Join us for this very special two-day Discover The Waldorf London Weekend, which offers an opportunity to stay at the iconic 5* Waldorf Hilton.
Located in the largest city in Europe, there’s plenty to see and do around London’s Waldorf Hilton hotel. Mixing contemporary, cosmopolitan energy with the architecture and history of its Imperial past, the city is a breathtaking blend of buildings and experiences. During your time at leisure in London, you may wish to learn more about it’s history at the British Museum, or admire the art of the Empire at the National Gallery. Walk across the landmark Millennium Bridge and admire art of the Tate Modern.
We also offer you the opportunity to take an optional afternoon tea in the Homage Grand Salon Restaurant at this iconic hotel on the Sunday afternoon. You may also wish to book an evening at the theatre on the Sunday evening.
UPDATE - 02.08.2013 - We will be offering tickets for the 1700hrs performance of "JERSEY BOYS" on the 9th March 2014 departure. More details soon!
Our "Premier Class" weekends are designed to appeal to the more discerning traveller. These weekend breaks can range from 1 night away to up to 3 nights away.
When you travel on one of our "Premier Class" weekend breaks, you're guaranteed the best possible service, a first class travelling experience, quality four star hotels as we never compromise on quality and have a commitment to always deliver a quality product. Very occasionally, we may use a quality 3* hotel if the itinerary or region dictates, but this really is very rare.
We believe that when you are on holiday, you should be able to relax in comfortable surroundings, enjoy a good nights sleep and excellent cuisine, which is why we have teamed up with Marriott Hotels and Hilton Hotels two of the world's leading hotel chains - amongst others. The majority of the hotels we use on our "Premier Class" weekend breaks also feature their own brand health clubs equipped with all the latest fitness equipment. What better way to relax and unwind after a fantastic days sightseeing, than by taking to the swimming pool or gym!
By using some of the country's best four star hotels and offering a variety of experiences and excursions, we allow you to see the most of what's important whilst allowing you time to relax and enjoy yourself in a home from home environment.
The vast majority of our weekend breaks also include porterage at the hotel to take care of your luggage on arrival and departure.
The itineraries are carefully planned to offered a series of heritage, themed or special interest excursions. We also give you the chance to upgrade some of your experiences by offering an optional afternoon tea package for example.
I feel it would only be right for me to advise readers on our background and what influenced our decision to offer "Discerning Tours For Discerning People" or as they are more commonly known luxury escorted tours. Having been involved in the travel industry since the tender age of 15, which is now some 24 year ago, I have noticed a radical shift in the types of touring vehicles (coaches) now on Britain's roads. However, I do not feel that the mainstream industry has kept pace in the type of product it offers to compliment these state of the art vehicles. As a consequence, the traditional coach holiday market has seen a decline in recent years as the products have not kept pace with clients expectations in terms of product and service. The other problem is PERCEPTION - many people still think of coaches as the old, smelly, 53 seater coach they traveled on back in their school days 30-40 year ago, not the modern, sleek (in most cases) state of the art vehicles they are today.
If we take a look at the cost of new vehicles over the last 40 years, we will see things have moved on considerably:
In 1973 a Bedford VAL with Plaxton Panorma bodywork cost £11,000
In 1983 a Bedford 'Y series' with Plaxton Paramount bodywork cost £45,000
In 1993 a Volvo B10M with Plaxton Premiere bodywork cost £90,000
In 2003 a Volvo B10M with Plaxton Panther bodywork cost £180,000
In 2013 a Volvo B12B with Plaxton Elite bodywork cost £240,000
(Source: RouteOne Magazine - 21st March 2013)
It is because of the foregoing that I believe people's perceptions have become somewhat distorted.
I quite often hear around the industry about how Mrs X has died, but I'm not getting new business through to replace her. This is a very common tale. However, it is not all doom and gloom there are a number of tour operators out there who have stuck their necks out and clearly taken a gamble by upping their game in terms of product offering and as a consequence are attracting a younger clientele. It has to be said these type of tour operators are in the minority, but are highly successful. The most recent Mintel report tells us that the two growth areas that need courting and fast are the budget sector and also the luxury sector - the middle market will get squeezed.
Over the last 24 years, I have always striven to increase the quality of the product offering, whilst offering the product at a realistic price. It is this philosophy I brought with me when I set up TML Travel Group some 3 years ago. Buying a holiday is not a cheap business these days and I firmly believe that because of this people should get good quality and a first-class travelling experience. By travelling experience, I am not just talking about the vehicle - I'm talking about all the components that go to make up a holiday. At TML Travel Group all our tours offer:
A Quality Travelling Experience
Quality 4*/5* Hotels in Superb Locations
Experienced Tour Managers to provide a Friendly & Professional Service
Interesting & Innovative Itineraries
We place great emphasis on ensuring the quality is consistent and the vehicles match the hotels being used, whilst the itineraries offer something innovative. It is to this end that we took the decision from the outset to partner with Eavesway Travel who have become a byword for excellence throughout the industry over the last 70 years. They offer one of the most modern fleets of coaches in the UK and specialise in a 5* cruise transfer service for P&O Cruises/Princess Cruises. This service is being expanded still further in 2014 to include a host of other cruise operators.
The vehicles Eavesway operate are very much at the top flight of the coach industry, but show what the industry is capable of offering clients in the 21st Century. At a cost of £350,000 EACH, these vehicles come with all the latest mod-cons such as enhanced legroom, leather seating, wood effect flooring, mood lighting, Wi-Fi and so the list goes on.
Both companies realised by combining their respective experiences we could offer something very special to our respective client bases in respect of product offering.
All tours are accompanied by our own Tour Managers who are there specifically to manage tour operations and ensure your general well-being. During your journey we also offer a complimentary on-board light refreshments service to make your experience all that more enjoyable.
In terms of hotels, we have chosen to partner predominantly with Marriott & Hilton to ensure the accommodation is of the highest standard. We have a firm belief that when you are on holiday you should enjoy good accommodation and excellent cuisine because again it is all part of the overall travelling experience.
Our itineraries are carefully and expertly planned with your comfort and enjoyment as the top priorities. We include visits to destinations such as Britain's finest stately homes or journeys aboard some of the best heritage railways, through to touring style themed itineraries.
Our 'Country Club Weekends' include enhanced itineraries such as morning coffee, lunch or afternoon tea at a chosen attraction for example or a specialist guided tour. All this is included in the price of your holiday at no supplement because our 'Country Club Weekends' include all excursion fees as we do not operate optional excursions on these tours.
Over the next few months we are launching a series of one night "Discover" breaks, so that you can experience our various brands first hand. The one tour we are all particularly excited about is our "Discover The Waldorf" - 5* London Weekend.
We do very much hope you have enjoyed reading this blog and we look forward to welcoming you onboard!
