Where does Rick Steves stay in London?

I think it's the Aster House.

Thanks so much - it's been driving me crazy

I can't find the Aster House on any sites. Did it close?

asterhouse.com

Thank you, Google.

I was at Asterhouse.com but there is no link to reservations, nor do they show up on Travelocity or Trip Adviser. Maybe they're just taking phone calls for reservations. Don't know, they don't say on their site.

I found them on Trip Advisor, and they seem to get good reviews.

Aster House

It looks like they take reservations by email. Go under the "Tariff" section of their website, and at the bottom it has their email address.

That's very interesting to me. So much for Europe through the Back Door, and traveling like a temporary local.

I have no dog in this rumble tumble, I only note as an interested observer. I've certainly never stayed there, and probably haven't been past the door.

I grant you that lodging in London is full of pitfalls and can be quite expensive - and there are SO many choices -, so that having a trusted recommendation can be really valuable.

It is clear that the place makes no attempt to attract British tourists to London. They commit the offense of putting misleading prices and then adding the VAT in a footnote. That's naughty.

Don't they have a British computer keyboard? What's with all the GBP's all over the website? What happened to "£"?

And the only other reference to VAT is in the FAQs saying no you can't claim it at the airport.

And a reference to finding an ice machine.

That website, last updated in 2012, is clearly aimed at Americans.

Nought wrong with doing that but it isn't exactly mingling with the locals is it?

(Oh, and no credit for missed meals?)

Hmmmm.

I wondered about the VAT thing. Isn't that illegal?

That website, last updated in 2012

It says on the homepage that it was last updated "28 February 2014".

Nought wrong with doing that but it isn't exactly mingling with the
locals is it?

So this is the part where you list hotels/B&Bs in London patronized mostly by Brits...the world is waiting.

Some naughty hotels do this in their advertising, hoping that it takes them up in comparison sites but this is considered as false advertising. Refer them to the Advertising Standards Authority and the result will be something like this:

The ASA noted that the CAP Code stated that prices needed to include non-optional taxes, duties, fees and charges that applied to all or most buyers and that VAT-exclusive prices could only be given if all consumers to whom the price claim was addressed paid no VAT or could recover VAT.

Because not all consumers to whom those prices were addressed would pay no VAT or could recover VAT, and yet prices inclusive of VAT were not displayed, we concluded that the price claims were misleading.

The claims breached CAP Code (Edition 12) 3.1 and 3.3 (Misleading advertising) and 3.18 (Prices).

EDIT - I have referred Aster House to the ASA.

Regarding the up-to-date-ness (yes, I know it isn't a word but hey ho) of the site, from the bottoms of the pages which show a date:-

What the experts say - Up-dated on 20th April 2005.

FAQ - Updated on 21st January 2012.

Eco Friendly - Updated on 25th February 2003.

Guest Book - doesn't say, and none of the entries do either.

Booking Conditions - Up-dated on 13th November 2002.

Location - Up-dated on 12 June 2010, which is interesting because it kept the reference to the train company Thameslink which for the last several years has been known as First Capital Connect, but serendipitously has for the last 2 weeks now reverted to the original name of Thameslink - their lack of updating has come full circle so now doesn't need changing.

Stay in Touch - undated but appears to be pre-2003.

Tariff - with the VAT excluded, Updated on 4th January 2014

About Us - complete with official ratings, as they were, Up-dated on 4th March 2008

And the Home page, as highlighted by a previous poster - Last updated: 28 February 2014

Does that look like a website that keeps its product fresh and regularly updated?

Aster House certainly gets good reviews on Trip Advisor, but I could not find one from anyone living in the U.K., which was surprising. They are also not listed on the hotel booking sites I looked at, and Trip Advisor states that it does not have prices.

To my mind, the prices appeared higher than I would expect to pay at a London hotel, and Aster House is a B & B, so does not offer the facilities that are normally found in a city hotel. You must remember that the actual prices are 20% higher because of VAT. I notice that the complimentary breakfast does not extend to a traditional Full English Breakfast, which would include bacon, sausage, mushrooms, etc, but the menu does include baked beans as a single item. How are they served?

