Hotel bookings have increased as people make plans to travel for the Queen's lying in state and her funeral. The once-in-a-lifetime events have prompted a surge in reservations at hotels in London.
The Queen will lie in state at Westminster Hall in central London from Wednesday for four days, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to head to the capital to view the coffin. Her funeral will then take place in Westminster Abbey at 11am on September 19.
Travelodge, which has nearly 80 hotels in the city, confirmed that it had seen an increase in demand for rooms. A spokesperson said: “As one of London’s largest hotel chains, we are seeing a surge in London bookings from all corners of the UK.
“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.”
Smaller establishments have also noticed a difference. A staff member from The Bridge Hotel in Southwark, less than half an hour’s walk from Westminster Hall, said: “We have been getting busier since they announced the dates. We will have more people here next week.”
Richard Gandy, owner of the London Waterloo Hostel - which is less than a mile from Westminster Hall - said that the number of bookings had gone up by 30%. He said: “We’ve seen quite a big increase in bookings. I know for sure that people are coming down for the lying in state.
“It’s probably an increase of about 30%. Friday and Saturday were full anyway, even before she passed away, and we’ve received more bookings for Wednesday and Thursday.”
Mr Gandy predicted that the hostel would be booked out around the time of the Queen's funeral. “We’ve not received a lot more bookings for Sunday night yet but I’m sure we will,” he said. “We expect to be fully booked, much like everywhere else.”
While the Queen lies in state, her coffin will rest on a raised platform and be guarded 24 hours a day. On other occasions where a person lay in state, the coffin has been draped in a royal flag and a crown has been placed on top.
The last person to lie in state in the UK was the Queen Mother. An estimated 200,000 people visited Westminster Hall to pay their respects before her funeral on April 9, 2002.
