Business conference in London

Introduction

Travel

Survey evidence

Hotels

Underground tickets

Expenses

Summary

Recommendations

Table

Pie chart

Appendix

Introduction

My task was to research and choose travel and accommodation for my manager for a two day

conference in London on the 26th and 27th of March. I will also have to calculate fuel and food costs

on average for the three days, as well as travel time and distance. You will require travel there and

back, a hotel for three days, as well as places to go for meals, with an allowance of £100 a day.

Travel

I carried out my research starting with coach prices, searching online and using the National Express

website to obtain my information. I used Diigo to save, store and annotate the information that I

required. I also needed to take into consideration that you would have to take the tube or a taxi to

the hotel or ExCel Centre.

There would be an approximate taxi fare of £30 from Victoria bus station to ExCel or a £5.80 fee for

a paper ticket for zones 1 – 4, with three change over’s, or £12 for a day’s travel pass. The easier

journey would be by London taxi; however the cheaper option would be via the tube.

This method of travel would require booking an open return, which costs approximately £80 on the

Wednesday before the conference. This means there would be no rush and stress of train times, and

once the conference has finished on the Friday that there is also plenty of time to return to Swansea.

I then researched car travel. I found ten local garages and compared petrol and diesel prices, as well

as comparing a 5 door Ford Mondeo and a Peugeot 407. The Ford is a petrol engine and the Peugeot

is a diesel, meaning that the Ford would typically be cheaper. The average cost to fill up the Ford

would be £17.55 and for the Peugeot would be £19.20. I would also have to take into consideration

London traffic and parking.

Due to convenience, travel via the Ford Mondeo would be the best option, as you can leave at

whatever time is suitable and it would be more cost efficient. However, I took a survey of 10 people

and 7 of those 10 stated that they’d rather travel to London by train than by car. Due to this

evidence, I believe majority rules; therefore you will travel by train. This information can be found on

the next page with the survey.

Survey Evidence

I gained this information by asking 10 colleagues their preferred method of transport should they

have to go to London. Below are the results in a table and in a chart.

0

2

4

6

8

Train Coach Car Other

Survey To Show Preferred Method of Travel

Hotels

Next I had to research 3 hotels around London to work out where the most suitable accommodation

would be. I chose to research Novotel, Hotel Ibis and Hotel Russell.

Both Hotel Ibis and Novotel are within walking distance of the ExCel Centre where the meeting will

be held, with Novotel being directly opposite the centre and Hotel Ibis being an approximately 5

minute walk away from the centre.

Above: Distance from Hotel Ibis to ExCel Centre.

Below: Distance from Novotel to ExCel Centre.

Hotel Russell, however, is approximately 30 minutes away from the ExCel Centre by taxi, and

approximately 40-50 minutes by train. However, it is the closest hotel to a tube station, making it

easy to travel there and back.

The travel time between Swansea and each of the hotels is approximately the same, depending on

traffic. The rooms also have very similar features.

Novotel

Novotel is a 4 star hotel offering accommodation for £71 per night, totalling £213 for the three days;

however breakfast costs are at a set £15.45. I would therefore encourage eating breakfast

elsewhere. The room itself offers a queen sized bed, a work desk, a laptop safe, Wi -Fi and

broadband.

Hotel Ibis

Hotel Ibis is a two star hotel which also offers fairly cheap accommodation for £75 per night, £225

for the three days. Unlike Novotel, Hotel Ibis includes a complimentary breakfast buffet. The room

also offers a queen sized bed, work desk and Wi-Fi.

Hotel Russell

Hotel Russell is also a 4 star hotel, however is considerably more expensive at £174 per night and

£522 for the three days. Hotel Russell also has breakfast available at £19.50 for full English and

£14.99 for Continental. Your £100 food allowance will cover this cost. The room at Hotel Russell

offers a double bed, a work desk, Wi-Fi and a laptop safe. It is, however, much further away from

the ExCel Centre than Hotel Ibis or Novotel.

Below: Distance from Hotel to ExCel Centre.

I have also included a table comparing all of the hotels important factors such as price and distance

from the ExCel Centre. This can be seen below.

Underground travel

To travel from Paddington station to the hotel of choice, you would either have to take a taxi or a

tube. The tube is more cost effective as a paper ticket would cost £5.80 for a single journey via any

route, or £12 for a day ticket, whereas London taxi’s can cost approximately £30 due to the mileage.

I would recommend taking a day ticket; therefore a tube ticket would have to be bought for each

day, costing £36 in total for the three days.

Expenses

Travel expenses will be covered on this trip and you will be given an allowance of £100 per day for

food. I have researched restaurants in the surrounding area, none of which go over the budget,

regardless of which restaurant you would attend. These restaurants are:

The So! Bar & Restaurant

Fineburger Co.

Bollywood Brasserie

Airline Cafe

Fox Bar & Restaurant

Docklands Bar & Grill

Chozen Noodle

Hotel Cost per Night

Cost for Three Nights

Rating Distance from ExCel

Cost of Breakfast

Room

Hotel Russell £174 £522 4 star 7.5 miles (30 mins)

£19.50 for full English, £14.99 for Continental

Double bed

Work desk Wi-Fi

Laptop safe

En suite bathroom

Hotel Ibis London Excel Docklands

£75 £225 2 star 0.02 miles (4 mins)

Free, self serve buffet

Queen sized bed En suite

bathroom

Wi-Fi

Work desk Novotel London Excel

£71 £213 4 star 0.02 miles (1 min) £15.45 set rate breakfast.

