With falling room rates and a decline in both business and leisure travel, revenue will shrink by a projected 25% but this could be even higher if the economy continues in its current downwards spiral.

Room rates in London have for some years been the subject of some critisism for being far too high in relation to the standards and facilities offered.  Of particular discussion is the 3 star market which has cashed in on the overseas visitor expecting quite good standards only to find its not clean or up to date and grossly overpriced. 

In my experience, I would prefer to stay at a paris 2 star hotel rather than an Earls Court “3″ star.  Of course there are notable exceptions i.e. the Ibis Earls Court, but in general too many independant tourist class hotels are owned by investors looking primarily for a property profit or in some cases just a greedy profit and are not concerned at the clients lack of satisfaction.  I have in recent weeks seen one tourist class hotel in Kensington charging £179 a night for the first weekend in December -  now that is greed.

If you are looking to book a  hotel in London research it carefully.  Many 4 star hotels are now competing with the 3 star market pound for pound so check these out before you make a decision.  Who knows, you may get a 5 star hotel bargain, I have seen one in the West End back at sub £100 at the weekend - now thats value for money !

Make the most of this price correction because once the depression is over these hotels will increase their prices even higher than before !

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Its cold, damp and grey - the usual London weather on the build up to Christmas yet I seem to recall that the last few Christmas Day mornings have been sunny and blue skied but still damn cold.

Anyway, London is gearing up for the festivities and as usual there is a plethora of things to do and see many of which are great for visitors to our capital.

Lets start with my personal favourite, the skating at the Natural History Museum.  The Ice Rink is open from 6 November to 18 January from 10.00 to 22.00 on weekdays and 08.45 to 22.00 on weekends with a few exceptions over Christmas itself so check the website for more info.  There are many Kensington hotels close to this venue so if you are staying in the area check it out.

Other ice and snow London attractions include skiing at the O2 which this year will have two indoor slopes.  Pricey but worth a try at £15 an hour, this is open from Nov 30 to January 25, 2009. Somerset House also has its annual ice rink which this year is operational until January 25.

Covent Garden will also be a worthwhile visit to see the Interactive Light Show. Covent Garden’s Market Building has been transformed into a futuristic winter palace with modular light displays where individually controlled light pixels display an ever changing display of swirling snow, gently falling. Full visitor interactivity comes through a touch screen panel situated in the South Hall of the market building, so at various times of the day, visitors can create their own snow storms.

The largest ice rink in Europe is now open in Hyde Park and runs until until January 4th along with a giant wheel and a German market. 

The Royal Albert Hall in Kensington is offering its popular carols singing sessions (14th December 2008 - 24th December 2008) culminating in Carols by Candlelight ( Dec 21 to Dec 24).

Bankside is staging Londons largest ever free winter festival themed on the medieval fairs that used to take place on a frozen River Thames. This years event has husky dog sledges, a street theatre, market stalls, kids workshops and ice sculpturing. The market opens with a Frost Fair-themed lantern parade on Friday 12 December at 4:30pm. With approximately 270 local school children taking part, the parade will bring to life aspects of the Frost Fair with lanterns the shape of ice-skaters, dancing bears and roasted chestnut sellers and much more.  The lantern parade will end outside Tate Modern, where a Frost Fair lantern scene will be assembled and will remain on display for the entirety of the festival.

At 11.00am on Saturday 13^th December there will be celebratory procession of Traditional Thames Cutters carrying Frost Fair flags on the River Thames between Southwark and Blackfriars Bridges. Visitors should watch the boats from the best vantage point on the Millennium Bridge.�

Many people prefer the idea of an apartment to a hotel bedroom, the main reason being the availability of a kitchen.
Now when you consider the high cost of dining out in London, the idea of a kitchen however basic starts to appeal. Remember that in a normal tourist class hotel, breakfast can cost a couple of people £25 a day and a reasonable evening meal around £50 or £60. An even more favourable arguement for taking an apartment is kids. Many hotels now charge for children and so apartment savings in terms of accommodation and food can be huge. You will also possibly have a little more space for them to move about in.
Ok, so I have convinced you….
Where to look ???? Best to stay central then you also save money on transport. Most visitors intend to visit the key attractions of the London Eye, Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace. Have a look at an apartment building which offers all those attractions within easy strolling distance and is in the West End close to Theatreland and Soho, the Citadines Trafalgar Square.
Not the most trendy or up to date place to stay but an ultimate location and moderately comfortable if not a little dated. Most clients return again and again.
Check out the Citadines Apartments here

London’s newest attraction, Ripley’s “Believe it or not!” Museum, opens in London this Wednesday (20th August ‘08).

