Geordies are expected to head to London in their thousands later this month after Newcastle United secured their place in the final of the Carabao Cup.
The Magpies will be heading to Wembley Stadium to play against either Manchester United or Nottingham Forest on Sunday, February 26. While tickets for the big game have not yet been released, many Tyneside supporters are already making plans to travel down south and stay the night in London to be there for the momentous occasion.
If you're one of these fans, there are many hotels surrounding Wembley Stadium that are within easy walking distance of the venue itself, with big chains including Premier Inn, Travelodge and Ibis all in its vicinity. Unsurprisingly, though, room prices for these hotels go through the roof on event days and many have already sold out for the February weekend - for example, a King Room at the Hilton Wembley hotel costs £411 on February 25, compared to just £136 for the same room the following Saturday.
READ MORE: Newcastle United at Wembley: How to get there by train, bus, plane or car for the Carabao Cup final
According to Booking.com, by Wednesday afternoon 91% of places to stay at Wembley were unavailable for the night of Saturday 25. A solution to this could be to stay elsewhere in London that will likely be cheaper, although if you’re not familiar with the city this could be a daunting prospect; not least because there are hundreds if not thousands of hotels to choose from.
The nearest tube station to the stadium is Wembley Park, to which two tube lines travel: the Jubilee and the Metropolitan. If you’re looking for somewhere to stay further away from Wembley, it’s worth looking at locations along these lines for easy travel to the stadium.
Here are five of the biggest hotel chains with branches across London that have sold out or have limited availability in Wembley for the match weekend, but have rooms available elsewhere. These prices are all based on one room for two guests - be aware that while the prices mentioned below were correct at the time of writing, they will be subject to change based on demand and availability.
Travelodge
The Travelodge at Wembley, at the time of writing, has some rooms left on February 25 with prices starting from £209.99 for the night. There is also another Travelodge in Wembley located on High Road, approximately a 20-minute walk from the stadium, that has rooms left for Saturday 25 costing upwards of £199.99.
These are among the priciest Travelodge stays in London for this date, with cheaper options available if you’re prepared to travel a bit further. The closest option outside of Wembley is the London Harrow Travelodge, which is 30 minutes away on the Metropolitan line and currently costs £160.99 for a room.
There’s also the London Park Royal branch, which is about 45 minutes away via bus and tube where the price of a room begins at £169.99 for the night. You can book or see more branches on the Travelodge website where you can sort your search by location and price.
Premier Inn
There are two Premier Inns in the heart of Wembley, but both of these have unfortunately sold out. Premier Inn has over 30 hotels listed which are currently available on February 25, with prices varying between £90 and £240 for one night depending on their location and proximity to central London.
The closest Premier Inn to Wembley is the London Hanger Lane, around 40 minutes away by bus with prices starting from £188.50 on the night. A cheaper option if you don’t mind a longer travel time is the London Hammersmith (Shepherds Bush Road) Premier Inn branch, which has more rooms left.
This branch is approximately 54 minutes from the stadium via two tubes - either the Circle or Hammersmith & City line followed by the Metropolitan Line from Baker Street. Prices for this hotel on February 25 start at £158.50 for the night - you can book or check the rest of the hotels available on the Premier Inn website.
Holiday Inn
While the Wembley Holiday Inn has sold out for February 25, there are other options available if you’re partial to this chain. One of the closest options is the Holiday Inn Express Park Royal, which is just less than 40 minutes away from the stadium by bus and has prices starting at £209.99 for the night.
There’s also the Crowne Plaza hotel in Ealing from Holiday Inn group IHG, which costs a slightly pricier £232 for the night and is approximately 35 minutes away by bus. You can take a look at the rest of the hotels available across London and book your room on the Holiday Inn website.
Ibis
Ibis has also sold out at its Wembley hotel for the match weekend, with the next closest and cheapest option being its Ibis Styles London Ealing branch. This is a considerable distance away - one hour - by bus to the stadium, and prices for the night start from £210 for non-members.
There’s also the Novotel Paddington hotel from Accor, the same hotel group that manages Ibis, which is just 40 minutes away via two tubes but costs a pricier £254 for the night. You can check out the rest of the options available and book a room on the Accor website.
Hilton
As mentioned earlier, there are still rooms available at the Wembley Hilton for the cup final weekend, but these start at £411 for February 25. Another Hilton branch relatively close by, the DoubleTree by Hilton in Ealing, has rooms available from just £232 by comparison - this one is about 50 minutes away from the stadium by bus or tube.
Even staying in central London will work out far cheaper than Wembley - in fact, the branch near the stadium is the third most expensive of all Hilton hotels in the city for February 25 after its Trafalgar Square and Mayfair accommodation. You can currently bag rooms in the likes of Kensington, Hyde Park, Paddington and Marble Arch for £250 a night or less.
You can take a look at all the Hilton hotels available in London and book your room via the Hilton website.
READ MORE:
Eddie Howe's honest opinion on Newcastle United transfer window after late Jonjo Shelvey exit
Newcastle United's fitting cup heroes emerge after incredible Eddie Howe transformation
Southampton's classy congratulations to Newcastle as Nathan Jones prepares Manchester United
Why Bruno Guimaraes won't miss the Carabao Cup Final after Southampton semi-final red card
Jonjo Shelvey’s most memorable Newcastle United moments following Nottingham Forest move
