rholt

I spent the last hour and a half with Trip Adviser and Google trying to find a hotel room in central London for 4 people (2 adults and 2 children) for a trip next August. I am striking out. ** Can anyone make a recommendation?** I understand that 4 person rooms are not common in London - but there must be something?

Parameters
a) Location is important to us - central to attractions (e.g. Covent Garden, Bloomsbury, or the City)
b) Would like to spend less that $200/night. Willing to go up to $350/night for the right kind of place
c) Not really looking for anything especially posh - just clean and well run in a nice area
d) An apartment is not really an option - there for less than a week.

Thanks,

ChgoGal

Hi, rholt. Premier Inns appear to have Family rooms, and you are booking nice and early for August so hopefully you'll find a good rate.

Take a look at this post...
the post by Jamikins (a London-based poster) on June 6th, towards the end of the posting, outlines some reccos for hotels.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ndon-hotel.cfm

Good luck finding what you need!

nytraveler

I'm afraid that $200 per night is not very much for a decent hotel in a central location for 4 people - London is very expensive. Posh would be more in the $600 to $700 range.

And many hotels in London do not have AC (or real American style AC) which I consider mandatory for August (not likely to be super hot - but can be more than 90 and is often humid.

I would search for family rooms in all of the discount sites you can find.

tuscanlifeedit

I keep flogging this and so far, no one seems to have jumped on it, but two of the nicest hotels we have stayed at in London were Apex. One was Temple Court and the other was near Tower Hill tube. They have huge rooms. At the higher end of your budget, but for a family room, in a really nice hotel, I don't think you can do better.

janisj

Premier Inn is your friend. Most of their rooms are family rooms and the children (if they are under 16) stay in the parent's room for free.

Try for Premier Inn County Hall -- though it is the most popular location so does tend to charge more than other PI's and does book up far in advance.

Tulips

There are plenty of apartments that rent for less than a week - for one night even. For a family with kids, it's usually better since you have an extra room for when the kids go to sleep. Onefinestay has a few places for 200 pounds/night for 4, but to be very central you would need to spend a bit more.

Have you looked at Citadines? They have several locations in London.

cathies

Tuscanlifeedit, drives you mad doesn't it? I used to recommend fabulous apartments we stayed in when we were in London for 5 nights, but I stopped bothering after a while.

cathies

I forgot to ask. What does 'empty set' mean? I've not heard that term before.

Rubicund

Try these websites for your search:

www.londontown.com
www.lastminute.com
www.laterooms.com

Tulips

Tuscanlifedit, that hotel looks great and good value, and the Temple Court one is a nice location. I don't stay in hotels in London, though!

rholt

Great input - thanks - will review options discussed. A few clarifications.

a)tuscanlifeedit - The Apex hotels do look very nice, but unless I am mistaken, they don't offer 4 person rooms.

b) cathies - In mathematics, the empty set is the unique set having no elements

BigRuss

<<Can anyone make a recommendation?>>

Rent a flat. Go googling - it's fish+barrel+shotgun for short term rental or vacation rental flats in London. And <$200 is not that hard for flats.

cathies

Thanks for the explanation. I still don't understand but it doesn't matter.

ElendilPickle

Travelodge has family rooms - www.travelodge.co.uk

You might also look into the YHA hostels that are geared to families, like London Central http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/london-central# or St. Pancras. http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/london-st-pancras#

What about university dorms? http://www.lsetopfloor.co.uk/default.htm

Lee Ann

BigRuss

Saw the part where you said an apt isn't an option. That may or may not be accurate - check VRBO and apt websites, they may let you have < 1 week stay.

michelhuebeli

" In mathematics, the empty set is the unique set having no elements" Huh? What's that got to do with anything here?

Rather than looking for a "room for four" which pretty much doesn't exist as you have found out, what you need to look for is a room for two or three and get in touch with the hotel about adding children's beds or cots etc. That's very common, and if the square footage of the room is enough, it most likely will solve your problem, for a small surcharge usually.

pandaschu

You may not want to stay in an apartment, and that's fine.

On the other hand, if it does appeal to you, many are available for shorter stays. More room for your money, and the ability for your children to eat breakfast in their pajamas if they wish. (Priceless for my family!)

I haven't stayed with this agency yet, but have booked with them for next spring. They do allow shorter stays, have some nice properties at good prices, and have been a pleasure to deal with so far.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/RentalPro..._manager.63132

If you plug your exact dates into vrbo or similar, it should come up with a list of properties that would allow for your shorter stay.

Good luck with the search.

Toucan

We rented a flat on Courtfield Gardens in So. Kensington for a week. It was very nice and like being at home, 2 br 2.5 ba, living room, nicee kitchen but was a mistake and a significant waste of travel dollars. We were only there from 10 or 11pm to 7 or 8am all week long!

Next trip it's absolutely Travelodge London Central Tower Bridge Hotel at £32 ($50) per night! Leaving significantly more money for shows!

carolyn

The Morgan Hotel in Bloomsbury has some apartments. The website quotes £265 for four people, but I assume that would be adults. The rate includes a full English breakfast or a less filling one, and it is a family-run business. You could ask about children.

indy_dad

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Mayfair with 4 in a room. It's closer to $300/nt though . . .

We've stayed in Premier Inns in other places and find them to be a good deal. However, the bed/cots for the kids vary quite a bit. (The Mayfair was two doubles like an American hotel).