Your Recommendations for Budget-Friendly London Hotels

I actually just realized that "The Willett" should not have been included on this list since it closed recently.

Colonnade & Guest House West are in the same price range as the Rembrandt which is right across the street from the V & A. That's one I can recommend for a great location near the S. Kensington tube stop, Harrods & other shops Knightsbridge has to offer as well as many restaurants.

Your budget-friendly list seems to be all over the place as far as prices, though. Didn't I see £30 on up to over £150?

I really would remove the easyHotel. It seems cheap w/ all the "from £25" advertising. But I plugged in random dates in April (to avoid premium rates over Easter) and got an average of £37 per night -- for 6-7 sq meters of solid orange decor, no windows, no closet or drawers, 2 hooks on the wall, and a £10 fee for each housekeeping visit.

I can recommend the Craven Garden Hotel (www.hydeparkinn.com/craven/home.asp).

It's £46 for a single in low season, but even for a double in high season it's "only" £75, which is pretty reasonable for London. Fabulous location a half block from Hyde Park/Kensington Garden, near two main tube lines. Rooms small but very clean. Very nice full breakfast incuded unlike the tea and toast most budget hotels in London offer.

Try the IBIS chain of hotels. There is one just off M4 and close to Picadilly underground rail line. It also has parking.The prices compare with easyHotel.I have not been but friends have and found it excellent.

In July, 2007 we stayed at Express by Holiday Inn in Earl's Court for two weeks, paying 79.00 pounds per night. The immaculately clean room had a double bed, a very firm sleeper sofa, air conditioning (yes, I said air conditioning!) TV, tea/coffee maker, and a sparkling tiled ensuite bathroom. An abundant continental breakfast of cereal, fruit, muffins and pastries was included. The hotel is about four years old, run by a very friendly staff, and is a 7- minute walk from the West Kensington tube station. Although small by U. S. standards, it was a clean and comfortable room for two adults and a teenager. No more "charming" converted Edwardian row houses with shared baths, painted-shut windows, and no elevators for us - we'll be at Express by Holiday Inn. Book online at the EbHI website.

Travelodge can be very cheap if you hit one of the 19/29-pound specials. I haven't stayed there, but it sounds quite basic, although some locations are very good.

Priceline is still cheaper. You can get some Travellodges for 15gbp outside London if you book ahead.

Wow... I had no idea that you could nab hotels at those prices with priceline.

Thanks for your recommendations everybody.

the yha has the best low cost accomodation in london

We include a few hostels in our London guide; it would be great to hear your recommendations bilboburgler.

Priceline is still the best. I have never paid more than US$ 100 per night and I only bid on 4* hotels. There are several winning bids on biddingfortravel for 4* hotels in the $75 to $80 range, as well.

My brother-in-law has used Marriott points, as well. Personally, I find the point values a bit hard to justify.

The London School of Economics has some bargain rooms and flats if you can travel summers (usually mid-June to mid-Sept.), Easter break (about a month long break at some locations) or Christmas break (also a month break).
http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/vacations/ratesavail.htm

kybourbon--- who knew? Thanks for posting.

travelgourmet--- What part of London do you typically stay in when you use Priceline?

For anyone with enough Marriott Rewards points, the Marriott County Hall is a darn nice choice. At "category 7" in the Marriott program though, it costs 40,000 points/night (sometimes a bit less). And that doesn't usually get you a river view room, which are the coolest.

Of course the only way this hotel could be considered "budget-friendly" is if you have points (or, a huge "budget", I suppose).

Dave

What area? Well, it depends. If I am chasing a bargain, which I usually am, I generally end up in the Kensington area. Not super central, but it is very convenient to LHR and it isn't like it is terribly out of the way or anything - I don't think any of the hotels are outside of zone 1 on the tube map, for instance. The bigger issue is that this area has probably the worst hotels of any of the priceline zones. But, hey, even some of the lesser places like the Copthorne Tara are of a comfortable standard and good value at less than $100.

I have also stayed in Bloomsbury, but it often takes more to get into that area than I am willing to spend. The Regents Park zone seems to be another good area for deals, but one of the hotels in that zone (Marriott Regents Park) is pretty far out of the way.

