Katie_H

London is easily considered by many to be one of the world's most expensive cities for travelers.

Fodor's recommends the following hotels in London for those travelers looking to save on accommodation; your feedback, as well as your own recommendations, would be appreciated.

You can read our full reviews of the following hotels here but this is the shortlist:
http://www.fodors.com/news/story_2906.html

The Willett
easyHotel
Colonnade
Guesthouse West
Alhambra Hotel
Tavistock Hotel
Bryanston

Have you stayed at any of the above or did we overlook one of your favorites? I know many of us have had good experiences with Priceline in London too. Any other strategies for saving in London? Has anyone used points from a hotel loyalty program for instance?

Katie_H

I actually just realized that "The Willett" should not have been included on this list since it closed recently.

Carrybean

Colonnade & Guest House West are in the same price range as the Rembrandt which is right across the street from the V & A. That's one I can recommend for a great location near the S. Kensington tube stop, Harrods & other shops Knightsbridge has to offer as well as many restaurants.

Your budget-friendly list seems to be all over the place as far as prices, though. Didn't I see £30 on up to over £150?

janisj

I really would remove the easyHotel. It seems cheap w/ all the "from £25" advertising. But I plugged in random dates in April (to avoid premium rates over Easter) and got an average of £37 per night -- for 6-7 sq meters of solid orange decor, no windows, no closet or drawers, 2 hooks on the wall, and a £10 fee for each housekeeping visit.

isabel

I can recommend the Craven Garden Hotel (www.hydeparkinn.com/craven/home.asp).

It's £46 for a single in low season, but even for a double in high season it's "only" £75, which is pretty reasonable for London. Fabulous location a half block from Hyde Park/Kensington Garden, near two main tube lines. Rooms small but very clean. Very nice full breakfast incuded unlike the tea and toast most budget hotels in London offer.

Joyce43

Try the IBIS chain of hotels. There is one just off M4 and close to Picadilly underground rail line. It also has parking.The prices compare with easyHotel.I have not been but friends have and found it excellent.

walkersonthego

In July, 2007 we stayed at Express by Holiday Inn in Earl's Court for two weeks, paying 79.00 pounds per night. The immaculately clean room had a double bed, a very firm sleeper sofa, air conditioning (yes, I said air conditioning!) TV, tea/coffee maker, and a sparkling tiled ensuite bathroom. An abundant continental breakfast of cereal, fruit, muffins and pastries was included. The hotel is about four years old, run by a very friendly staff, and is a 7- minute walk from the West Kensington tube station. Although small by U. S. standards, it was a clean and comfortable room for two adults and a teenager. No more "charming" converted Edwardian row houses with shared baths, painted-shut windows, and no elevators for us - we'll be at Express by Holiday Inn. Book online at the EbHI website.

WillTravel

Travelodge can be very cheap if you hit one of the 19/29-pound specials. I haven't stayed there, but it sounds quite basic, although some locations are very good.

jay

Priceline is still cheaper. You can get some Travellodges for 15gbp outside London if you book ahead.

Katie_H

Wow... I had no idea that you could nab hotels at those prices with priceline.

Thanks for your recommendations everybody.

bilboburgler

the yha has the best low cost accomodation in london

Katie_H

We include a few hostels in our London guide; it would be great to hear your recommendations bilboburgler.

travelgourmet

Priceline is still the best. I have never paid more than US$ 100 per night and I only bid on 4* hotels. There are several winning bids on biddingfortravel for 4* hotels in the $75 to $80 range, as well.

My brother-in-law has used Marriott points, as well. Personally, I find the point values a bit hard to justify.

kybourbon

The London School of Economics has some bargain rooms and flats if you can travel summers (usually mid-June to mid-Sept.), Easter break (about a month long break at some locations) or Christmas break (also a month break).
http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/vac...ratesavail.htm

Katie_H

kybourbon--- who knew? Thanks for posting.

travelgourmet--- What part of London do you typically stay in when you use Priceline?

KidsToLondon

For anyone with enough Marriott Rewards points, the Marriott County Hall is a darn nice choice. At "category 7" in the Marriott program though, it costs 40,000 points/night (sometimes a bit less). And that doesn't usually get you a river view room, which are the coolest.

Of course the only way this hotel could be considered "budget-friendly" is if you have points (or, a huge "budget", I suppose).

Dave

travelgourmet

What area? Well, it depends. If I am chasing a bargain, which I usually am, I generally end up in the Kensington area. Not super central, but it is very convenient to LHR and it isn't like it is terribly out of the way or anything - I don't think any of the hotels are outside of zone 1 on the tube map, for instance. The bigger issue is that this area has probably the worst hotels of any of the priceline zones. But, hey, even some of the lesser places like the Copthorne Tara are of a comfortable standard and good value at less than $100.

I have also stayed in Bloomsbury, but it often takes more to get into that area than I am willing to spend. The Regents Park zone seems to be another good area for deals, but one of the hotels in that zone (Marriott Regents Park) is pretty far out of the way.

WillTravel

I've been perfectly happy with 3* bids in London on Priceline. With this, I've gotten the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum (since upgraded to 4*), the Holiday Inn Bloomsbury (smaller, but equal in quality to the HIKF in my opinion), and the Holiday Inn Ariel at Heathrow (except for the time I got an executive room, you will probably get a rather spartan room, but perfectly satisfactory, although I would agree this is less nice than the other two Holiday Inns).

So, bid for 4* if that is what you want, but if you are a budget-focused traveler, 3* will probably be fine for you.

At the 2* level, I got the Comfort Inn Vauxhall, which is actually rated at 3* by the hotel's standards. At the time, this was a nice, new hotel. I can't guarantee everyone will have the same results, though, as you can get some not so nice 2* hotels.

The Holiday Inn Express option mentioned above sounds like a great deal, particularly for a family. We used the HIE at the Glasgow Airport, and it was excellent. I also much prefer modern, business-class hotels to ramshackle "budget" hotels.

We also stayed at the High Holborn Residence, run by the London School of Economics, which has great deals on holiday accommodation.

bilboburgler

Sorry Katie, I have stayed in some but too long ago. What I do know is the YHA is often overlooked by our visitors and yet when the pound goes too high they do not take advantage of clean, good value accomodation http://www.yha.org.uk/

SavTrav

It depends on your idea of "budget"....but we stayed at the K+K George for what we thought was a low price for what you received. Extensive buffet breakfast, nicely furnished rooms and a great garden to relax in after a long day of sightseeing. Also very close to the tube.

http://www.kkhotels.com/index.asp?ID=266