London’s plush May Fair hotel offers 25% off, plus 2-for-1 meals, during winter holidays

Exchange rates have improved a bit since this time last year, but London is still a mighty expensive destination for dollar-toting visitors. So that’s why any break on prices is great, even if it comes with caveats. Enter the May Fair.

This plush, 406-room historic hotel , which just finished hosting London Fashion Week, is offering 25% off its regular rates, plus a 2-for-1 meal deal at its restaurant, for stays over the the winter holidays. That can bring nightly rates down to $240 or less — a good value for a hotel of this quality in a prime location. The caveats? The deal is nonrefundable, and you need to book it soon.

London really does it up for Christmas, so the holidays, despite the frigid temps, can be a memorable time to visit. The 411:

Deal: Book the “Pay, Save and Stay” promotion by Oct. 18 for stays Dec. 14 through Jan. 10. You get 25% off the so-called best available rate on the room, plus 2-for-1 entrees at the hotel’s restaurant, Amba Bar & Grill. You pay for the room in advance, with your credit card billed immediately. If you cancel at any point, you’ll lose the full cost of your stay. (By contrast, regular bookings can generally be canceled up to 4 p.m. on the day of arrival.)

Tested: On the May Fair’s website, I was able to book a room for a two-night stay Dec. 25-26 for a nightly rate of about $240, compared with about $320 for the “best available rate.” (Exact prices will fluctuate with the foreign-exchange rates.) Over the two-night stay, including taxes, I’d save a total of about $184 on the room. Each free entree would be worth about $23 to $43, judging from the restaurant’s online a la carte  menu. (Note: the meal deal is not available for the fixed-price, multi-course holiday menu, a spokeswoman said.)

Tip: Consider buying travel insurance to protect your nonrefundable booking, in the event that you should have to cancel. Be sure to read the fine print on the insurance policy to find out what it covers.

Contact: The May Fair, 011-44-20-7769-4041

— Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor

Photo: Lobby of the May Fair in London. Credit: The May Fair

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 5:57 am by Jane Engle and is filed under Deals, Great Britain, Hotels. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.