It is becoming increasingly common to see that many of the new, smaller, hotels are describing themselves as a “Boutique Hotel”. Across the city of London, the capital city of England in the United Kingdom, there are now a small number of superb boutique hotels but what exactly is a “Boutique Hotel” and where did they first appear? The following article provides an explanation.

More often than not a boutique hotel is owned, run and maintained by one family, a couple, and in some cases, small hotel chains specializing in this type of accommodation. However, there has been a recent trend for some of the larger hotel chains to build hotels to meet the specific demand for these hotels so this distinction may not hold true for much longer! One thing that has to be true is that they are unique in style and decoration and often based upon a theme. Such themes can range from a hotel decorated and furnished in the 17th Century style to one which is focused on chocolate for avid chocoholics. Although the vast majority of boutique hotels are based upon one particular theme or style, from time to time, you will find such a hotel that chooses to have each room individually styled upon different, and sometimes contrasting, themes.

Where Was The First Boutique Hotel?

Boutique hotels first appeared in the late 1980s in New York USA. Although some hotels claim to have been boutique hotels as far back as 1981 in places such as London UK and San Francisco the first hotel to be described as such was the ‘Morgans’ hotel, New York, in 1984. These earlier claimants were, therefore, subsequently described as such and can not, realistically, claim to be the first.

‘Morgans’ hotel  was owned by Steven Rubell and Ian Schrager who had commissioned the Parisian designer Andrée Putman to create a unique, highly stylized, hotel in New York.  Putman created the hotel in what has become known as an “America meets Europe” fashion. Steven Rubell set out to promote his hotel and to do this he needed to make his hotel stand out from all others, especially those belonging to the large hotel chains. He described other hotels as “department store” hotels and his own as a “boutique hotel” to show the distinctive difference - thus the phrase entered the English language for the first time.

Interesting Boutique Hotels in the United Kingdom

42 The Calls (hotel) in Leeds claims to be one of the first to appear in the UK. The Calls was a hotel built in the carcass of an old corn mill and used that as the overall theme. The main points of interest in the hotel are the incredibly comfortable handmade beds of each room and the pieces of machinery which have been kept from the days it was a working corn mill.

The Blake’s Hotel in South Kensington, London, is often quoted as being one of the first boutique hotels in the world but, although this appeared before Morgans in New York, for the reasons outlined above this claim is often dismissed. Ever since the first boutique hotels appeared they have spread across the United Kingdom until they recently reached the remote island of Harris, where a boutique hotel recently opened in the small village of Tarbert, however the vast majority are to be found in London.

If you are planning a trip to, or a vacation in, London and you are considering booking a boutique hotel you may wish to check out the listings of boutique hotels in London at http://www.londonhotelhelper.com/

Posted: November 2nd, 2008 under Hotel and Timeshare Deals.
Comments: none

London, the capital of England in the UK, has a massive selection of world class visitor attractions many of which are the most popular in Britain. For generations London has been a popular vacation destination and much of this interest is due to the immensity of the historical buildings and the unique culture. While many of the visitor attractions found in London have a historic interest, such as the Houses of Parliament, The Tower of London and Buckingham Palace, there are many that are only recent additions, such as the London Aquarium, and the youngest of these is the London Eye.

The London Eye is often referred to as the Millennium Wheel as it was built in 1999 to commemorate the arrival of the new millennium. It was officially opened by the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in the evening of December 31 but, sadly, there were technical issues and it was not opened to the public until March 2000. Standing 135m above London it has become an unmistakable, and highly visible, landmark.

The Great Wheel of London was an enormous Ferris wheel, capable of carrying up to 1600 people, which appeared in Earl's Court in 1895. Unfortunately it was demolished in 1907 but today London has a replacement in the London Eye. Although it is not the largest Ferris wheel in the world it can legitimately claim to be the worlds largest cantilever observation tower!

Although the London Eye cannot carry as many people as the Great Wheel of London could it can manage to carry 25 people in each of its 32 capsules. It takes about 30 minutes for the wheel to make a complete revolution during which time you can choose to remain seated or you can stand up and walk about.

With as many as three and a half million people "flying" on the London Eye a year it is now one of the most popular attractions in London. Most people take a flight on the London Eye just to take in the most fantastic views of London. From the top of the wheel it is possible to see the surrounding four miles and you can see a multitude of famous London landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Hampton Court Palace, St Paul's and Westminster Abbey. During your flight you will be able to enjoy one of the finest views of the Houses of Parliament possible.

The London Eye has proved to be rather a romantic place with many people proposing to, and even marrying, their partners there. When booking a flight it is also possible to book other things such as educational trips for small groups of students of all ages.

Taking a flight on this amazing visitor attraction should be top of your list of things to do if you are about to take a weekend break or vacation in London. If your time in London is limited it is a real time saver as you are able to take in nearly all of the most important London landmarks during the 30 minute trip which is impossible to do any other way (excluding a helicopter or balloon ride).

