London hotel occupancy soars to 85 per cent during week of Queen lying in state
Hotel occupancy rates in the centre of London have soared to almost 85 per cent ahead of the Queen’s funeral.
Mourners and well-wishers have come to the capital from across the country and around the world to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth, and they all need somewhere to stay.
This week, hotel occupancy peaked on Thursday 15 September at a staggering 85 per cent according to figures from STR’s Forward STAR.
With the mourning period taking place throughout the week, as the Queen lies in sate with up to 1 million people expected to pass through Westminster Abbey, hotels have cashed in on visitors.
Occupancy levels are at 81 per cent for Friday, before rising on the weekend to 84 per cent. This falls to ‘just’ 76 per cent on 18 September, a day before the funeral,.
The figures show that a week ago occupancy predictions for 19 September, the day of the funeral, were 17 per cent lower
Thomas Emanuel, senior director at STR said: “Business on the books for hotels has increased sharply, with significant demand coming to London after the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll.”
The eyes of the world will be on the capital and an influx of media and dignitaries from around the world will be forthcoming. This demand will be alongside that from members of the public, both from within the UK as well as overseas who want to pay their respects to a truly remarkable monarch, who was an ever present in all of our lives.”
This comes as the Metropolitan police runs a major security operation in London for the mourning commemorations, as tens of thousands queue in five-mile long lines to pay their respects.
On Monday, world leaders including the US President Joe Biden are set to attend the funeral, while 1 million are likely to line the Mall.
Transport for London’s chief told Morning Wire yesterday, the operation it is running is bigger and harder than the London 2012 Olympics.