Located in Piccadilly this 5-floor celebration of human curiosity will educate and entertain both young and old. Learn about history, science, space and geography with artifacts from around the world - and beyond. See shrunken heads, mummified men and genuine moonrock to name but a few of the 500 curiosities.
Pitching itself against such attractions as Madame Tussauds and The London Dungeon, Ripley’s has it’s work cut out. Although this is the first Ripley’s in the UK, this is the 31st auditorium to open with many other branches located around the world. The emphasis is not just on fun but education and entertainment.

Here’s the official opening hours and prices correct at time of press:

HOURS
  Ripley’s London
  Open 365 days a year
  10:00 AM - 12:00 AM
  (last ticket sold at 10:30 PM)

ADMISSION

The location makes the attraction very accessible so expect huge crowds - even late at night! Best of luck to them - lets hope they do London proud.

Hotel Assist have produced a one page fact sheet on finding a hotel near to the Royal Albert Hall

Located in the royal borough of Kensington. Just south of Hyde Park on Kensington Gore, the dome shaped Royal Albert Hall is a very popular arts venue which is on the visit list of most tourists.

The information page gives the tourist great directions on how to get there plus a short history of how the Albert Hall came to be there. It also gives details of the tours that are available most days.

Hotels near the Royal Albert Hall are plentiful and range from tourist to deluxe class so use this latest Hotel-Assist Albert Hall Hotels to get the best possible deal.

Hotel-Assist.Com has just produced an invaluable quick reference guide explaning why you should book a Kensington Hotel.

This overview covers attractions, restaurants and hotels in the borough of Kensington London.
Its writen by locals for tourists and is well worth reading if you are planning a trip.

It is actually suprising how much there is to do in this small area of central London which contains the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum, both with free admission. There is also the Royal Albert Hall and of course Kensington Gardens.

From a dining aspect, Kensington has a high concentration of multi cultural eateries ranging from Burgerking to Michelin star restaurants.

The article also makes the point that because Kensington is so upmarket it tends to be one of the safer areas of central London.

If you are planning to book a Kensington hotel we suggest that you read the article first.
Kensington Hotels

Hotel-assist.com has produced a quick read advisory on where to stay in London.
Aware that many people want the real facts without the waffle they have produced a one page overview of the main areas in central London that people consider for their London lodging.
When visiting a city for the first time it is important to choose area carefully. This 5 minute review gives short sharp information writen by local people.
All the areas mentioned are central but have very different character and depending on your requirements at least one will suit you.
London lodgings are expensive so this will also be a factor in your choice. Hotel-Assist recommend the best all round area to be around South Kensington which has superb travel links into the West End and also a direct tube service to all 5 terminals at London Heathrow Airport.
Bayswater is not as upmarket but again is very central, the difference between this area and Kensington being that Bayswater has little to offer in the way of local attractions and that the lodgings in this area are more low budget orientated. Even so expect to pay around 70 pounds for a two person room (against Kensington’s 100 pounds).
The report recommends not taking lodgings in the West End which is a 24×7 area and highly expensive. Likewise, the actual “City of London” is described as being barren of weekend facilities due to the absence of business people on saturdays and Sundays.
Whatever you choose, a quick 5 minute read of this page may help you to understand a little about tourist London.

Hotel-Assist.com has launched a resource section to their London hotel website.
Within this new addition, clients can easily navigate to important London listings and links to newspapers, tour operators, maps and currency exchange.

Of assistance to both leisure and busines travellers is a page offering information on how to book theatre seats at discount prices.

The resources page includes information about:

• London Media
• Government resources
• London Weather
• Currency Exchange
• Transport around London
• London Theatres and Shows
• Airport transfers and travel
• London Maps
• Attractions

For those arriving at one of the five London airports there is information on how to travel into London.
Any travel related London businesses can request their details to be added by emailing: ian@hotel-assist.com

Of course they also offer London hotel bookings at discount rates !