Overall, it seems like a nice place, not purpose built, with some of the features that overseas visitors might think of as traditional English, maybe even quaint or cute. Mostly used by visitors from North America, it will offer a comfortable and reassuring base for the first-time traveller. It is not cheap, especially when the full price is calculated, and you will not mix with locals or visitors from other countries.

We were in Normandy last week. and had dinner in a small restaurant in Arromanches. Most U.S. visitors go to the area further west where the U.S. troops landed in 1944, so I was surprised that so many of our fellow diners were American. Then a couple came in carrying a Rick Steves book, and I wondered if it was a place he recommended. We had an enjoyable but unexceptional meal at La Ripaille, and the staff were friendly and helpful. Can anyone confirm if its is listed in Rick Steves' books - they are not sold in the U.K.

I think the baked beans are part of the buffet selection rather than a singular breakfast item choice. These plus the two kinds of eggs seem to be the only hot content to what otherwise is a continental buffet.

The Rick Steves entry I can see from google books offers a 20% discount for a 3 nights' stay if you mention his name ...

so for a 3 day stay they effectively rebate the VAT? That's not entirely playing according to Hoyle.

Stay longer and the discount rises. In an odd moment I checked out the other 2 hotels that in Steves' 2014 book are said to quote prices ex VAT - their web prices now seem to conform properly and include it. Unsurprising really as there was a big noise about 18 months ago in the hospitality press when this practice was outed by ASA/Which.

Just want you Brit's to know how much you are appreciated - (even Emma who didn't chime in on this discussion) :) It's really great to get the opinions of all of you who actually live there, and you have all been very generous with your help!

Someone seems to have forgotten one, possibly more of the rules to this site.

As to my interest in the matter, I will report advertising violations when I see them and mentioned it only so no one else needed to bother. I don't want visitors to my country being misled by any business. Rick Steves, his tours or whatever don't come into it.

I certainly don't need to defend myself, and prefer not to violate the Community Guidelines, you can take my experience or leave it behind, as you wish; but let it be said that over the years I have had a fair number of London hotel overnights both for work and personal pleasure.

We have clear VAT laws here and I won't abide companies which take advantage of innocent travelers. If anybody has followed my posts over the years they will see my strong emphasis on factual information and obedience to law.

Do with that as you wish.

and, yes, I have stayed in many a Rick Steves recommended hotel and B&B over the years across most of western Europe. In fact I am still good friends with the owners of the first RS recommended B&B I stayed in many years ago.

Big discounts on overpriced rooms are less valuable than small or no discounts on reasonably priced rooms.

Before being blinded by discounts (in any field of life), look at the bottom line.

I rest my case M'Lud.

I couldn't care less where RS stays, but I'm so appreciative of the posts made by locals all over Europe. I've been helped personally, as well as by browsing through others' questions. Many thanks to all of you!

"Slander" involves a false statement which is damaging to one's business or reputation. It is not slander to point out a simple fact, such as the failure to include VAT in quoted prices.

The revised web page now looks quite odd---the "tariff" page describes the rooms, but lists no tariff at all!

If one is going to slam a hotel that supposedly only American's stay at and make the point that staying at a hotel with only Americans around is not "Back Door Travel" because you're not among locals, then they should provide a list of other lodgings that only cater to the locals. Of course that can't be done since all hotels attract visitors from all corners of the globe.

Bob, to solve your mystery, La Ripaille is in the RS France book.

I see nothing at all "mean-spirited" or defaming in the comments about ice machines, computer keyboards, etc. these were simple observations to support the conclusion that the Aster House is attempting to appeal to American travelers rather than local. I agree it does have that appearance. As for the web page dates, the long list was not in Nigel's original post, but a response to Michael's finding of one page updated in 2014 ( now apparently there are two as the Tariff page has been revised as of yesterday).

And the idea that Nigel wrote all this because of Rick's comments about Vicenza on the radio show "Wait Wait....." is just plain silly. Rick did not "diss" Vicenza at all. (I was there at the recording so know what was said and not said.). Peter Sagel asked RS, in effect, if he had ever "gotten back" at a place that treated him badly. Rick's answer was actually not responsive to the question. He did not say anything negative about Vicenza or the way he has been treated there. He simply said that he removed the town from his guidebooks because they did not provide a place where day-trippers could store luggage. That is hardly a condemnation of the place. But since one of the RS recommended ways of seeing a place is to step off a train, stow luggage, sightsee for an hour or two, then continue on to a different destination, Vicenza didn't fit the mold.

