London is quite expensive, especially when looking for a place to stay. I`ve stayed at a serviced apartment, a short-term rental and this time it was time to stay at a hotel. Not just any hotel, at the Tune Hotel Westminster.
I have to admit before coming over to this place, I`d never heard of the Tune Hotels. So I did some research on their website. The video explaining the concept says “5 star sleeping experience at a 1 star price”. I could see they offer a basic room for a standard price based on availability and everything you add on, you pay extra, like your own customized bill.
Let me give you an example, you want to watch TV in your room during your stay, well there will be 3 GB added for 24 hours of TV to the standard price. Same goes for the internet (3 GBP/24 hrs or 10 GBP/stay), breakfast (5,5 GBP) and so on. (When booking the prices are all next to the add-on you`d like to opt for)*
The advantage of that is not everybody has the same needs while abroad. Some will hardly be in their room because they`re out exploring the city of London. But others might want to enjoy watching some television at night or need the internet for work.
I had a talk with the manager, Arron, about their concept and he made a good point when giving me another example. He said: “How often does a guy need a hairdryer? So, why pay for things you don`t use.”
But what most of us do desire is a comfortable bed and that is in my opinion their strongest service. They offer the same high quality as the luxury hotel chains.
What I look for when staying at a hotel?
*comfort
*location
*internet
The rooms are small yes, but everything you need is there. Comfy bed, small foldout desk, hangers, a bathroom with shower,…
To me, this hotel is in between a hostel and a luxurious hotel. I was impressed by the comfort of the beds, the friendly staff and the location was good. It`s next to a coffee place, where you can have breakfast in the morning. The tube station (Lambeth North) is right across the street. There`s even a cute little Italian restaurant, Cotto, that serves fresh pasta!
You`re walking distance from Waterloo Station, the Houses of Parliament and the Big Ben.
I would definitely go back, maybe the only downside would be having to pay for WiFi. I got hosted by Tune Hotels, but I don`t like to pay for internet while traveling as I need it for my job and I think it should be included. However it is part of their concept and like I said before not everyone finds it a top priority (hazard of the job I guess!) I did see the prices (1,5 GBP/hour, 3 GBP/24 hrs, 10 GBP/unlimited) and I think they`re reasonable.
There will be another Tune Hotel in London opening soon at Liverpool Street.
*All prices were accurate at time of publishing.
Even though I was hosted by Tune Hotels, the opinions in this post are all my own. Photo Credit of second photo: Tune Hotels.
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