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do you need air conditioning right now?

Posted by on

Hello,

I have been to London twice---1977 and 1990-- both times in June, like now. The usual mix--some rain some cloudy days, some sun but mild Literally tomorrow my wife and I will be going to London --landing 5 June-- leaving 14 June. We are at the Strand Palace Hotel... It looks like we have a nice room-- King bed, etc-- but only a few days ago I was made aware that some London Hotels have air conditioning... I contacted Strand Palace, and they said that, though they have a few AC rooms, they are all taken, and our room--however otherwise nice-- is NOT AC. This concerns me. I mean, back in the "old days" I didn't even consider AC, and I certainly didn't need it in 1977 or 1990...I like Strand's location, etc... and I'm pretty well locked in at the moment-- frankly, I hope I didn't chose the wrong hotel.... so, do you think we would need ac the next week?

Posted by
14892 posts

I’m in Bath right now and I’m hot. I’m in a small hotel with no AC so have the fan in front of an open window. It looks like tomorrow will be slightly cooler.

If you wind up with no AC ask for a fan and an extra sheet. The duvet used in all hotels is WAAY too hot for me.

I did just spend 12 nights on a RS tour with no AC in most hotels. A couple of places it was pretty chilly at night, a couple pretty hot.

Posted by
5563 posts

It's been warm here recently, last night was a bit sticky but slept with the window wide open but living on top of a hill on the coast this is a bit more pleasant and quieter to do than in central London.

The hotel we stayed in on Monday in London was incredibly hot in the first room we were assigned, it had AC but hadn't been turned on and with the windows closed it was very hot and stuffy. Unfortunately the windows don't open very wide, insufficient in my opinion to provide any sort of meaningful airflow. Fortunately we were moved to a different room that did have the AC running. I would have been quite uncomfortable had it not.

If the windows can be opened properly then you should be ok however many hotels restrict how much the windows can be opened. I'm afraid it's a case of wait and see!

Posted by
64 posts

Last year when we went in June we stayed in a hotel that had no A/C and for the majority of the trip it was O.K.
The first two days were actually the hottest that it had been in many years there and those days were horrific with no A/C.
After that it cooled down a bit and having the tiny window open with a fan (we went to B&Q and bought one) was just fine.
I think it was mid 90's those two days, in a room with no ventilation. This year I made sure to get A/C, even if we don't use it.
Later in the week it dropped to the 70's and even the 60's a day or two. Being from the midwest it wasn't the end of the world.
Damp sheets and a "Don't touch me" in bed attitude worked just fine for those two days.

Posted by
3586 posts

Ugh this is why I am unsure about an RS tour, as he does state to not expect air conditioning. We live in AK, we sleep with the sliding glass door open partway in our room, an overhead fan and another fan on the dresser and a sheet and light blanket. It got to 70 degrees yesterday. Anything over that and I meed A/C!!!

Posted by
2516 posts

I'm very sensitive to the heat and try to choose my RS trips and independent ones, as well, in the spring or fall. I'm not always successful. In Paris in April, the temps were in the mid-80's for 4 days and our hotel had ac, but did not turn it on until the last night! Pretty uncomfortable sleeping even with an open window. Plus, many shops, museums and cafes and restaurants in Paris have ac but it can be weaker than what we have in the States. I live in Atlanta or hot-lanta! Our ac is very good. of course.

Posted by
4091 posts

Air conditioning is about noise as well as cool air. If your hotel window opens on a busy street that may have traffic etc. in the evening, it's comforting to be able to close it and depend on the AC.

Posted by
14892 posts

Well, I thought of you today.

I did a Mad Max small van tour of the Cotswolds today and was chilly, lol!! I had on capris, a SS Tee and took a long sleeve dri-fit pullover. There were a couple of stops where it was pretty windy and with the cooler weather today I guessed wrong on layers!

Hope things work out for you when you arrive tomorrow!

Posted by
370 posts

I think it depends on the room. We were in Chester last week and our room did not have air conditioning. It was a family room and was on the top floor, which must have originally been an attic. It had one very tiny window that we could open, and there was a fan in the room. However, being on the top floor, it was very hot. There were three beds in the room, and fortunately, my bed was a very large king size bed that I could fit in comfortably along with my two girls (ages 9 and 13). We pointed the fan at us and got through the night. If they had slept in the twin beds, the fan wouldn't have blown on all of us. The temperature did drop a bit in the middle of the night, but for most of it the temperature was a bit too high for us to sleep comfortably.

Posted by
3135 posts

I can't sleep when I'm too warm or heaven forbid sweating.

It was warm one night in Paris, like in the 70s, and a fan did the trick. The white noise is an added benefit.

Yes we were (ugh) on the top floor.

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