bush Tube stations • Shepherd’s Bush Overground station o The Trafalgar • Charing Cross and Embankment Tube stations o Tower Bridge • London Bridge tube station • Full list of Hilton Hotels in London

• Holiday Inn – 1-888-HOLIDAY; 0800 40 50 60; 0800 43 40 40 (Express) • First go to the Web site, enter London, United Kingdom, your check-In and check-Out dates and the number of persons in your party. Leave the default Rate Preference selection of “Best Available.”

Once you receive results, choose Search Radius as 5 km, then sort by rates; also adjust the currency if necessary. The beauty of Holiday Inns is that usually you have until 4p local time to cancel the reservation. I’ve listed the hotels in the order of preference.

o London City (275 Old Street) free breakfast • Old Street Tube station o Oxford Circus (a nice hotel in a great location, but usually the industry rate is either not available or too pricey) • Bond Street Tube station o Kings Cross Bloomsbury

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels • Kings Cross Tube station then about a 15-minute walk • Kings Cross St. Pancras International Railway station then about a 15-minute walk o Regent’s Park • Great Portland Street or Warren Street Tube stations o Southwark (pronounced slightly differently, so you may not recognize it when the British says it. Free breakfast) • Southwark or Blackfriars Tube stations and a little walk to get to it o Limehouse • Limehouse DLR station o Camden Lock • Camden Town tube station o Bloomsbury • Russell Square Tube station o Kensington Forum • Gloucester Road Tube station o Victoria (free breakfast) • Victoria Tube station then there is a bit of a walk to the hotel • Victoria Coach station then there is a bit of a walk to the hotel • Victoria Railway station then there is a bit of a walk to the hotel

• Marriott Hotels – 1-800-MARRIOTT • Sometimes you may find a good discounted rate at this chain; its pretty difficult though. Locations to consider are: o West India Quay • West India Quay DLR station o Maida Vale • Kilburn Park Tube station then a short walk

• Travelodge – (http://www.travelodge.co.uk/saver_rooms) • If all you want is a room, this is the place for you. I’d even recommend taking a bar of soap with you, as the one you get is really small or may be non-existent. The rooms are clean though and comfortable and the price is right if booked well in advance. If you arrive early you will have to pay 10 GBP extra if they have rooms available. Otherwise, the check-in tine is not until 3:00p. If you ask nicely though, they’ll let you store your bags until you return later. • That second link above - http://www.travelodge.co.uk/saver_rooms/, will give you much cheaper rates if you have some planning time ahead of you. Try it even if you don’t as you never know. To start your search, just use the word “London.” • Locations to consider are: o Bank • Bank or Cannon St. Tube stations o Euston • Euston tube station o Kings Cross • King’s Cross tube station; this is not the first Travelodge you will reach, it is the second one o Kings Cross Royal Scot

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels • King’s Cross Tube station o London Docklands • East India Quay DLR station o Liverpool Street • Liverpool Street Tube station o Aldgate East • Aldgate East or Tower Bridge Tube stations • Tower Bridge DLR station o Tower Bridge • Tower Bridge or Aldgate East Tube stations • Tower Bridge DLR station o Covent Garden • Covent Garden or Holborn Tube stations o Southwark • Southwark Tube station o Waterloo • Waterloo Tube station

• Hoxton Hotel • The key with this hotel is to get the 1 GBP deals they have throughout the year, I quote

“We sell 5 rooms each night at a staggeringly low £1. These rooms are released periodically throughout the year for a three month booking period.”

Go to http://www.hoxtonhotels.com/the_1pound_sale for details. The Hoxton is located in the Shoreditch area of London that has many night clubs, bars and local markets.

• Take the Tube to Old Street station for easy access.

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels There are two properties that are worth mentioning as they are centrally located but are really basic facilities. I’ve stayed at the Cardiff Hotel and my worst comment is that I usually get the room on the top floor and there are just endless steps to get up there as there are no elevators. But the free full English breakfast makes up for that. Just e-mail or call them, tell them I sent you and that you are an airline employee. This may get you a discounted rate if they have rooms available:

• Ashley Hotel • 15 ~ 17 Norfolk Square Paddington London W2 1RU Tel: +44 020 7723 3375 / 9966 Fax: +44 020 7723 0173 • Paddington Tube station

• Cardiff Hotel • 5-9 Norfolk Square London W2 1RU Tel +44 20 7723 9068 Fax +44 20 7402 2342 [email protected] • Paddington Tube station

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels London Heathrow Airport Hotels

If you just can’t or don’t want to head into Central London, then you can stay at the airport. Here are a few hotel choices for you:

• Accor Hotels • First go to the Web site, enter Heathrow or LHR or the property number (0794), your arrival and departure dates, select the number of rooms requested, the number of persons in your party and your Le Club Loyalty number if you have one.

o Ibis London Heathrow • 9, 105, 111, 140 or 555 buses to/from Heathrow Central bus station. If you take the 140, get off the bus at the Holiday Inn Ariel, which is located on the right when the bus turns left off Bath Road. If you take the 555, get off the bus after it makes a right at the Holiday Inn Ariel. • The Heathrow Hoppa also goes to the hotel. Follow the signs inside the airport terminal for the pickup stop - http://www.nationalexpress.com/airporttransfers/heathrow-hotel-hoppa.aspx.

