I would like to be able to use my AirMiles.ca towards either a Holiday Inn or Best Western Hotel in London UK. I am very unfamiliar with London districts and there are dozens of those two hotel brands in London, Can anyone comment on the best locations and the names of recommended specific Holiday Inn's (preferable Express) and Best Western's.
I would prefer a central London location but and quite comfortable taking public transportation anywhere. I will be there Feb 11th-13th 2012. Thanks for any input.

You may get answers to this, but you will get better ones if you pick out 2-4 to ask about. People here are really good at telling you if the Brand X Picadilly is miles from Picadilly or the Brand Y River East is in a district where you can expect to get mugged.

It is harder to go through a list of "dozens" and recommend a few, especially since we don't know your interests: standard tourist sites, shopping, nightlife, museums, etc.

One of my favorite hotels in London is the Holiday Inn Regent's Park.
It has a great breakfast, nice rooms ( even if they are a bit small, like most hotel rooms in London) and it has a great location, there is a tube station only 50 mmeters away and you can reach easily Oxford Street in 7-10 minutes.

The Regent's Park location is pretty good; personally I prefer the location of the Holiday Inn Bloomsbury near Russell Square station. I stayed there a couple of years ago and had a great experience there. Russell Square is on the Piccadilly line, which to me is more convenient to get to more things, and I also just like the Bloomsbury area. Per Google Maps, there's also a Holiday Inn Mayfair, which would be quite central as well.

Again just based on Google Maps, there's a Best Western Premier Shafesbury that looks centrally located. You should check out reviews on TripAdvisor and/or posts here, though. And Ackislander is correct: If you can narrow it down to 2-3 choices and post those, it'll be easier for people to give you feedback. Basically you want to stay inside Zone 1 of the Tube (see tfl.gov.uk for maps).

The Holiday Inn Kensington Forum is quite near the Gloucester Road tube stop, which is my favorite area to stay in London. It's walking distance to the V&A and other museums, Waitrose and Sainsbury groceries, and several restaurants, as well as Harrod's; and there are three tube lines within the stop.

Thank you for this excellent information, here are a couple of other hotels I am researching, I'd welcome your comments.
-Best Western Swiss Cottage (Adamson Road)
-Best Western Phoenix
-Holiday Inn Express: Cromwell Road, Kensington
-Holiday Inn Earl's Court: North End Road
-Holiday Inn Swiss Cottage


The Best Western: Swiss Cottage is quite unlike the others in that it is full of Victorian Antiques, unusual in that it is very unlike your "usual" corporate hotel. It looks lovely and interesting, any possible downsides??

http://www.bestwestern.co.uk/Hotels/...o/Default.aspx

The down side to the Swiss Cottage area is that it's relatively far out, compared to some of the other possibilities, and the nearest Tube station is only on one line. Personally I'd never stay that far out when I could stay in Bloomsbury or Mayfair or Kensington and walk to things I wanted to get to. But you may value ambiance over location, and if so the Best Western could be a good choice for you.

The Best Western Phoenix is in Bayswater - again, fine but not terribly central (though probably more convenient than Swiss Cottage). Same for Cromwell Road and Earl's Court for me. Any of those, you're going to have to take the Tube to get to most anything you'll want to see. If you stay more centrally, you'll be able to walk to some things (though not everything).

I agree with Carolyn, Kensington Forum great transportation by tube or as I prefer the buse, You ca just about anywhere in London with 1 change. Also lots of shops and services very nearby, also some very good moderate priced dining options. We've stayed in that area for 40 years and would not change a thing.

that is tube or bus!

Swiss Cottage, Earl's Court and Kensington (not South Kensington) are far from the central parts of London you're going to want to visit as a tourist with just two or so nights in the city. I'd reject all of the five you mentioned without a second thought, except maybe the BW Phoenix (although Bayswater is not central enough for my taste).

Holiday Inn Mayfair, hands down. Across the street from Green Park tube station which is served by three lines. Walking distance to so many things - Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly area, West End/theatre land, Covent Garden, shopping on Oxford Street, and more. Rooms are pretty standard size, perhaps even a bit larger. Breakfast (not necessarily included, check) quite decent, lots of places to eat in the immediate area including to go options such as M&S Simply Food. Only downside is the obscene charge for WiFi but that's fairly common in London.

thank you all for this excellent information...I will continue my research with your information in mind.

We stayed at the Best Western in Earl's Court last Thanksgiving and we loved it. The rooms are small but cozy. It is a block from the Earl's Court tube station, which gave us easy access to pretty much anywhere in London. There is also a bus that runs along Warwick Road (I believe that was the name of the street) but I don't know the route. The Earl's Court area is a lot of fun, with a wide variety of places to eat, some basic shopping and a couple of internet cafes, although I think the hotel had free WiFi. Breakfast was included in our price (which wasn't cheap). Yes, it took a while on the tube to get to places like Buckingham Palace, the Globe Theater or the Tower of London, but it wasn't really a problem.