Who is BU re splashing out on a fancy hotel?

[Vilanellexc]

DH & I have decided to have a weekend break away in London in December, shortly before Christmas. The plan is that we will be spending out on this experience as an alternative to spending a lot of money on Christmas gifts for one another as we usually do.

We plan to spend one night in a hotel, watch a west end show, look around at the festive things, followed by drinks and fine dining in the evening. I should point out that DH & I have no DC and have a very good combined income. Despite this, we have always stayed in cheaper hotels when on holidays and short trips away (think Premier Inn) and have always ended up walking past the lovely fancy hotels and feeling a bit jealous!

I told DH as it’s a special Christmas treat, I’d like to book somewhere luxurious and high end this time. Having spent the weekend traveling through trip advisor, I’ve found some lovely luxury hotels around the £450-£700 per night mark, all of which look fantastic and are very highly reviewed. DH initially agreed but has since started looking at all of the cheaper hotels available and says it seems silly spending out on a place to rest our heads when we could put the money towards actually doing nice things in London instead. He doesn’t seem to get the fact that staying in a nice hotel is all part of the experience.

AIBU in wanting to spend out on some luxury for once and thinking it is worth it and will really make our trip special? It’s really not as if we can’t afford it. DH thinks I’m being ridiculous.

The Rembrant in Knightsbridge is around £250 a night and is nice.

If you are willing to travel in by tube, there are 5 star hotels that are mainly business use during the week but are great at the weekend instead!

Obviously different people have different budgets, but I wouldn't pay that much for one night personally - I've got a week 5* abroad with flights for less than that before (although admittedly that was a very good deal!).

If you can comfortably afford it and fancy treating yourselves, why not, but I can understand why your DH may be reuluctant

I can see both of your viewpoints to be fair. How about compromising in the middle - so not Travelodge kind of cheap, but not luxurious and spending loads. Crowne Plaza in South Kensington has a club king room on Sat 14th Dec, includes breakfast, and also gives you access to the club lounge for 2-3 hours that evening (can't remember exactly) - which has drinks and canapes that you help yourself to during that period - no limit. It is a fab hotel for that money, considering what it includes. Great location too, near the tube and lots of pubs and restaurants nearby.

I'm with your DH unfortunately. I consider it a massive waste to spend excessive money on a hotel where I'm only going to be to sleep! I'd want the money for experiences, food, drinks and such in London itself.

@Vilanellexc No WAY would I spend this, nor would DH.

DH is self employed, and travels quite a bit, and although he earns a lot of money, he still books Premier Inns and Travelodges. It's HIS money, and he has to fund his OWN hotels. Why the hell would he pay £600 for a night when he can get one for £70?

Lots of famous, and quite rich people use cheaper hotels because they are paying for it out of their own pocket. Celebrities, Actors. Singers etc..... LOADS of them use cheap hotels as they are self employed and have to pay for the hotel themselves.

It's a really showy OTT thing to book a £600 to £700 hotel room, that's often done by people who are trying to prove they're something they're not. And they always have to brag about how much the room cost. Nobody is impressed. And as I said, REAL well-off people/celebrities will stay somewhere less costly.

Don't be that showy 'we are considerably richer than YOW' kind of person. Just go somewhere less costly, and it will leave more money for spending while you're there too. (OR it will leave more money in your savings account!!!)

Yeah I don't see the point in a fancy room if you're not gonna be in it?

So consensus is if you want the ultra fancy hotel you need to stay at least 2-3 nights. See if you can do that. Claridges will be beautiful over Christmas

I can vouch for celebs staying in cheaper hotels. I met Sir Ian McKellan and Sir Patrick Stewart in the bar of a very average hotel I was staying in.

They were also on the next table to me at breakfast!

I'm with your DP as well. If you're going to be out all day and then at a show until late in the evening, possibly drinks afterwards, you'll be in your hotel room awake for very little time at all so it's a waste of money.
If you were going to be spending more time in the hotel - in the evening for example - then yes.
Go for a mid-range hotel and use the money saved to make the other things you do more luxury - eg. fancier dinner, afternoon tea etc.

I think if you can afford to do it why not? It’s meant to be a treat so if you’ve got the money to do it then go for it, enjoy yourself :)

I love Premier Inns. I had a bad experience last time we stayed in one though. We went down for breakfast and the man was really friendly and made a big fuss of the kids, gave them balloons chatted to them loads etc. How nice, I thought. Next morning we go down and he looks us at blankly and asks "have you eaten with us before?" It was like a knife to my heart.

Go for a £300 hotel and book breakfast at the Wolsey

Oh the Wolsey is lovely. On the Ritz treat for my husband after the theatre we had dinner in The Wolsey and then popped over the road to The Ritz. He was in heaven.

Expensive hotels are only worth it if you stay more than 1 night as you need to time to enjoy the facilities. I don't see the point if you are at a show & dinner & then just sleeping there. Stay in a cheaper place & go somewhere different for brunch.

Hazlitts looks interesting. It will be around £340 for one night. I've never stayed there but thought about it a few times.

www.hazlittshotel.com/

Where are you planning on eating dinner?

Not sure where you live but spent 300 or so & go to somewhere like The Scarlett in Cornwall for a weekend where is absolutely worth spending money because you don't need to leave the hotel.

I stayed in Hazlitt's on my wedding night (2 nights our whole honeymoon until back to the kids) and it was BLOODY LOVELY. So posh it was not posh, just v v comfortable. Their sister hotel the Rookery in Clerkenwell is lovely too.

There is a mid ground between premier inn and 500 to 700 a night, and loads of luxurious hotels in that mid bracket, many of which have been mentioned here.

Your last post makes it seem if you can't go as expensive as it gets you'll go as cheap as you can. Which seems odd. The hotel is clearly part of the experience, but you can compromise.

What about the Edition, it may have changed but very buzzy.

I personally think £750 for a night in a hotel when you also want to do theatre, dinner out and then some, is too much. And I LOVE a fancy hotel.

Different if you were going out to the country and spending the whole time in the spa, walking round the grounds, having all your meals there or something.

Definitely have a look at the Red Carnation group of hotels. They are all amazing and the service is the best I have ever had, anywhere. Montagu on the Gardens in Bloomsbury or the Chesterfield in Mayfair are the ones I've stayed at and both are lovely and luxurious. And although not budget are a lot cheaper than the prices you've mentioned!

I stayed in Hazlitt's on my wedding night (2 nights our whole honeymoon until back to the kids) and it was BLOODY LOVELY. So posh it was not posh, just v v comfortable

I've always wondered about Hazlitts. It looks like somewhere one would either love or hate.

Take one of the 5* Secret Deals on Lastminute.com , OP. We've stayed in some magnificent hotels through that. Places with spas, pools, Molton Brown or Aveda toiletries, all glorious.

Never paid more than £280, often less.