Firms cash in on Queen as hotel room prices spike up to 400% on eve of state funeral

12 September 2022, 16:59

Central London hotels are charging up to four times their usual room rates in an effort to cash in on record crowds gathering for the Queen's funeral next week.

Up to one million people are expected to mass in the capital before the event at Westminster Abbey on Monday morning (September 19).

The late monarch, who died aged 96 on Thursday, is set to receive the first state funeral since Winston Churchill in 1965.

A room at Waterloo's Park Plaza County Hall, a fourteen-minute walk from the abbey, costs an eye-watering £1,299.

The same-sized room a week later is going for £269.

Crowne Plaza London Albert Embankment is charging £708 on the eve of the funeral.

That is nearly three times more than the following Sunday (September 25), when the price is £244.

Rooms at Novotel London Waterloo cost £490 a night on Sunday - and just £241 a week later.

Premier Inn has no rooms left at its London County Hall, London Waterloo (Westminster Bridge) and London Victoria sites.

Meanwhile Travelodge's London Central City Road, 2.4 miles away, costs £160 the night before the funeral - and £57 a week later.

A spokesperson for Travelodge told PA: "As one of London’s largest hoteliers, our teams across our 78 London-based Travelodge hotels are working around the clock and gearing up for a busy period in the lead-up to the Queen’s state funeral.

“Our Travelodge hotels in central London and Windsor are literally sold out, and demand is growing strong for our hotels situated near to a train or Tube station throughout Greater London.

“Our website is attracting visitors from all corners of the UK and across the globe.”

Dozens of flag sellers and souvenir shops have also been pictured in and around Westminster as merchandise merchants rush to take advantage of the recently deceased monarch's memory.

Fridge magnets at one SW1 store were seen being sold for £1.50, up from the usual £1.