Then Peter ramped it up into a funny retaliation thing to get more laughs.

As for Aster House attracting UK visitors, a quick look at the first 50 reviews on Tripadvisor shows the vast majority of guests are from the US. Then a few from Australia and Canada. Then down at #50, there is a reviewer from London, writing in 2012. She says she would not have known of the place but for the Rick Steve's book. Why she needs a hotel in London when she lives in London is not clear. After that review it is back to Americans, many of whom mention Rick Steves' book.

I have found the comments on this thread to be very instructive. I had no idea that including VAT was legally required. Thank you for educating me.

Nice spin Lola. In the past I recall you have bragged about going out of your way to avoid hotels patronized by Blue Bookers ie Americans. You two appear to be of like minds.....

I will consider it a compliment to be called "of like minds" with Nigel.

With all her knowledge and experience I consider it a huge honour to be put in the same category as Lola. Thanks.

I also appreciate the comments from the locals watching out for visitors. I am planning a trip to London next August and doing some research. I know of the VAT tax but I didn't realize it was that much. And since US hotels don't have to advertise rooms including taxes, my brain probably wouldn't have noticed the absence of a "VAT included" line. But I will definitely pay attention now. Thank you!

Now I am curious---since we will be renting an apartment on our next trip to London, what is the VAT situation there? Is the apartment owner or manager required to collect it, and if so, is it supposed to be stated in the rental price?

VAT should always be included in prices to personal customers. If you were renting from a company that has a lot of commercial sales you may see two prices. What you should not see is £X+VAT.

An example where ex VAT prices may be acceptable is hotel conference facility pricing. Not many individuals buy that.

Not all small businesses are required to register or pay VAT. Only those whose annual "turnover" are over £81,000 are required to report and pay VAT.

If a person had a business and, say, rented an apartment out and took £60,000 in a year they would have to neither register for nor pay VAT, and they would not be entitled to collect it either.

Generally retail prices would be quoted inclusive of VAT, and if it is an official VAT receipt would include the VAT registration number and break the final price down to the actual price and the incorporated VAT. The total of those would be the quoted price.

If the business is not VAT registered the price would not mention VAT, nor would the receipt.

And to complete the circle, if it is a wholesale business selling direct to businesses (unlikely for a hotel or apartment advertising to the public) it can quote prices "ex-VAT". I shop at Costco, and all prices there are either ex-VAT or no VAT payable (for types of items which attract no tax like non prepared food).

It is a complex thing - like all taxes - but you as a consumer should not be worried about it; it should not appear on websites (like it was for the hotel of this thread); and it should never be added on at the end.

Clear as mud?

Eef - thanks for the information about La Ripaille in Arromanches.

There is always a problem when a guide book recommends particular hotels or restaurants. Eventually, those businesses begin to get most of their income from people following the recommendation, and in the case of Rick Steves that means overseas travellers from North America. Then the hotel or restaurant begins to tailor its offer (and its prices) to meet the needs of those visitors so we see rooms equipped in particular ways, and dishes on menus which the visitors will recognise and buy. What started as a typical local place "off the beaten track" becomes something a little artificial and not typical of its locality at all.

On the subject of VAT, only businesses with an annual turnover above £81,000 (about $130,000) are required to register for VAT and add VAT to the amount charged. VAT is therefore not charged by many small B & Bs, people who rent out properties, and other small traders. This is one reason why VAT must be included in the quoted price if it is going to be charged.

If both Nigel and I tell you the same thing at the same time, it must be right.

Oh be careful, Bob, you won't want to be tarred with the same brush.

Actually there was a flurry all the same, Marco too.

We must all be of like mind.

Still true, though.

You are not being tarred by everyone Nigel! The discord started when I expressed gratitude for the great advice posted by the "locals". I stand by that, and other posters have voiced agreement! Thanks again!

Doesn't Rick stay at the Savoy, when he's not on camera?

