size matters :)
 

Working on hotel for London for upcoming trip. One frustration I have is so many sites - hotel and booking - say "double bed" - but then sort hint it may not be standard double but queen or even king. Anyways, I usually try 2 twins to be safe. But then sometimes room size is given - we've traveled a lot (and cruised) not expecting LARGE rooms at our pricepoint but one hotel gives 215 sq ft and posters complain "small rooms" I'm thinking that is not bad for central London? Our other choice is 175 sq ft and that was larger than many I checked out. This may end up being a random rant but comments would be welcome!

"Small" or "large" in reviews is entirely subjective, and not to be relied on. Someone complaining about "small" rooms in London may be a first-timer with unreasonable expectations. Actual dimensions are a better guide. I usually stay in a sliver of a single in London, so I thought the room I had in the Premier Inn St. Pancras last trip was really big. Someone who usually stays more upmarket might think it just average.

I don't understand the bed issue. Are you saying that you prefer a standard double to a (larger) queesn or king?

I'm also confused. What exactly are you looking for?

Oh no - standard double will not do but even looking at pictures, it can be difficult to tell if the bed is larger than standard double. I am looking at one hotel now - "large bed" - what! I do sometimes email to try and get clarity but then there some language akwardness - I just wish websites would be more precise.

There are some comparative size charts on Wikipedia for U.S. and other countries' bed sizes. Quite a few differences, i.e. North American King - 78 x 80 inches. UK King - 60 x 78 inches (which is closer to U.S. Queen).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed_size

If a double won't do for you, then ONLY look at what in the UK is called a king (equal-sh to a US queen) or a super king (which is still smaller than a US king).

Never ever book a 'double'

I often book a room as small as 200-ish sq feet. But that is solo. For a couple requiring a really large bed -- 300 sq ft would be about minimum (assuming you want to be able to walk around the bed)

A zip-link is two twins which can be made up together -- which is larger than a double but would be shorter than a US king.

ps: if you want a large bed and a large room, be prepared to pay a premium.

'Never book a 'double'????

A double what? A double BED? A double ROOM?

Premier Inn, for example, has king size beds (UK king size) in their DOUBLE rooms. It's one of the largest UK hotel chains and they are budget. No 'premium' for a king size bed. It's standard in a budget hotel.

Travel Lodge, another very budget hotel, has King size beds in DOUBLE rooms. No double beds. No 'premium' for a king size bed. It's standard in a budget hotel.

It's hard to generalise with room size but both have big (king size) beds and fairly large rooms, certainly OK for 2 people. Of course you can spend more for greater luxury and bigger rooms, but even at the very lowest end, Janis' advice simply does not hold true.

We've stayed at St. Ermin's (part of the Marriott group) several times and always book a king sized bed... haven't actually noticed it being smaller than our normal CalKing at home but it does seem larger than a queen size. I think you might have better luck finding what you want at an American "brand" name like Marriott, Hilton, etc. but it wouldn't hurt to email them with your actual size question. And, yes, room size is variable even with a king sized bed since a lot of hotels are in older buildings and rooms in the same category can vary greatly.

Hope you're able to find what you need!

>>A double what? A double BED? . . . <<

A Double BED .. . jeeze louise.

A double 'room' can have anything from twins, to a small double, to a UK king, to a super king -- all would be considered a double room.

The OP obviously needs a larger bed and NOT a double.

>>but it does seem larger than a queen size.<<

Yes -- a UK king is slightly larger than a US queen. It is smaller than a US king.

Right, but it also doesn't feel cramped compared to our bed at home which is cal-king not the wider/shorter eastern king if that makes any difference to the OP.

That's my experience too. That's why I recommended the OP only book a king or super king.

BUT another issue is the OP doesn't mention if they just need a wider bed or if they also need a long bed. UK beds - even kings and super kings are a little shorter than beds in the US

The OP already stated that they don't want a double BED so telling them to never book a double BED seems unnecessary and leads one to believe that you're talking about booking a double ROOM. Need to be clear. And if Premier Inn and Travel Lodge (typical low budget hotels) offer king size beds in their standard double rooms, it's not correct to say that you need to pay a premium for a bigger bed.

Nothing applies 100% but a twin room has twin beds and a double room has a 'two person bed'. Of course some hotels will try to give you a double bed in a double room but keep in mind that even very low budget hotels provide king size beds in double rooms. You don't need to go and pay a 'premium' for this as you've been incorrectly advised.