Planning a business trip to London is always stressful, not to mention it can always be costly as well. In London, your options for accommodation and transport are endless, so it can be difficult to know where to start. If you want to plan a business trip to London, you’re in the right place!
Accommodation
If an employee or yourself will be in London for a long day, you should probably consider accommodation. Maybe you have multiple meetings in one day, you could book a hotel so you can spread them across two days to make it less stressful. The last thing you want is to be rushing around the city centre to find the location of the next meeting.
Luckily in London, there are many places to stay. The power of AirBnB and Booking.com are great for finding accommodation on the day. However, you should consider booking the accommodation a few weeks beforehand, because it will save you money, a lot more money than you may think!
Find the hotels around the area that you are visiting and then order them by price, or by recommendation if budget isn’t a concern. Make sure to double check the hotel has working wifi in case you need to follow up on anything after the meeting.
Check Your Transport
Transport to the city and around the city is really efficient, but it can be a bit complex if you haven’t used it before. London is a massive city, so the best way to get around is definitely on the London underground, both in terms of efficiency and affordability, so when you arrive, familiarise yourself with the Tube.
Before arriving in London, you look at the local train station to your main destination(s). This includes the train/tube station from your accommodation or where you arrive in London. That also includes the stations you may be using for your meetings.
If you are driving to London, you want to ensure you can park either near your meetings or accommodation if you are stopping over. There are many places, such as Care Park, that will offer safe and secure 24-hour parking, so you can park for the day and not have to worry about it again! Parking on the day is expensive in city centres, especially London, so ensure you pre-book your slot to make it more affordable.
Time For Relaxing
Once you have completed your day’s work and are getting ready to go back to the hotel, find a place to unwind. This is a great opportunity to see some of the city and bond with a client or socialise with the work colleagues you have gone with. Maybe go for a nice dinner before you head back or have a couple of quiet drinks to unwind.
London is a massive city and there are many places which you can visit. If your train is not until later on in the day to go back home, be a tourist for the morning. Find a great brunch spot and then head to one of the landmarks in the city.
Summary
There are many things you need to consider when going on a business trip to London. If you leave everything to the last minute, it is going to be costly, so you need to pre-book any accommodation or parking spaces.
Business trips are great. Not only do they get the employee out of the office but it also helps build a better relationship with a client or get the deal over the line. So, invest in these face-to-face meetings and it will be a lot more beneficial than you might think.
