Suze:I guess it's Subjective.What many feel is a dump others consider charming.I've never seen a 3 star that I'd want to stay at.But then again if my financial situation was different that might change my thoughts,

OK, finally a post I won't argue with. It IS subjective and it is certainly your priviledge to stay where you want.

Back to the generalization about all 3 stars being dumps - my objection to that kind of post is that it is not fair to people seeking useful and factual information on this BB.

Better stated... I would hate to see 1st-timers decide not go to Europe because they could only afford 3-star accommodations.

Suze: I Agree.Happy Travels.

I have quit staying in hotels in London forever. Too expensive. I stay in a nice B&B paying 45% less than I was paying for a hotel. 3 min walk to the tube. Very quiet residential neighborhood.

Sorry, just got back here WillTravel. It's in Westminster. With all of the taxes and fees, I ended up paying a bit over $500.00 for the 4 nights. It still seemed like a good deal since those are dollars. I'll let you all know what it is like. I'd never done a priceline before, but this one seemed to work out ok.

Bill

rj007 -- are you willing to share the name of the wonderful B&B?

luvtotravel

I'm glad to share the name. It is London Bed & Breakfast. It is located in North Harrow (Zone 5 on the Underground). Prices (en suite and with breakfast) Single 30 GBP Double 44, Triple 55 and Quad 66. VERY quiet residential neighborhood. Discount convience store and laundry right around the corner. Underground station 3 min walk. (Metropolitan line).

Website - serenade.ndirect.co.uk

This is the ONLY place I stay in London.
Enjoy your trip!

Recently returned from a month in England, 2 weeks in London. We stayed at the Winchester Hotel (B&B) on Belgrave, near Victoria station. The room was average sized, ensuite, very clean. The breakfast was excellent (eggs, bacon-lots os it, sausage,steamed tomato, croissant, muffin, toast, cereal, orange juice, coffee tea or hot chocolate), the help fine. We got our laundry done without charge. I thought 85 pounds was a lot by US standards but apparently not by London standards. No credit cards. Anyway, we were very happy with the room, the service, the location...Belgrave Road is a bit noisy.

I agree with many of the posters. I would feel fine in a 3 star hotel in Paris, Madrid, Barcelona or Rome, but not in London. I stayed in an alleged 3-star in London and it was nothing more than a dorm room with a painting of Stonehenge on the wall.

Wojazz, I stayed at the Crowne Plaza St. James in March. It was a beautiful hotel and our room was amazing. Large room and a large bathroom. The hotel is primarily used for business people so we didn't see many families. It was very convenient to the tube and Victoria Station. If you are looking for "charming" it is not, it is traditionally elegant. It is very clean and for the right price i would stay there again. I ate one night at Bank which is part of the complex and it ended up being the most expensive and worst meals we had during our time in England. Enjoy your trip!

Have a look at the Premier Lodge and Travel Inn chain they offer functional and clean hotels at very reasonable prices which should be within oyur budget. They won't win any awards for inspirational design but I find them a much safer bet when i'm on a budget - a bit like Mcdonalds - you know what you're gonna get!

I'm with Rj007 -- a nice, homey B&B suits me fine. The Harrow one he mentions sounds very nice, but I usually pay a little more to stay in one in Bloomsbury. On the other hand, some of these Priceline bargains are astounding, and beat even a lot of B&B prices; I may give that a try next time.

The Renaissance Chancery Court has reputedly the largest standard rooms in London (and even larger suites), as the original building was an old bank. It only opened three-ish years ago and is well worth checking out as they often have quite reasonable (by London standards) rates. It's in the Holborn area, which is handy for Covent Garden etc. and a short walk to Bloomsbury. Great hotel.

i don't think that the expectations for rooms in london is higher. actually, people who travel here know that the standards are much, much lower for the money than you generally get on the continent. this goes for most of england, not just london.

this is just a generality and we all have anecdotes about finding a very great place in england for a good value.

This certainly doesn't make up for the high cost but tax is included in the quoted room rate in europe. Room tax in the US averages over 12% up to almost 20% so rooms in the US are not as cheap as they appear.