As per the cost of hotel rooms--London costs the same or less than the major American cities(in NYC, $160 is a good rate, $200+ is not unusual)--and, for the same money, the rooms are a bit nicer--If you think that a vacation at home would be cheaper, try to book rooms at the beach--Recently tried to find something at the Jersey Shore, and was told if I booked right that minute, they had one room left, at $175 per nite--bathroom down the hall, only three blocks to the beach--

Americans today tend to have more money than time--even the kids--we have trouble finding babysitters, because $5-6 per hour is not enough money to make it worth their while--