Need help finalizing our trip - Hotel
 

My wife and I are about to book our first trip to london, and we can't decide on a hotel. Our choices are the Holiday Inn Mayfair or the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum. The Holiday Inn Mayfair is $80USD/night more than Holiday Inn Kensington. My wife likes the location of the Mayfair and thinks the extra money would be well worth it. I think the Kensington would be fine and we could take the money we save ($400 USD) to use on our trip. We are staying 5 nights.

What do you think? Please help!

I can only speak of the HI Kensington which used to be the Hotel Forum when I stayed there 3 years ago. As the name says it's located closeby to Kensington Gardens and Kensington High Street (I believe that's the name).
The hotel itself is a typical high-rise building. Our room was not worth the high rate although I realize hotels are very expensive in London. The room was super small, charmless, and the bathroom was tiny and basic.
They've got a bar/restaurant on the ground floor. Surprisingly the fish and chips were good.
Other than Kensington Gardens and some shopping on the main street there, there weren't too many options for eating.
And I would not stay at that hotel again.

Thanks for the info! I am going to re-post my message and put London in the title so people will know what I am talking about!

The Holiday Inn Mayfair would be an excellent choice. The rooms are a good size, and the location can't be beat--quite near the Green Park tube station and walking distance to Piccadilly Circus, not to mention Fortnum & Mason.

Too bad I learned about the HI Mayfair too late. Go for the Mayfair then.

BTW, your posts can't go exclusively to any one city section. Everything gets posted to the Europe forum. So you've got two separate posts here.

South Kensington is a great area in which to stay, not quite as centralized as Mayfair, but it has a real neighbourhood feel to it. However that hotel (HI Kensington Forum) is not desirable. There are lots of other, nicer hotels in S. Ken if that's where you want to stay.
But the HI Mayfair is pretty popluar on this forum.

Here's another thread that talks about the HI Mayfair. Seems people were getting a better price than you may have been quoted.
http://www.fodors.com/forums_reg/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

Ack-sorry. Didn't read properly what you said.

Yes, putting "London" in the heading would help.

And there are quite a few mixed reviews about the HI Kensinton. Well, that confirms my thoughts about the hotel...