I'll be spending five days in London the first week in August and I'm looking for some suggestions on where to stay. I want someplace hip with a lively atmosphere but where i won't feel out of place. i'm considering one aldwych, charlotte street and soho hotel. I'd like to be able to walk to things but being a new yorker i'm not opposed to mass transit and from my last trip to london five years ago i love the tube.

p.s. anyone else going to be in london at this time (8/3-8/8) interested in getting together to sightsee, dinner let me know...

My dear, Charlotte St. is pretentious, Soho hotel is a little better, and Aldwych is even worse. You'll note that the icons of the day never stay at trendy places because trendy places are for those who can't innovate in their own style/way.

You should stay at the classics: Claridge's, Berkeley, Dorchester, Savoy (if you want Strand location), avoid trendy, it's so passé.

Who knows if you have a drink in the bar of Claridge's our paths could cross.

hmmmm....not meaning to sound snotty or offend but those hotel (although they're classics) seem rather old and stuffy.

Only The Ritz is stuffy, the others are very understated and relaxed in atmosphere, or at least to my eyes. Trendy places have the most pretentious people in spaces serviced by incompetent staff who seem to think they're better than most of the guests who pay for that nonsense.

I was in Charlotte St. the other evening and wanted to have an aperitif at the said hotel; the bar was full and the manager didn't seem in the least bit concerned about asking people to wait in the reception area - drinks are overpriced and overrated by the way. Awful awful property.

You won't be disappointed with Claridge's, book as good a room as you consider within your means, the location is superb, the service highly efficient. Oh, and the bar is fabulous too.

The Ritz has the best location though!
Right in the middle between Westminister, Knightsbridge, Covent Garden,....

Not at all, The Ritz is right on Piccadilly which is very noisy, and rather too busy and touristy these days. Green Park is pleasant, but The Ritz is no longer what it used to be, and it needs to move with the times. Men quite simply don't wear ties, and jackets for casualwear, so not allowing unsuited men in for a light lunch/casual drink is madness. These days you'll find tuxedo (the designer's term) jackets worn with super skinny ties, lurex finished jeans, and converse style trainers, yet at The Ritz you'd be turned away. As such it's a stuffy place for the brass buttoned set who are about as well dressed as well....your typical American tourist.