5 December 2010 Last updated at 08:00 ET

Mayor of London Boris Johnson cancels Fifa hotel stay

The Dorchester Hotel is next to Hyde Park

Boris Johnson has withdrawn the offer of a free stay in London's exclusive Dorchester hotel for Fifa executives during the 2012 Olympics.

The Mayor of London had offered the free accommodation for Fifa president Sepp Blatter and his team.

But after Fifa's decision on Thursday's 2018 World Cup vote - which saw the England bid get just two votes out of a possible 22 - the offer was rescinded.

Russia was chosen to host the tournament instead.

Free hotel rooms for VIP guests are handed out by Locog, the Olympic organising committee.

Mr Johnson is understood to have discussed the issue with Locog chairman Sebastian Coe.

The mayor has not commented on the decision to cancel the free stay.

But in the aftermath of the defeat, Mr Johnson, who travelled to Zurich to personally lobby Fifa's executives, said the result was a "big blow and tremendously disappointing".

He added: "We put together a cracking bid, our technical specification was top-notch and our stadiums would have been packed to the rafters."

A senior government source has told the BBC that at least five executive committee members "personally assured" Prince William and David Beckham they would vote for the England bid, only to back other contenders in the first round.