Ilford hotel bookings fall short of Olympic expectations

by Jessica Earnshaw , Reporter Wednesday, July 11, 2012
3:21 PM

Olympic visitors are not realising the Redbridge’s close proximity to the Olympic Park, according to an Ilford hotel manager, leaving rooms unreserved with just over two weeks to go until the start of the Games.

Hotels in Ilford still have many rooms available during the Olympics and Paralympic Games, which were expected to be snapped up earlier this year after a promising start.

A manager of a hotel chain in Ilford, who did not want to be named, said: “Its going to be very busy during the Olympics, however we did expect to be booked up at this point with only a few weeks to go.

“Many of our other hotels are already fully booked, including our Stratford branch, with group and company bookings, but it seems as if people haven’t realised how close Ilford is to the Olympic park.”

The Recorder reported in January that rooms were being booked up fast with many hotels expecting to be fully booked in the upcoming months.

The manager added: “Hotels in London’s Docklands and Liverpool Street are booked up but are further away and it is easier to get from Ilford to the Olympic venues by train.”

Alex Serari, manager of the Britannia Inn Hotel, Mansfield Road, Ilford, said: “We are almost fully booked during the Olympics and we expect to have all our rooms taken within the next few weeks which we are really happy about.

“We have increased our prices as every hotel has in London, but the amount depends on the date.”

In December, Ilford was named the fastest growing holiday destination by travel website Trip Advisor, due to its close proximity to the Olympic borough of Newham.

A spokesman for the Best Western Hotel, Argyle Road, Ilford, added: “We still have availability and rates start from £105 per night but differ depending on the dates during the Olympics.”