It’s not too late to be among the 1 million or so people looking to get a glimpse of Prince William and Kate Middleton when they exchange vows in London in April, but make plans soon and brace yourself for crowds, high prices and a flood of tacky memorabilia.
There are still plenty of direct flights to London from major hubs like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as from cities in the United Kingdom and Europe, but hotel rooms are booking up.
Many online-travel sites, airlines and hotels have seen double-, even triple-digit jumps in bookings for the wedding period, which is only a week after another heavy travel time — Easter. The couple plans to marry on Friday, April 29, which has been declared a holiday. The following Monday is a banker’s holiday, which makes for a four-day weekend after a four-day weekend in the prior week.
“This is a hugely popular weekend,” said Jill Lloyd, a spokeswoman for Expedia.com. “We started to see a definite spike in bookings after the announcement, and it’s been quite sustained since then.”
Expedia has seen a 200-per-cent increase in bookings for the wedding period compared with year-ago trends. Other sites have reported 40 per cent to 50 per cent more bookings than last year.
“There’s been a lot of reporting that London is completely sold out,” said Karen Clarkson, vice president and regional manager, North America, for VisitBritain, the national tourism agency. “But that is not true. There are still plenty of rooms available in London, and if you want to commute an hour or so outside of London, there are rooms in Brighton, Cambridge, Windsor or Bristol.”
You could also fly into Paris and take the two-hour-plus Eurostar train ride. It’s also about two hours by train from Brussels, and about a three-hour jaunt from Manchester in England; expect the trip to take about four hours or more from Edinburgh or Glasgow in Scotland.
The Brits are quick to point out that travel to London this year is a better value proposition than most any time in the last five to six years, given current exchange rates. In January 2008, it took about $1.97 to buy one pound, compared with about $1.58 today.
“Britain is effectively cheaper today than even two years ago,” said VisitBritain’s Clarkson. “You’re looking at an 8 per cent difference in price.”
Expect to pay a lot once you’re there. Hotel prices in central London generally start around $300 a night, but are now going for more than $400.
“London hotels are fairly expensive anyway,” said Expedia’s Lloyd. “We’ve not seen a massive increase in prices yet, but as availability drops that may happen.
“There are still bargains to be had and a wide range of prices available at a wide range of star ratings,” she added. The five-star Langham Hotel was available for $663 a night on Expedia recently, while the three-star Orchard Hotel was advertising prices of $184 a night.
Hotel packages are still available as well. The Royal Garden Hotel is offering the Royal Wedding Package, which includes a three-night stay, afternoon tea for two, complimentary spa use and two free tickets to Kensington Palace, starting at $1,338.
The One Aldwych Hotel calls its package A Modern Romance — playing off the London papers calling Will and Kate a “modern couple” — for $789 and up. There will be William and Kate cocktails at the bar, and once the couple announces the wedding dinner menu, the hotel’s restaurant will copy it for that weekend. The One Aldwych also will provide a champagne picnic lunch to take out during the ceremony, though it doesn’t provide a picnic spot.
Most hotels are requiring a three-night stay. The Ritz London, for example, is offering the Executive King room for $1,233 a night while the Savoy’s rooms start at $845.
The Hilton London Tower Bridge has a Royal Wedding Package for $1,600 plus taxes that includes a room for two, bottle of champagne and tea reception, a three-course dinner with a half-bottle of wine per person and a second dinner at the Larder Restaurant.
But you don’t need a package to get a feel for the royal couple’s lives. Given the long holiday weekends back to back, most travel experts predict that many Londoners will take flight themselves that weekend, and will offer their own homes and flats for rent. Check out sites like HomeFromHome.co.uk, LondonRentMyHouse.com or GumTree.com to see what’s available.
Whichever you choose, you still can sign up for such blue-blooded experiences as the Will and Kate Royal Wedding Walk, which will set you back about $24. It visits landmarks and locations that mark the up-and-down relationship of the two, plus their own personal histories. There’s even a tour of John Lobb Bootmakers, where the royal family, including Princess Diana, all have had their shoes made.
