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Monday, March 19, 2012

Putting on the Ritz


Vienna 1st District
My worst moments are when we arrive at hotels and I see the look of disappointment on Cate’s face.  She employs a range of expressions and phrases to register her level of disappointment when we arrive at a hotel in an area that has recently been blasted to smithereens by Al Qaeda.

Now – as I have said before – I take an enormous amount of time and effort to choose hotels. I look at all the pictures and I read all the reviews and I look at the map to see where they are.

It is simply not my fault that they turn out to be be rat-infested hovels in disused railway yards where gangs of cutthroats roam at will.

Cate’s worst expression is  ‘this is nice dear’. This means a catastrophic failure and will be followed by series of supplementary comments as she examines the room. These might include such things as:

Look the bed has moss growing on it –  at least we know which direction is South.

How cute – they are using 50 watt light globes – so environmentally conscious.

Meanwhile I will be trying to reconcile the wreck of a hotel with the images I saw on the internet – knowing full well that none of the photos showed rooms that looked like prison cells.

The problem always is that I try to operate to a budget and to get quality within a certain price range. But these things are mutually exclusive.

But last year I changed tactics. I always start with the 5 and 4 star hotels and see if they have special offers for the days we need. And they invariably do. I often can get a really nice hotel for half the rack rate.

Of course some of them turn out to be not quite as advertised – and I can still pick hotels in the wrong part of town if we are going to a new city.

The hotel I picked in Stockholm last year had rave reviews including ‘best hotel I have ever stayed in’. This clearly from someone who did not travel much and whose experience was limited – probably  to the YMCA.

Anyway – so we are going to London in April on the way to Oxford where Cate is attending a conference. So I searched and found that the Ritz in London had rooms at half price for the two nights we needed.

I have always wanted to stay at the Ritz and rub shoulders with the rich and beautiful people. Although I imagine they have people there to stop this happening and we will be ushered to a special elevator labelled ‘for people who really shouldn’t be here and came here on a special rate’.


13 comments:

  1. faaaaaaancy! i'm sure it will be great - i have only been to the bar/lobby. also very central to a lot of places, including green park so i'm sure it will be a win win.

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  2. Now you know why I travel with my own pack of 75 watt bulbs.

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  3. Glad you got a new Plan A, let us know about them room.

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  4. I think you should forget the bad things and take the good oness and enjoy everything life has to offer there.
    =)

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  5. Oooh The Ritz... lovely... surely NOTHING can go wrong there!

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  6. I found the following on the Ritz's website:

    "Regrettably, Afternoon Tea at the Ritz is not suitable for those suffering from nut allergies."

    Make of that what you will.

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  7. Be wonderful if it lives up to all the hype.. But I'm sure if it is central and summer it will be lovely nonetheless.

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  8. Merrick seems not to realise that April in London is definitely NOT summer!

    Badger, every hotel has those rooms next to the elevator that rattle and shake all night :-(

    Good Luck!

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  9. Right now, I'd be ecstatic just to go anywhere regardless of the negatives.

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  10. gosh! and I am happy is a swag anywhere!

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  11. "is a" should read "in a"..... sorry mate.....

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  12. Nuts to the naysayers! You'll have a perfectly English time of it I'm sure. Have fun.

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  13. TNDW: Yes I am sure we will have a great time.

    esb: Good idea I should try that.

    fmcgmccllc: You can be sure I will report

    GAVIOTA: Wise words indeed.

    Kathryn: I am sure nothing will.

    SK Waller: Thanks goodness I can still go there.

    Merricks: I doubt that it will but it will be a nice experience.

    Annie: Quite true about the hotel rooms - we know most of the traps and how to avoid them.

    SK Waller: Trust me - we know how lucky we are.

    Simon: Just as it should be.

    Sandy: Thanks

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