Queen sized bed

En suite bathroom

Work desk

Wi-Fi and broadband

Laptop safe

Conclusion

In conclusion, Novotel is the most suitable hotel for this occasion being the closest to the exhibition

centre, as well as the cheapest in general cost. I’d also suggest taking a train from Swansea to

London Paddington as opposed to taking a Ford Mondeo as originally suggested due to majority

preference. From London Paddington I would advise taking the tube to the hotel via Bakerloo,

Jubilee and DLR. With the choices made, the total cost of the trip, not including food allowance,

comes to £305, making it the most cost effective. This trip would take approximately four hours.

Travel - Train from Swansea to London Paddington £80 Hotel - Novotel £213

Underground Pass £12

Food allowance £100 Total £405

20%

52%

3%

25%

Travel

Hotel

Underground

Food

Appendix

Travel

Coach Travel

http://www.nationalexpress.com/coach/Landing/route.aspx?from=Swansea&to=London

http://www.nationalexpress.com/coach/Landing/route.aspx?from=Swansea&to=London

http://coach.nationalexpress.com/nxbooking/journey-list

Car Travel

http://your.asda.com/petrol

http://www.whatgas.com/petrol-prices/nearest-petrol.html#.VO25R3ysWao

http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/ford/mondeo/hatchback/review

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/peugeot/407/used-peugeot-407-1-6-hdi-se-5dr-manor-

park-fpa-201504293037619?logcode=p

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/peugeot/407?expired-ad=true&atcidi=exp

Train/Tube Travel

https://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/?gclid=CNTFmvSHnsUCFSEXwwodgGcAFQ

https://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/tube-dlr-lo-adult-fares.pdf

https://www.diigo.com/item/pdf/56f5g/53nx

http://www.clarksbury.com/cdl/maps/tube99.jpg

Below: tube costs

Below: Distance from Swansea to ExCel London

Taxi Fare

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modes/taxis-and-minicabs/taxi-fares

Hotels

Hotel Russell:

http://www.hotelrusselllondon.co.uk/

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g186338-d193051-Reviews-Hotel_Russell-

London_England.html

Distance maps via Google Maps.

http://www.hotelrusselllondon.co.uk/rooms/ (image)

Hotel Ibis:

http://www.ibis.com/gb/hotel-3655-ibis-london-excel-docklands/index.shtml

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g186338-d289185-Reviews-

Ibis_London_Excel_Docklands-London_England.html

Distance maps via Google Maps.

http://www.ibis.com/gb/hotel-3655-ibis-london-excel-docklands/index.shtml (image)

Novotel:

http://www.novotel.com/gb/hotel-3656-novotel-london-excel/index.shtml

http://www.ebookers.com/hotels/United_Kingdom/London/Novotel_London_Excel.h70970

/

Distance maps via Google Maps.

http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-3656-novotel-london-excel/index.shtml (image)

Petrol Prices

http://www.whatgas.com/petrol-prices/nearest-petrol.html#.VO25R3ysWao

Prices may have changed over time, see table below for prices at time of report.

Station Petrol per litre Diesel per litre

Asda Swansea £1.08 £1.15

Sainsbury’s Swansea £1.11 £1.20 Burrows service stations £1.07 £1.11

Shell Sketty £1.31 £1.19 Broadway service station £1.32 £1.39

Esso service station £1.22 £1.15 Morrison’s Swansea £1.06 £1.19

417-505 Pengrenth Rd £1.03 £1.10

D&D Autogas £1.41 £1.42 Tesco Fforestfach £1.04 £1.11

Average £1.17 £1.20

Restaurants

Novotel:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d291617-r135290983-

Novotel_London_ExCeL-London_England.html

£15.45 set rate breakfast.

Chozen Noodle:

http://www.chozen.co.uk/#sushi

http://www.chozen.co.uk/#hotsoups

http://www.chozen.co.uk/

Food for approximately £10.

Docklands Bar & Grill:

http://www.docklandsbarandgrill.co.uk/dbg-menu-march-2015/file

http://www.docklandsbarandgrill.co.uk/

Dinner for approximately £15.

Lunch for approximately £10.

Fox bar & Restaurant:

http://www.foxbars.com/excel

http://www.foxbars.com/excel-restaurant/

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d1388992-Reviews-Fox_Excel-

London_England.html

Dinner for approximately £20.

Lunch for approximately £10.

Bollywood Brasserie:

http://www.bollywoodbrasserie.co.uk/

http://www.bollywoodbrasserie.co.uk/menu.html

Food for between £12.95 - £19.95.

Fineburger Co.:

http://www.fineburger.co.uk/

http://www.fineburger.co.uk/_pdf/Fineburger-Co-Menu.pdf

Food for approximately £15.

The So! Bar & Restaurant:

http://www.thesobar.co.uk/our-menu/

Full course meal for under £40.

Airline Cafe:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d3696376-Reviews-Airline_Cafe_Diner-

London_England.html

http://www.airlinecafe.co.uk/

Breakfast for approximately £5.