Hotel Accommodation
Advice about choosing a hotel location in London, what the star ratings actually mean, plus detailed reviews of everything from cheap 3-stars to luxury 5-stars
3-star hotel reviews
Comfort Inn Westminster - a cheap but perfectly nice little 3-star hotel in Pimlico a short walk from Victoria train station
Days Inn Hyde Park - a decent little 3-star near Paddington station and close to Marble Arch and the shops along Oxford Street
Ibis London City Shoreditch - a business-type hotel just ten mins walk from Tower Bridge and the Tower of London
Premier Inn Leicester Square - a 3-star hotel that has a fantastic location in the heart of the West End just off Leicester Square
Travelodge Covent Garden - not the prettiest hotel, but it’s located a short walk from Covent Garden and Oxford Street
4-star hotel reviews
Citadines South Kensington - farther out than we usually recommend, but it’s worth it for the little kitchen in the room
Club Quarters St. Paul’s - it’s more like a 3-star than a 4-star hotel, but it’s right on the doorstep of St. Paul’s Cathedral
Holiday Inn Regent’s Park - a huge hotel with a decent location in easy walking distance of the shops along Oxford Street
Mercure Paddington - a 4-star hotel that’s more like a 3-star, but it’s handily located just down the road from Paddington station
Radisson Blu Edwardian Sussex - it only has small rooms but its location is great round the back of Selfridges and Oxford Street
The Strand Palace - a huge hotel at the end of Waterloo Bridge, and located just round the corner from the lively Covent Garden
Thistle Holborn Hotel - quite a posh hotel with a good location near the British Museum and theatres along Shaftesbury Avenue
The Tower Hotel - don’t be put off by its ugly exterior because it’s great location overlooking Tower Bridge makes up for it
5-star hotel reviews
Andaz Liverpool Street - it might try too hard to be cool, but it’s handily located next-door to Liverpool Street station
The Piccadilly West End - this hotel has very small but luxurious rooms, and has a great location in the heart of the West End
The Ritz Hotel – this is easily the most luxurious hotel in the whole of London and you’ll never forget spending a night here
Royal Horseguards - this is one of our favourite hotels in London and is sandwiched between Whitehall and the river
Shangri-La The Shard - if you don’t mind heights you’ll get a great view of London from two-thirds the way up The Shard
Threadneedles Hotel - one of our favourite hotels, which can be found round the back of the Royal Exchange and Bank of England
The Trafalgar St. James - famous for its open-air restaurant on the roof that overlooks Nelson’s Column and Trafalgar Square
The Waldorf Hilton - a famous hotel perfectly situated on the bend of Aldwych and round the corner from Covent Garden
Where should I stay in London?
If you want to stay somewhere cheap then try Victoria / Pimlico, Bayswater / Paddington or Earl’s Court / Kensington. You should be able to find plenty of B&Bs, 1★, 2★ and 3★ hotels there. The nicest areas are Victoria, Paddington, Bayswater and then Pimlico (in that order).
If you want to stay in a mid-priced hotel then 3★ can be found all over London – you can even get some in the West End around Piccadilly Circus and Covent Garden). Despite being in the centre of town there are a surprisingly high number of mid-priced hotels there. Of course they all come with shoebox rooms as standard, but you can’t be too fussy if you want something cheap and central.
And if you want to stay in a 4★ or 5★ hotel then just go straight for the centre. We’d be happiest around Covent Garden, Bloomsbury, Holborn, Soho and The City, plus Mayfair, St. James and Westminster. And don’t stay anywhere further east than Tower Bridge, further west than the Royal Albert Hall, or north of the Marylebone / Euston Road.
What do hotel star-ratings mean?
Hotel star ratings can be awarded by different companies using different criteria, but here’s what you can typically expect to find in each grade of hotel:
B&B hotels - £35 to £80 - Small hotels with breakfast included in the price. They probably won’t have a proper restaurant, only a small breakfast room. Rooms will have either an ensuite bathroom or a shared bathroom that you can access with a key. If it’s not ensuite then you’ll probably have a sink in the room instead. Most B&Bs also provide a kettle, TV and telephone in the room.
1★ hotels - £30 to £60 - Okay for a couple of night’s sleep, but the rooms will be the smaller than a shoebox and have a shared bathroom that you can access with a key. You might get a sink and a TV in the room, or you might not. You might get a kettle and a hairdryer, or you might not. The lobby might have a small breakfast room if you’re lucky, or more likely a vending machine in the corridor.
2★ hotels - £30 to £110 - The bedroom will probably have an ensuite bathroom, or possibly a shared one down the hall. The rooms will probably have a TV, hairdryer, kettle, but you’ll probably have to request the iron from reception. The safe will probably be in reception as well. The hotel should definitely have a breakfast room, and might also have a restaurant for lunch and dinner.
3★ hotels - £100 to £200 - Good quality rooms with an ensuite bathroom, kettle, telephone and TV. You might get Wi-Fi for a charge. You might get a minibar. You should get a safe. There will definitely be a bar and a breakfast room, and they might serve lunch and dinner as well. Many of the 3-star hotels are very centrally located, and it’s possible to find a few right in the centre of town.
4★ hotels - £130 to £280 - As above, but with a good-quality bar and restaurant. Rooms will be quite spacious (although in my experience some 4-star hotels seem a lot like 3-stars). They will probably have a minibar and room service. You might get complimentary Wi-Fi, or you might have to pay for it. The hotel will have business facilities and concierge services, and maybe a little gym attached. It might even have a car park.
5★ hotels - £260 to £520 - As above, but with larger rooms. They will probably have a couple of different bars and restaurants inside the hotel to give you a choice. They will probably offer a few of these: gym, sauna, spa, swimming pool, in-room massages, business facilities, valet parking, limo service and laundry, and maybe a turn-down service as well. You’ll also get 24-hour room service.