I will escort some relatives in London next week on a flash 48hrs trip for medical reasons. We'll visit a hospital located in Stepney Green. I am a seasoned UK visitor yet not particularly familiar with East London. I need to find a mid-priced hotel in a quiet and safe neiborhood close to the hospital. Any recomendations would be most welcome.

Assuming you mean the London Independent Hospital, you will probably have to travel by bus or train to get there. According to the Yellow Pages (search www.yell.com for hotels in E1 and E14), the hotels nearest the buses and trains that run past that area are the Tower Thistle (take an eastbound District Line train from Tower Hill station) and the City Hotel at the bottom of Brick Lane (25 bus along Whitechapel High St or train from Aldgate East station). There's a Holiday Inn Express in Limehouse that is geographically nearer but only if you're walking 10-15 minutes to get to Stepney Green.

There are more a bit further east around Canary Wharf (another Travelodge, an Ibis, as well as more up-market places like a Marriott and a Four Seasons), but getting from there to Stepney Green would mean changing trains and buses or taking taxis.

Being a resident of the area, I don't really know what any of these hotels are like inside.

As Patrick says - the area is not full of hotels. You really won't be able to stay near the hospital. So his suggestions are probably the best.

Of all of them the Tower Thistle is the nicest - Great location right on the river w/ views of the Tower/bridge etc. But since this is not a sightseeing trip that isn't probably that important.

The hotel is about a 5 minute walk from Tower Hill tube station and Stepney Green station is right across the street from the hospital so it would be a convenient location.

What do you consider "mid-priced"?

Another thought - since the hosp it on the District line you could stay lots of places farther west in central London -- places along the District line like Victoria, S. Kensington, St James, etc. The tube trip would be longer but there would be a HUGE selection of hotels in all price ranges plus shops/restaurants for when you aren't at the hospital.

thank you both Patrick & Janis, for your suggestions.
I finally went by Patrick's advice about Canary Warf and I reserved rooms at the Britannia International for 80 GBP (taxes and breakfast included). I perfectly understand that we'll have either to change trains or to take a taxi, yet I believe -and hope not to be proven mistaken- that the cost of a taxi for three persons to Stepney Green won't be significantly greater than the cost of the tube ride. Anyway, whatever the cost, a taxi would be more comfortable and in that case this is rather important.

Canary Wharf would certainly have more variety in the way of shops and restaurants than either the Tower or anywhere else near the hospital.

For taxi fares see http://www.tfl.gov.uk/pco/taxi_fares.shtml. The journey should cost around £10 -£12 each time (but you might get a slightly cheaper deal if you ask the hotel to book a 'minicab' - private car - driver). By public transport it should be about £2.50 per head each way, since you'd have to change and pay again (or you could get three-day Travelcards for £15 per head if you're likely to be travelling elsewhere around London as well). The most practicable route by public transport from Canary Wharf is by bus to Mile End (D7 or 277) and then the 25 from outside Mile End tube station to Stepney Green, or take the tube for that leg.