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A cool visual way to choose a London hotel.
The “Visualiser” is a revolutionary new way to choose your hotel
Choosing a hotel can sometimes be hard work. This article highlights a tool that aims to make it easy and fun.
Even after trawling through guest reviews and the time-saving information provided on this blog, it’s often hard to choose between similarly-specified hotels available at near-identical rates.
Especially as it’s often an intuitive “feeling” which helps you decide if you really like a hotel. Even guest reviews can be inconclusive, since aspects which others may value might mean little to you.
Personally, I like a “modern chic” style like One Aldwych but others may prefer the more stylish Art Deco elegance of somewhere like Claridge’s…or the hip feel of the arty Hoxton Hotel or the Sanderson.
Check the best rate for Claridge’s from 30+ hotel booking sites
Check the best rate for One Aldwych from 30+ hotel booking sites
You’ll either love or hate the ultra-modern minimalist style of a hotel like the Sanderson
Check the best rate for the Hoxton Hotel from 30+ hotel booking sites
Check the best rate for the Sanderson Hotel from 30+ hotel booking sites
In the end, we all make a slightly different trade-off, often triggered by subconscious visual cues.
This is the thinking behind the Hotels.com “visual DNA” tool (sadly it’s only available in the UK at this time).
The tool presents a series of fast, image-related questions linked to your destination and you intuitively “feel” for answers that suit you.
Questions are simple but smart. Importantly, it takes just a quick moment to answer them as spontaneously as you can.
The question on “what you’re looking to spend most time doing” is triggered by various images
You even have to specify “what feeling you’re looking forward to on the trip” triggered by a selection of photos.
Based on your responses, the Hotels.com “Visualiser” then comes up with a ranked list of hotels which it thinks you might like.
You can then interactively adjust findings by moving the “traditional to modern” and “no frills to luxury” sliders at the top to refine your search.
You are asked to choose between the above and 9 other images as a symbol of your preferred room style
When I tried this myself, it came up with a couple of good recommendations which have featured on this blog as top-rated hotels, such as the Hilton Canary Wharf which is one of the best Hiltons in London.
Check the best rate for Hilton Canary Wharf from 30+ hotel booking sites
Overall, I’d say it’s a bit of fun rather than a foolproof way to choose your perfect London hotel. But some people will love it!
If you do use the Visualiser and want to ensure you get the best deal, do come back and check prices at London Hotels Insight using our meta-search tool (which searches Hotels.com as one of 30+ booking sites).
Get the best-value London hotel deal from 30+ booking sites in 1 click
Photo credits: Hotels.com, Imagini Europe Ltd, Sanderson Hotel.
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