Sunday 13th October 2013 by Will Langdale
If there’s one thing we understand at TicketTree, it’s theatre breaks. Sure, we love the West End – we love musicals and plays, we love all the trappings of the theatre and its associated stories, facts and trivia – it’s our passion! But day in day out, we’re here to make sure you can go to the West End and have an incredible time for an incredible price.
We do our very best to make sure that it doesn’t matter which of the infinite combinations of shows and hotels we offer on our website – every single one will put a smile on your face for weeks afterwards. Our hotels are carefully selected based on position, price, reviews and availability, and we’re proud to say that from the humblest 3* crash pad to the most gargantuan 5* boutique boudoir, we guarantee a clean and comfortable experience. We’re in contact with all of the West End’s official ticket suppliers, and at a pinch we reckon we’ve got access to a wider pool of tickets than anyone in the business. Suffice to say we’re pleased with what we do.
With all the work that goes into making your time in London as pleasurable as possible, we’ve worked up quite a surfeit of tips and tricks to get the best package for the price. With Christmas on the way we know you’re probably thinking of booking for your loved ones, so this week we’re sharing some of the simple ways you can make sure you’re getting an absolute bargain. Follow these tips for your TicketTree booking and we promise you’ll see some of the best theatre in the world cheaper than anywhere else!
1. Plan ahead. Our hotels are booked from a variety of sources so the cheaper rates get booked up first. As a rule of thumb, the further ahead you go, the better the cost of your package. Right now, some of our best prices are for February and March: 4-6 months ahead is a good estimate for the timing sweetspot. Booking that far ahead also means much better ticket availability!
2. Use the special offers page. Almost all the big shows have discounts on midweek bookings, and some, like Jersey Boys and Thriller, currently have discounts on Saturday nights. If you’re not sure what you want to see, or you’re flexible with your dates, you can knock huge amounts of money off your booking if you get a discounted performance.
3. Compare several dates. Some of the biggest overspends can happen if you accidentally coincide your package with a big London event that you’re not particularly interested in. London Marathon, I’m looking at you! Similarly, that luxury 4* you’re thinking of paying a little more for could be far, far cheaper on a Friday than a Saturday, or even just the following week. Even if you’re tied to a date, try making 3 quotes for your package, ideally a month or so apart and on different days of the week. That way you can see whether the hotel’s always this price, or if you’re about to spend a little more than you perhaps should!
4. Keep an eye on distances. All of our hotels are within 10 minutes of a tube station with a simple journey into the West End. However, some of our hotels are slightly more suitable for shows at the O2 Arena, a few miles east of the West End, where you’re looking at a slightly lengthier ride on the Jubilee Line to reach Theatreland. While on some dates having access to these hotels can save you a lot of money, for many dates we’d suggest picking a hotel no more than around 3 miles from the theatre for a comfortable stay and easy access to Central London.
5. Call us. We love speaking to you on the phone. We’re not a call centre, we don’t have irritating automated option trees, and we’re not reading from a script. We want to make the best breaks we can, and whoever you speak to will have customised hundreds of packages for our many, many happy customers. We know what we’re talking about, and when you can’t quite book what you want on the website, we’re here to craft a bespoke theatre break for whatever you need. We know all the best ways to get the tickets you want, and we know the best places to sit in the theatre. We have access to hundreds of hotels we don’t use on the website, and we know which of them to avoid, and which offer the best value. Seriously, call us – or at very least email us.
If you’d like to keep up with more tips on booking a theatre break, want some juicy special offers, or just want to keep abreast of what’s going on in the West End, sign up for our newsletter here, or come and say hi on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.