I've been perfectly happy with 3* bids in London on Priceline. With this, I've gotten the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum (since upgraded to 4*), the Holiday Inn Bloomsbury (smaller, but equal in quality to the HIKF in my opinion), and the Holiday Inn Ariel at Heathrow (except for the time I got an executive room, you will probably get a rather spartan room, but perfectly satisfactory, although I would agree this is less nice than the other two Holiday Inns).

So, bid for 4* if that is what you want, but if you are a budget-focused traveler, 3* will probably be fine for you.

At the 2* level, I got the Comfort Inn Vauxhall, which is actually rated at 3* by the hotel's standards. At the time, this was a nice, new hotel. I can't guarantee everyone will have the same results, though, as you can get some not so nice 2* hotels.

The Holiday Inn Express option mentioned above sounds like a great deal, particularly for a family. We used the HIE at the Glasgow Airport, and it was excellent. I also much prefer modern, business-class hotels to ramshackle "budget" hotels.

We also stayed at the High Holborn Residence, run by the London School of Economics, which has great deals on holiday accommodation.

Sorry Katie, I have stayed in some but too long ago. What I do know is the YHA is often overlooked by our visitors and yet when the pound goes too high they do not take advantage of clean, good value accomodation http://www.yha.org.uk/

It depends on your idea of "budget"....but we stayed at the K+K George for what we thought was a low price for what you received. Extensive buffet breakfast, nicely furnished rooms and a great garden to relax in after a long day of sightseeing. Also very close to the tube.

http://www.kkhotels.com/index.asp?ID=266

I stayed at the Millenium Mayfair in London for 100 dollars (with taxes) two years ago through Priceline. Last summer it was 92 dollars (again, with taxes) at the Hilton Metropole. Not such a great location but good transport and the hotel was good enough for being such a big hotel (more than 1000 rooms).
I think Priceline bids are the best option for London right now unless you find some special offer through a particular hotel website but that's not the usual thing to happen

We've often used www.londontown.com to book a hotel for London. There is lots of easy to read info on their site, such as photos, descriptions, prices etc.

A new feature is a map of London which shows the hotels, on the map, with the prices. Very handy. (Tip: key in your dates first then click on the map to enlarge.)
Kay

I agree that anyone on a budget should definitely consider PriceLine. PL isn't great for some cities but it is very good for both central London and LHR hotels.

Transport is so easy in London - especially now/ the Oyster cards - that any PL 4 star and most 3 star hotels will be fine for a short London visit. Even the "dreaded" Hilton Olympia is convenient - many bus routes stop right outside the hotel. I said "dreaded" because many fodorites warn against it. But I've "won" the hotel twice and have absolutely no complaints. I would not want to stay there 6 or 7 days for sure - but for the typical 3 or 4 night PL bid - it is a fine property. Good service w/ very nice/clean rooms.

The PL zones were re-drawn and what shows on biddingfortravel are not totally accurate anymore. Be sure to closely examine the zones on the priceline site and don't rely on other sites for that info.

The last time I used PL in London was last Feb. Got the Olympia Hilton for $75 for 3 nights, and the Thistle Heathrow for $52 for 1 night.

where do you get an oyster card?

I would like to bid Priceline based on what I've read here but I'm concerned as there will be 4 of us--2 adults and 2 teens. Have the rooms we've won on PL been able to accomodate 4 people? In the states I've just called and requested a room for 4 but not sure if this will work in London.

kwren: You can get your oyster in any tube station (and some train stations)

dtrout: PL only deals in doubles in London. You would have to bid on 2 rooms. 95% of the time you can get 2 rooms in your bid - but there is no guarantee. And there is a slight danger of getting different hotels. I personally would not use Priceline in your situation since you can find decent flats for about the same cost as 2 PL hotel rooms.

dtrout: If you want a 4-person room, then Priceline will absolutely not be a good idea. Then again, trying to get a 4-person room in London, at all, would seem to be an expensive option. Bidding for two rooms should still come in around $200 total, which would be cheaper than just about any 4-person hotel room, I would think.

I would suggest either bidding for two rooms or looking into some of the flats you will see mentioned in various threads.

You will not get two different hotels if you bid for two rooms on the same bid, on Priceline.

You have a significant risk of getting two different hotels if you do two separate bids.

For a family of four, doing a Priceline bid for two rooms on the same bid (you specifically enter that you are bidding for two rooms on the form) is a very sensible option. Of course, consider other options like a fair-priced four-person room or a flat.

ttt