This morning we met with the head of the Blue Badge Guides that will coordinate our tours of the city in late December. I am confident that our students will receive a first-class experience as they experience this great city.
In the afternoon I had meetings with management of The Cumberland Hotel, which will be our home base for the duration of our stay. I was joined in these meetings by the Executive Director of the parade, as well as a music teacher from California. His band will also stay at The Cumberland.
The Cumberland is a beautiful property, and located right in the heart of central London (Oxford Street). The rooms have just undergone a renovation, and are beautifully appointed. The room pictured in this post was the largest of the four rooms I've been shown. Many of our students will stay in "doubles," but in a room like this one the hotel will likely add a third bed to make the space a "triple." 
A very nice upgrade in the recent room renovation was the addition of electrical outlets that have direct USB ports. This makes charging phones and tablets super-easy, and limits the need to even bring converters on the trip. I also learned that every traveler in our band will have access to complimentary Wi-Fi in the hotel, which may eliminate the need for families to purchase international mobile phone plans. (We will discuss tech & communication recommendations in more detail next fall.)
Our hotel, The Cumberland, is a beautiful building with a long history in the city. However it has recently been purchased by Hard Rock Hotels, and will be re-branded as such in April of 2019. For those of you who are rock-n-roll fans or enjoy rock-music history, you might appreciate this fun fact: Room 5001 (overlooking Oxford Street) was the location of guitarist Jimi Hendrix final interview, within a week of his death. Hendrix was a frequent guest at this hotel. 
