Budget hotel chain Travelodge has ordered extra breakfast supplies for its London properties on the morning of the Queen’s funeral. The company said it expects many mourners will be “starting their day with a traditional full English” on Monday.
It warned that all its hotels in the centre of the capital and close to London railway and Tube stations are fully booked for Sunday night. A spokeswoman told the PA news agency: “As one of London’s largest hotel brands, with 78 hotels dotted across the capital, our hotels have literally sold out in central London and in all locations close to a station.
“We have limited availability in our hotels in Greater London. Visits to our website have increased by nearly 100% this week, with people from all corners of the country trying to get to London over the next few days to pay their respects to the Queen.
“We are gearing up for one of our busiest bank holiday weekends in London. Our hotel teams are working around the clock to ensure that they are well stocked up and have ordered extra breakfast supplies, as we expect customers will be starting their day with a traditional full English breakfast to keep them going throughout the day.”
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to line the streets of the capital during the funeral at Westminster Abbey. London-based travel company HotelPlanner said the average occupancy rate in the city’s hotels is “approaching 95%”, which is around a fifth higher than normal for this time of year.
The cheapest room at Park Plaza County Hall – one of the closest hotels to Westminster Abbey – on Sunday night costs £999 compared with £268 seven days later. Crowne Plaza Albert Embankment is charging £620 on the eve of the funeral.
That is nearly two-and-a-half times more than on Sunday September 25, when the price is £252. A room at Novotel Waterloo costs £500 on Sunday and £241 a week later.
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