With the Summer Olympics coming up in London, travel to the English city will soon pick up and everyone is getting in on the excitement. The Summer Games is going to give London Tourism a boost and travelers will be looking for a place to stay.
Why not stay in a taxi? It's possible. And it's cheaper than most hotels. A London taxi driver has turned his car into a moving hotel room for the Olympics.
Even though tourism will pick up around the Olympics, taxi drivers are not expecting to make much as they will not be able to use lanes and roads that are reserved for those involved in the games, the Daily Mail reports. However, one cab driver is finding a way to make some extra cash while still using his cab.
Taxi driver David Weekes has turned his Hackney carriage into a hotel room. His "Relax-A-Taxi" includes a memory foam mattress, pillow and duvet for sleeping, as well as an official Olympic pillow case and bed spread to celebrate the occasion. The car also has a bedside lamp, a solar-powered radio, a mini fridge, and a Paddington Bear teddy for guests to cuddle with during their stay.
As a special request, guests can also use camping chairs and a portable table to set up for meals. Even an iPad is an optional add-on so guests can keep up with all the Olympics action and travel information.
This mobile hotel costs £50 a night or $78, which is at least $100 cheaper than the cheapest hotels in London during the Olympic period.
The benefit of staying in a taxi is that the hotel can go anywhere. Well, almost anywhere. Guests can stay outside of Mr. Weekes' house in north London and have full access to his bathroom, or guests can stay anyplace where it is legally-permissible to park the mobile hotel overnight.
"I'm really excited that the Olympics are coming to the city but it's going to be a nightmare for cab drivers," he said. "When I heard that I could rent out my taxi, I thought it was a no-brainer," Mr. Weekes told the Telegraph.
Mr. Weekes can see the taxi accommodations becoming a full-time gig as he said "'If being a cabbie doesn't work out, I might just stick with hosting!'
Mr. Weeks is advertising his "Relax-a-Taxi" on Wimdu.com. See his listing or book a stay in the taxi hotel here.
For those who aren't comfortable with the idea of sleeping in a car, prices for London hotels have gone down for the Olympic Games in recent weeks.
