Guindalf

We're going home at the end of September and, as I lived near London, I rarely had to stay there!

The family is in Milton Keynes, so we'll be staying up there, but we're planning on spending three nights in town so my American wife can see some sights. We're going to stay Friday to Monday and have tix for the Steelers game on the Sunday, so getting to Wembley and back would be a consideration.

She'd like to do some of the typical touristy things like the Tower of London and maybe some museums, that kind of thing - maybe even catch a West End show (tix from the booth in Leicester Square).

Money's a bit tight, so we're trying to find somewhere reasonable to stay for those three nights that gets us close to the sights but doesn't break the bank.

Any suggestions?

Pulaski

Try Club Quarters. It is a small hotel chain focussed on business travelers, but is open to anyone (I think) on Thursday nights through the weekend. The rooms are much cheaper than "regular" hotels, and cheaper still on the weekend. From memory there are (at least) three in central London - 1. Gracechurch St in the City (about 10 mins walk from the Tower of London), 2. nr St Paul's Cathedral (about halfway between Traf Sq and the ToL, 20 minutes walk from each, also close to Farringdon Station for Metropolitan tubes out to Wembley), and 3. nr Traf Sq.

RoadWarriorFromLP

There are plenty of budget places in Bayswater and Paddington. The very cheapest one are dumps and should be avoided, but you should be alright if you move one notch up the ladder.

The location should also be convenient enough. You can walk to Hyde Park and there are number of tube lines nearby. From Paddington station, it should be a straight shot to Wembley.

I'll PM you something as well.

Mr Weeze

The Holiday Inn Mayfair location is brilliantly located and can often be pretty cheap. It is right over the road from the Ritz, so you can walk to most of the touristy things you would want to be able to get to.

rpjs

There's a new(ish) one on Lincoln's Inn Fields just round the corner from Holborn tube that I stayed at a couple of trips ago. It wasn't bad - would stay there again.

joto

We stayed in the Club Quarters near St. Paul's a few years ago. Nice, clean, the rooms are a bit small, but you're only going to be sleeping there. It does get quiet in that area at weekends.

kodokan

The Premier Inn chain is usually good - I've stayed in the Earl's Court and the County Hall ones, and both were excellent; clean, spacious for London, very helpful staff.

The County Hall one is my favourite, as it's right by the Thames and the London Eye so will blow Americans away, and walkable to lots of tourist places. Price-wise from memory, it was about 150 GBP a night - it was certainly cheaper than most other places in the centre of London. The only problem with it is getting a room, as it's VERY popular, so can get booked months in advance.

The good-for-hotel-fare buffet breakfasts are about 8 quid for all you can eat; again, very reasonable for London, where that otherwise gets you a coffee and a stale croissant.

Gordon Barlow

"Money's a bit tight", Guindalf said in his original post. 150 quid a night is outrageous, surely!

md95065

Not for somewhere habitable in London it isn't ...

md95065

Also consider places that are a bit out of the centre but are convenient for the Tube.

The Regent's Park Marriott is within walking distance of Swiss Cottage and was OK the last time I stayed there a few years ago - that is probably in the 150-160 GBP range as well.

Ash UK/US

Last time we went to London we stayed at a Easy Hotel (as in Easy Airlines)
In Earls Court, it is a 5 min walk from the tube station and a 5 min walk from Tesco (we bought the meals deals from there and took them with us for lunch) which is handy. These hotels are basic, very basic, but it was spotlessly clean and cheap £35 per night per room is great for central London. If all you are looking for is a place to sleep and shower check it out

http://www.easyhotel.com/hotels/london_earls_court.html

kodokan

Just had a quick check, and it's around 100 or so for weekends in September, so only moderately outrageous

penguinbar

I stayed at the Coronation Hotel about 2 years ago. It was just renovated then. It was a good location and pretty reasonable. It actually had good shower pressure as well! The front desk staff was incredibly nice too http://www.coronationhotelearlscourt.com/

rebs

I've had some good success over the years with using the 'top secret' options on lastminute.com - that's worth a look.

There is also a thread here which gives details of what the top secrets are, so you can usually tell beforehand.

I've also used the bidding on priceline - pick a budget and area and aim for a highish star rating (4+) and it's worth a punt. Loads of info around on how to make the most of the bidding process.

Expedia also have secret deals, but I have not investigated how to figure those out - I'm sure there is info out there.

Guindalf

Thanks for the replies - lots to look at - and decisions to make!

I was hoping to come in at under $150/night if possible and there's a number of B&Bs that fit the bill. The problem is they look good online but nearly all have reviews ranging from 'outstanding' to 'terrible', so it's hard to know what's really true. I know the average yank would be disappointed with the average UK hotel room, especially in space-starved London, so reviews are always hard to go by.

So far, I think the Holiday Inn at Regents Park is a front runner (at $177 ave), but there are still some smaller hotels to look at.