With temperatures soaring above 30C, a number of frazzled Britons have resorted to desperate measures as this current heatwave engulfs the nation, booking air-conditioned hotel rooms to escape the heat.
Mike, 35, tells the Daily Mail how he decided to book a room in a Premier Inn last night when high temperatures were forecast in London on Monday.
The airline pilot from Somerset reveals he has ‘done it once before after having to call in unrested for work, due to a bad night’s sleep due to heat’.
‘My sleep is very important to make sure I’m fully rested and ready for my next duty; so this week I’m due in at 5am on Wednesday and I know that the hotel will have lovely aircon and I can get a full night’s rest,’ he adds.
‘Otherwise, if I can’t sleep well, I wouldn’t consider myself fit to carry out flying duties.’
This week, the Met Office issued a rare red ‘danger to life’ extreme heat warning for ‘significant disruption to daily life’, with chaos expected across road, rail and air travel.
Mike paid £60 for his cool room, and did it once before, coughing up £85. He says he ‘will always do it’ if the temperature the evening before work is going to be above 24C.
Some Britons are opting to book hotels with air conditioning in a bid to escape the high temperatures across the UK
Mike, 35, booked a night in a Premier Inn for £60 so he would be able to sleep properly in the heat for work the next day
He isn’t the only one to book a hotel stay for the aircon this week.
New research from Leonardo Hotels finds that 52 per cent of Brits say they have booked a hotel – or would consider it – purely to cool down and access air conditioning.
Men are more likely to do so (58 per cent), with 87 per cent saying they wake up in the night because of the heat.
‘Our research shows that many people are now turning to hotels for genuine relief during extreme temperatures – not just for a break, but to prioritise their wellbeing and get a proper night’s sleep,’ says Suzanne Cannon, Head of Marketing for Leonardo Hotels UK and Ireland.
‘But, for those staying at home, small changes can still help – from keeping bedrooms cool by closing blinds during the day and opening windows at night, to switching to lighter bedding and cotton sheets, and avoiding screens or heavy meals before bed to help the body properly wind down in the heat.’
Independent hospitality group, Guesthouse Hotels, has launched a Heatwave Hero package for Brits seeking some cool air.
Prices start at £200 at their properties in Brighton, Margate, York and Bath.
The package allows guests to book a room for 24 hours to enjoy a complete cool down and use of the air-conditioned facilities.
Meanwhile, Guesthouse Hotels, has launched a Heatwave Hero package for Brits seeking some cool air
The company has also opened its doors to locals to come and work from their air conditioned public spaces for free, with ice and water included.
Their properties in Margate and Brighton have seen a surge in bookings this week from people looking for an escape from the hot air.
Some Brits desperate to cool down have taken to social media to share their experiences of the heatwave so far, and one American revealed she has gone ahead and booked a hotel for the air con.
Showing off the room in a clip, she pens, ‘Me: an American living in London that booked a hotel a mile from her flat because she can’t handle no AC in a UK heatwave.’
Another shared how they were looking at hotels but didn’t want to cough up the high prices.
‘Me, during this UK heatwave, searching for a hotel room with air con for the next three nights,’ they wrote in the caption.
‘Then I saw the prices… Anyone else melting in a townhouse?’
There was an unprecedented heatwave across the UK back in May, and some Brits took to booking hotel rooms then too.
One shared on TikTok a video of them in a hotel and wrote, ‘How it feels booking a hotel with AC for two nights because I can’t hack sleeping in the heat.’
Someone else uploaded a similar clip and said: ‘When [the] London heatwave gets too much so you book a hotel room with aircon.’
Jamie Lavers, UK Travel Expert for Superbreak, tells the Daily Mail that the holiday company has seen a 32 per cent increase in seaside bookings over the last week.
‘With coastal locations tending to benefit from cooling sea breezes and more stable temperatures, often making them noticeably more comfortable than inland destinations during warm spells, many Brits could be heading to the seaside for a cooler night’s sleep,’ he says.
‘Similarly, with weather warnings covering much of southern and central England as well as much of Wales, we’ve seen an 18 per cent increase across bookings in the north.’
The travel expert also predicts spots in Scotland including Pitlochry, Isle of Arran and Blairgowrie ‘are likely to make popular choices with travellers’ because of their lower temperatures and even rain this week.
For Britons searching for somewhere to escape to with air conditioning, a website called Where’s Cool has been created, showing the pubs, cafes, restaurants and bars in England and Wales that are kitted out with the cooling technology.
Developed by Thomas Chivers, the handy map pulls data from the Food Standards Agency’s Food Hygiene Rating Scheme and the public MHCLG Energy Performance Certificate dataset to find registered businesses with air con.
It also asks visitors to confirm on the site if the venue has AC, which then helps the map to update.
Thomas says, ‘Like many remote workers, if I work from home this week, I will be doing so without the luxury of air conditioning. I also can’t read through every single Google review of local cafes to find out if they have AC or not.
‘During the last heatwave in May, I managed to find a data source that shows confirmed venues with air conditioning. When I shared this with friends, they asked if I could create a map so they could benefit as well, and it is now available for the general public.
‘Whether you’re looking for somewhere to work from this week, or even a cool place to watch the match, simply stick in your postcode and see where near you has air conditioning!’
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