LONDON — An enterprising London cab driver has come up with a novel alternative for tourists hunting accommodation at the Olympics -- turning his taxi into a hotel room.
David Weekes is charging guests £50 a night to sleep in the vehicle, which he has converted into a one-person space featuring a single bed with Union Jack duvet.
A radio, mini fridge, reading lamp, solar radio and teddy bear are also provided, Weekes says on the home rental website Wimdu.co.uk he is using to advertise the concept he has dubbed 'Hail-a-Hotel'.
Guests will be left with the taxi at an agreed time and location -- either outside Weekes' east London home or elsewhere -- but will need to hand back the keys the next morning so he can continue his day job of ferrying tourists and Londoners around the capital.
He admitted that he had "not yet" had any bookings but was hopeful of snapping up some last-minute business.
The £50 fee is far cheaper than many of the rental rates advertised by during the Olympic period, according to Wimdu.co.uk.
The website said that on average it costs £65 a night for a hotel room in London, but many establishments have tripled the cost to £195 per night during the Games.
London cabbies brought Westminster to a standstill on Tuesday in a demonstration over a ban on them using special Olympic lanes in the capital, with more than 200 black cabs in Parliament Square blaring their horns in protest.
Their demonstration was targeted at Games' organisers who developed the lanes available only to Olympics officials, athletes and other approved vehicles.
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