If you are looking for accommodation in London you may appreciate the listings of hotels near the London Eye or the cheap London hotels listed on http://www.londonhotelhelper.com/

Posted: November 2nd, 2008 under Hotel and Timeshare Deals.
Comments: none

England is a most wonderful country in which to take a vacation. There are a large number of| tourist attraction|places of interest well worth a visit which cater for all tastes. For instance|One such place is the historical city of York which has been inhabited since Roman times, Liverpool, and Torquay known as the English Riviera. One place, in England that you really must visit is London the capital city of the United kingdom of Great Britain

photo credit: neilalderney123

London is an astounding place to visit, maybe for just a weekend or, possibly for a longer period. You would be surprised at how many people who live in the UK who have not yet visited London, this is especially surprising when you ponder on the fact it is usually top of the majority of visitors lists (of the most enjoyable places they went to).

There are a multitude of things to see and do in London that it is not possible to list them all at once. Surprisingly one of the newest attractions in London also happens to be one of the most popular - The London Eye. Another popular attraction nearby to the London Eye is Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. However, one place which must not be missed is Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace is England’s most famous Royal residence, possibly because it is home to the Queen of England. Buckingham Palace is is situated in the heart of London which makes it the perfect focus for tourists. The daily pageant of ‘Changing of the Guard’ is very fascinating to witness and amazingly English.

Buckingham Palace was originally named Buckingham House. It was originally a large town house, constructed in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. It is actually the townhouse that forms the main core of the palace as we are familiar with today.

Throughout the subsequent 3 quarters of a century Buckingham House was increased in size by the addition of 3 wings creating a central courtyard. The main architects responsible for these additions were Edward Blore and John Nash. John Nash was also responsible for the interior design of the monumental staterooms.

The well known architect Aston Webb was responsible for the building of the principal facade of Buckingham Palace which he re-designed in 1912. Webb along with Sir Thomas Brock, the sculptor, were the winners of a competition to design a memorial to Queen Victoria. This memorial still exists today.

The Queen has a selection of royal residences other than Buckingham Palace. Each and every year the Queen stays, at Sandringham House in Norfolk, over the Christmas period. Sandringham House is actually privately owned by the Queen (classed as a private royal residence.

A further private residence is Balmoral Castle, found in Royal Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Queen was in residence at Balmoral Castle when she was told about the tragic incident involving Diana (the ex-wife of Prince Charles).

If you would like to take a break in the UK then you might be surprised to learn that it is possible to find cheap hotels in London without any great difficulty, on the other hand you may want to stay in more luxurious surroundings and the fine selection of boutique hotels in London should more than satisfy.

Posted: October 10th, 2008 under Travel Destinations.
Comments: none

The capital city of England is London, which is as famous for its shopping as it is for its history and culture. People from all over the world flock to London to sample the wonderful stores and markets on offer.

Covent Garden has become known for its unusual and specialist shops, and has become a very hip place to be seen. There are a number of excellent restaurants in Covent Garden not just excellent shops. Until 1980 the Covent Garden market had many stalls selling flowers, vegetables and fruit its roots can be traced to the middle ages.

Camden Market is now one of the most popular places to visit in London. There has been a markets here in Camden for a long time, but in its present status only since 1974. The market is actually a group of adjoining markets selling wares of most things one could possibly think of.

The Kings Road is known as Chelsea’s high street, and one of the most chic and stylish streets to shop in London. Back in the 1970s the Kings Road was closely associated with ‘Punks’, who proved to be an attraction in London themselves. However, the Kings Road is more subdued these days and no longer just a haunt of the followers of the anti-fashion era.

Sloane Street is a street in London which runs north to south, and takes its name from Sir Hans Sloane, who purchased the surrounding area in 1712. Sloane Street has has long been a fashionable shopping district, but is probably just as well known for lending it name to the ‘Sloane Rangers’ in the 1990s. The name Sloane Ranger was applied to the stereotypical young upper class English ladies seen in the area during this time. (One famous woman often referred to as a Sloane Ranger was Lady Diana Spencer)

Harrods department store in Knightsbridge is the worlds largest department store standing on 18,000 m2. The motto of Harrods department store is “all things for all people, everywhere” or ‘Omnia Omnibus Ubique’. A very exclusive and luxurious department store, Harrods is famous the world over for its food hall and its toy department.

Another famous London department store is Selfridges in Oxford Street. Selfridges opened its doors to the public in 1909, and was built was the entrepreneur Gordon Selfridge. When it opened Selfridges set new standards for the retailing business. The reason being that each of the floors were designed so that the shopper was able to access the goods on sale more easily.

The shops in London offer as much diversity as its culture and no matter how bizarre ones shopping requirements, it can be found in London. Whether you like to shop in department stores or prefer to rummage through the markets, London has it all.

If you are planning a shopping trip to London you will find plently of cheap London hotels listed at www.londonhotelhelper.com

Posted: October 6th, 2008 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none