A new trend in travel articles is “36 hours in…” wherein the writer tries to tell modern travelers on the go what are the must see and do’s in any particular city.  What do I do when I have 36 hours in a city? Look at as many hotels and off-site venues as possible, drink local beer, and go to bed exhausted. A good time. 

My 36 hours in London was expertly facilitated by Cambridge educated, barrister-trained, and now Sterling Travel DMC owner, Alan Mellins. I am not sure how Alan would want himself described, but I will just say that he has a very, very funny British sense of humor, and knows everyone in, and everything about, London and the rest of the U.K., including the best pubs. He arranged to show me as many incentive-quality hotels as we could squeeze in, plus several typical (and really cool) off-property event venues. So here goes, my two cents….

Park Lane runs along the eastern edge of Hyde Park, from the famous “Corner” where people on soapboxes could say anything about anything with no consequences other than rowdy hecklers, to Marble Arch, a monument to some victory over something. This prime real estate is also the location of, in order of appearance, The Intercontinental, The Four Seasons, The Hilton, The Dorchester, The JW Grosvenor House and The Cumberland. Looked at them all, more or less, plus The Mandarin and the Royal Horseguards. They are all great in their own ways. I looked at other hotels too, but as my mother used to say, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything.”

Oh, an aside about London. The perception is that it is a very expensive city, far more expensive than the rest of Europe. The truth is, it is an expensive city and, depending on how you create your event, slightly more expensive than many other cities in Europe. On the other hand, it is London, one of the centers of the universe (subset Earth), and there are endless opportunities for any group, be it incentive or a meeting. And they speak a form of English. Ah, back to hotels….

We can get a few of the easy ones out of the way first. Walking into the Four Seasons is like entering a warm protective bubble where everything is taken care of and nothing can go wrong. You pay for that, but like buying a yacht, if you have to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford it.

The Mandarin has that same warm, protected feeling. Located just down the street from Harrods, you can feel what the word “Sanctuary” means when you walk in the door. A little less pricey than the Four Seasons, but that does not mean inexpensive. But hey, as I taught my two daughters since they were young, “Always go first class.”

At the same level of service (and price) is The Dorchester, long a London landmark. It has that “ooh” factor when you walk in the door, and you know you have entered a pretty cool place. A very international crowd of, well let’s face it, rich people, relaxing amongst other rich people. Choosing a hotel for a meeting or incentive depends on so many factors, and there are many that can provide a high level of service. One of the reasons I recommend The Dorchester is that it is truly a London experience. Very London. The international chain hotels are great, and Americans will feel comfortable there. But they could sort of be anywhere. If you want something very classy and Londonesque, The Dorchester is cool.

If you have a larger group, or want a hotel that is both “London” and American-friendly, the JW Grosvenor House is a perfect fit. It has quite a bit of meeting space, which is not that common in the grander London properties, has a long history of hosting American groups so it understands the market, and is right around the corner from the US Embassy. In fact, while I sat in the lobby, just about everyone I saw (and heard) was American. This can be a pro or a con, depending on what you are looking for, but it is certainly a safe bet.

Shifting neighborhoods and heading over to the Thames near Parliament and Downing Street, I was pleasantly surprised to be introduced to the Royal Horseguards, a Thistle Hotel property. A Five-Star hotel in a great location, it survived an unexploded bomb that came through the roof during The Blitz and landed at the bottom of its beautiful marble staircase. The hole in the roof is now a stained glass skylight; the bomb has been removed.

The best thing about this hotel (which has a lot of best things) is the meeting space. The hotel owns the building next door, the famed Liberal Club. For those who don’t know much about the history of the British Empire, it’s where guys like Gladstone used to hang out and divide up the world. Your group can now meet and/or dine there in some really cool, high ceilinged, Victorian, original everything type rooms. Dividing up the world is optional.

Jumping back to Park Lane and Hotel Row… just up Park Lane and across Oxford Street is The Cumberland, also a Thistle Hotel. Whereas all the hotels I have described so far strive to be somewhat traditional in décor and service, The Cumberland is like staying in the Museum of Modern Art. Lots of space, concrete walls with things on them, neat and unusual lighting, modern sculpture, and high-tech stuff. Very hip, very chic. I guess the best way to describe it is just to repeat what the sales person told me. “The Swedes and the Danes like it.” Made sense to me.

Yes, of course there are so many more hotels to look at. But like I said… 36 hours. And I had to look at venues too. 

Alan (remember the super competent and witty DMC who arranged all of this?) took me to see two typical venues for off-property galas. There are a zillion more, of course, but he wanted me to get an idea of the potential, and so first took me to one of the many Livery Companies of the City in London, in this case, The Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers. What the hell…?

The Livery Companies came out of the original medieval Tradesman’s Guilds, powerful groups that ran the financial and business life of the city. Each livery has their own “Club” where they could meet, entertain, and conduct their business. There are clubs for weavers, candle-makers, and food merchants, on and on. Each Club is different, some big, some small, and each decorated according to their trade. The Armourers have what you would expect, a Great Room decorated with as many suits of armor, swords, pikes, and a bunch of other things that looked cool when on the wall, and maybe not so cool if some big guy in a suit of armor was throwing it at you. The upshot (not a pun) is that this is something you don’t see every day (unless you are an armourer) and would be a memorable place to have an event. If you don’t like weapons, the Candle-makers Livery might be more your style. Just sayin’, lots of choices.

The next venue was at the other end of the spectrum. The Porter Tun Room at the Brewery is one of the largest unobstructed spaces in London and is more of a blank canvas for a bigger party or event. This particular room was built in 1782 and used to house large quantities of beer. In the same tradition, large quantities of beer can now be consumed by your group as they have anything from a themed pub night, or using the high tech sound and lighting available, turn the whole subterranean space into a private club. There are limitless possibilities and Alan can help you figure out the best one. He’s good at that.

In conclusion, if you are just starting to look somewhere in the universe for a location to hold an event, be it London (a great place) or anywhere else for that matter, PLEASE give us an opportunity to show you how GREAT we are at doing what we do by letting us help you find what works best. If that run-on sentence makes any sense to you, contact us with the “specs” for your meeting or incentive trip and we’ll get some great options to you right away. And not only are we good, we’re nice.

For pictures of my trip to London, please visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thecramercollection.