I would get recommendations from some thing other than Rick Steves for London. He may do well for other cities, but London was terrible and the hotel we stayed at Morgan House was not very good for the price. Very old and very small, just not the environment that anyone would want to spend a vacation in.

But IMO London is one of the great cities of the world, even with hotels' high cost and small size. Just know before you go.

I would do a lot of looking around before booking a London hotel. There are hundreds of choices. And now...blasphemy...some of the chain hotels are nice, with prices that are not bad if you get a deal at one of the sites like hotels.com or many others.

Rick's London book lists some B&B's and small hotels that are good for budget travelers, but look carefully at the reviews on Trip Advisor because some of the rooms can be tiny. And some of the B&B's and hotels he lists are more upscale; just be sure you are getting what you are paying for. Could you get a larger bedroom and private nicer bath for the same money at a Premier Inn, for example? Always check.

On the flip side, you do get more of a neighborhood, homey experience with some of the Rick Steves recommendations. Hotels and B&B's that he recommends are usually privately owned and run by a couple or a family, so you will get more of an experience of being a "temporary local". Large hotels can be stark and impersonal compared to this. So, it's just a matter of what you want for your money.

May I suggest the Darlington Hyde Park? It's near Paddington Station, so you can get right there from Heathrow on the Express, and then use Paddington as your tube stop or exit point for day trips to Windsor, Oxford, Cambridge, Hampstead Heath, or Bath. You can get more reviews at Tripadvisor. Almost everyone likes it enormously and the breakfast is first class. We were there last year and found it to be good value for the money. There is no inexpensive lodging in London unless you're lucky enough to get a private room in the international youth hostel down by the Tower of London.

May I suggest the Darlington Hyde Park? It's near Paddington Station, so you can get right there from Heathrow on the Express, and then use Paddington as your tube stop or exit point for day trips to Windsor, Oxford, Cambridge, Hampstead Heath, or Bath. You can get more reviews at Tripadvisor. It has a nearly identical rating as the Aster House. Almost everyone likes it enormously and the breakfast is first class. We were there last year and found it to be good value for the money. There is no inexpensive lodging in London unless you're lucky enough to get a private room in the international youth hostel down by the Tower of London.

There is no inexpensive lodging in London . . .

Huh?

It was the Aster House in the show. That's the place Rick stayed.

Here's their website: www.asterhouse.com

I love the Nadler Kensington hotel. Stayed there for two consecutive years. They do not serve a breakfast but there are restaurants and pubs nearby. And the hotel staff is superb - really top notch - friendly yet professional - also, it's near a tube station (Earl's Court) that's on the Picadillly line which means it's literally a straight shot to Heathrow on the Tube with no transfers involved. Rooms and baths are modern and extremely pleasant. Also BTW, I was a woman traveling solo both times I stayed at this hotel and I felt quite comfortable in the neighborhood including at night.

For our upcoming trip I took an "express deal" on Priceline and payed just under 500 usd (including taxes) for 4 nights at the Apollo hotel on argyle street (there are 2 apollo hotels). The one we are at gets fairly good reviews on TA. I like to use rick's recommendations for smaller towns but for big cities tend to use Priceline and booking.com

We've stayed at a number of London lodgings and I must say, for shear numbers, we met more Brits at Premier Inn London County Hall than any of the others.

I second Gwens suggestion of the Nadler.. which was called Base2Stay Kensington when I stayed there about 5 years ago) it is a really nice hotel.. unfortunately its prices have gone out of my budget range.. and so my new best recommendation is the Celtic Hotel.. It includes a full , cooked to order , 3 course breakfast ( yes.. three courses) fruit plates or yogurt and fruit, , hot oatmeal,or cold cereal, then eggs( any way) beans, tomatoes mushrooms ,toast bacon or sausages..
Room was lovely.. but there was no ac.. our room had high ceilings and a beautiful old fireplace ( not working now though) . The hotel offers rooms with shared bathroom( cheapest) but we paid a bit more for private.. and it was still a very cheap hotel,, in a great location.

Part of me wants to delete this post.. don't want everyone to rush there and then they would put prices up, lol

I could care less where RS stays.. and I don't care what anyone says.. at this time in his life,, with his worth in millions.. he is not staying in one of his budget picks and I wouldn't expect him to either!!