Connaught Hotel, London, new pricing...

[tteplitzmd]

Does anyone besides me feel the Connaught is pushing things by demanding over a $1000 per night for their lowest priced room? Curiously the Maybourne Group is not pricing Claridges and the Berkely as aggressively. Apparantly they are highly confident that the newly renovated Connaught can command this sort of aggressive pricing. I guess I will find out if it's worth it when I go there in June. The Baur au Lac is the only other 5 star luxe hotel that I stay at that seems immune to market pressures.

[iammatt]

Too rich for my blood.

[storeynicholas]

The top floor balcony suite at the Cavendish is cheaper - and what a view.

[Aristide]

As a daft Yank, I find the Lanesborough quite nice. And, less expensive.

[storeynicholas]

Even if you are (as you self-effacingly suggest) 'a daft yank', your a well-off yank who knows how to spend his money well.
Nicholas.

[tteplitzmd]

I have always felt that you could stay in a lousy hotel in London for the same price as one of the better ones. It is curious to me that the Maybourne Group is pricing the Connaught now higher than their flagship Claridges (which I thought was dreadful last June) and the Berkely.
With some diligence you can stay at the Dorchester and the Ritz (underappreciated) for less than the Connaught. The Manager at the Connaught feels the London luxe hotel market has "heated up" and they will be fully booked in their usual busy period (appropriately termed "high season" in the industry). Historically, the Connaught relied heavily on its US clients, perhaps that is changing with the declining dollar and emerging oligarchs.

[iammatt]

I think that is right re prices for different levels of hotels in London, but it reflects more on the obscene prices of bad hotels than the reasonable prices for good ones. I stayed at the Connaught for some years, have stayed a few times at Browns and several times at smaller places like Dukes, the Stafford and the Goring. None, I have found, gives a much better experience than the others, so now I call each and stay at the cheapest of the lot for the given time period.

[tteplitzmd]

Most of these hotels are real estate ventures now doing business as hotels. Hence the lack of interest in customer loyalty. I have been loyal to the Connaught largely because of location and its pricing being in line with its competitors. Also, I have to admit a weakness for familiarity and consistency. They do find room for you when otherwise full, they treat your toddler with deference, and so on.

On a few occasions you come across a place that is so good, that it is worth its surcharge, such as Brenner's Park Hotel in Baden-Baden, or the Palace in St. Moritz. Most of the former luxe establishments have fallen to corporate branding, etc. Maybourne has done a better job with the Connaught than Blackstone, but the reality is the old days are gone.

The test by which I used to judge these places was very simple: if I could place a drink order in the bar, or breakfast order in the restaurant without ANY speech whatsoever from the waiter, the place was consistently superb.

[Robert Watkins]

I will be very interested to hear your impressions of the "renovated" Connaught after your stay in June. The few sketches that are shown on their web site do not inspire confidence.

Robert

[tteplitzmd]

What they don't show is the workers removing the absestos from the old building.

[storeynicholas]

Most of these hotels are real estate ventures now doing business as hotels. Hence the lack of interest in customer loyalty. I have been loyal to the Connaught largely because of location and its pricing being in line with its competitors. Also, I have to admit a weakness for familiarity and consistency. They do find room for you when otherwise full, they treat your toddler with deference, and so on.

On a few occasions you come across a place that is so good, that it is worth its surcharge, such as Brenner's Park Hotel in Baden-Baden, or the Palace in St. Moritz. Most of the former luxe establishments have fallen to corporate branding, etc. Maybourne has done a better job with the Connaught than Blackstone, but the reality is the old days are gone.

The test by which I used to judge these places was very simple: if I could place a drink order in the bar, or breakfast order in the restaurant without ANY speech whatsoever from the waiter, the place was consistently superb.

By which I used to judge......exactly.