If you do not see this hotel, it means that the contract rate is not available. So then start over your search and do not check the “Business travelers with contract” check box. Complete the booking online if you are happy with the rate you are seeing.

Note that you cannot call Accor to book this rate, nor can you get the rate at the front desk. It can only be booked online.

• Hilton Hotels – 1-800-HILTONS; U.K. 0870 5 90 90 90; Outside U.K. 00800 4445 8667 • If you have a promotion code, enter it in the promotion code box (under the “add special rate codes” link). The code is “AL” to see the travel industry rates. Remember, you must show your airline ID to get these rates. Failure to do so will result in the normal most times higher rates. You usually have until 2p local time to cancel the reservation. Please verify this information at the time of booking. Enter “LHR” or “Heathrow” so that you get the airport locations. • Heathrow Airport o This property is located in Terminal 4 and is connected to the terminal by a long covered walkway. If you are in Terminal 5 there is a bus at the Arrivals level at bus stop 26-27 that will take you directly to the front of the hotel. For other terminals, just take the train or bus to Terminal 4, then follow the signs to the hotel. • Heathrow Airport Terminal 5

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels o This property is not located in Terminal 5, but is about a mile away. You will have to take the Heathrow Hoppa to get to the hotel. Follow the signs to the bus stop in the Arrivals area. The bus takes about 10 minutes.

• Holiday Inn – 1-888-HOLIDAY; 0800 40 50 60; 0800 43 40 40 (Express) • Go to the Web site, enter LHR or Heathrow, your dates and the number of persons in your party. Choose search result radius as 5 km, then sort by rates. The beauty of Holiday Inns is that usually you have until 4p local time to cancel the reservation. o Heathrow Ariel • 9, 105, 111, 140 or 555 buses to/from Heathrow Central bus station. If you take the 140, get off the bus as soon as it turns left off Bath Road. You can exit the 555 at the Sheraton or at the first stop after it turns right off Bath Road. All these buses are complimentary; just tell the driver you are going to the Holiday Inn. Make sure you ask for a room on the runway side on the top floor: • The Heathrow Hoppa also goes to the hotel. Follow the signs inside the airport terminal for the stop - http://www.nationalexpress.com/airporttransfers/heathrow- hotel-hoppa.aspx. o Holiday Inn-Heathrow (Bath Road-Sipson Way; don’t be confused with the one at the M4 Junction which is also on Sipson Way) • 9, 105, 111, 140 or 555 buses to/from Heathrow Central bus station. All these buses are complimentary; just tell the driver you are going to the Holiday Inn.

• Marriott Hotels – 1-800-MARRIOTT; 44 20 7012 7316 • This hotel actually caters to plane spotters with a special rate. You can even watch the planes from the windows on the airport side. You should call for the special rate or check the Website to see if they are being advertised. Make sure you ask for a room on the runway side on the top floor: o Renaissance London Heathrow • 9, 105, 111, 140, 555 free buses to/from Heathrow Central bus station • The Heathrow Hoppa also goes to the hotel. Follow the signs inside the airport terminal for the stop - http://www.nationalexpress.com/airporttransfers/heathrow-hotel- hoppa.aspx.

• Yotel – 1-877-90YOYEL; +1 646 449 7700; +44 207 100 1100 • This mini hotel is located in Terminal 4 outside security in the arrivals area. Go right when you exit the arrival area and go one level up. If possible, you may want to check for availability before you arrive. Speaking of rates, your rate depends on the length of your stay. This hotel is ideal for very short stays of a day or less. Advise you are an airline employee and they will check for available discounts. You can check out the details at http://www.yotel.com/Hotels/London-Heathrow.

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels Food Choices at the Airport In addition to the hotel food choices and food in the terminals, you can find the following food places:

• Along Bath Road, there are two McDonalds. One across from the Renaissance and the other just after the Ibis inside the Airport Bowl bowling alley. • There is a gas station one block before the Renaissance (corner of Sipson Road and Bath Road) • An Indian food place The Harlington Tandoori (the #140 stops just outside the door) on the street before you get to the Holiday Inn Heathrow Ariel and after you’ve passed the Marriott. That’s High Street Harlington. They’ll also offer a free taxi service if you are a group of 4-8 staying in an area hotel; just give them a ring • There’s also a small shop at the Underground station in Terminal 4 that closes at 8:30p.

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels What To Do Next?

So you are now prepared to find a decent and reasonable hotel in London, England. Have a great trip.

Remember to join our facebook community at http://www.facebook.com/passrider and share tips and tricks with your fellow travelers.

MUG: Passrider Series - London, England Hotels Resources

For a full list of resources please visit – http://www.kmugs.com/lonresources.