London Hotel Tips by Dabs

Ibis Budget Whitechapel: Budget lodging in London's east end

I happened upon a post about a new Ibis hotel opening in Whitechapel and the rate was fantastic, 44£ for the 1st nights and 60£ for the other 4 nights. The hotel is brand new, they seem to have built the entrance inside a former car showroom and then up.

I reserved a double room as it was the same price as a twin. When I arrived very early in the morning from Heathrow, they first said it would be an extra 10£ to check in early and then said, sorrry, we were fully booked last night and that's not an option.

I think the area around the hotel is interesting with a lot of ethnic shops and restaurants. It's located on Whitechapel Road which is a very busy street at all times of the day. It was equidistant from the Aldgate East and Whitechapel tube stations and there is a bus stop almost right outside the hotel. It wasn't an inconvenient as I originally thought, the Tower of London is just a tube stop away, you can walk to many of the east end markets and a couple of the major train stations, Waterloo and King's Cross/St. Pancras, are just a few stops away

Unique Qualities: For those unfamiliar with the Ibis chain, Ibis hotels offer basic cheap accomodation with no frills. The beds are typically about as basic as you can get, there are no additional amenities like room safes, refrigerators, irons, tea service or hair dryers. But they are clean, very affordable and comfortable enough. Some of the Ibis budget hotels are formerly Etap hotels, this one is brand new as of June 2012.

Wifi was free, at first they gave you a new code every day, mid stay they gave me a code for the rest of my stay.

A buffet breakfast is extra, I didn't take it but it looked to be reasonably priced, 4-5£.

Although next to a mosque, I only heard the prayer call once, the windows seem to insulate the outside noise. The rooms have a/c so you don't really need to open the windows, in any case, there was a lock on the windows and they only opened a crack.

The double room I stayed in, room 610, had the shower enclosure inside the room so when you stepped out, you were inside the bedroom, not a bathroom. The toilet is behind a separate door. Because this is an Ibis budget hotel and not a regular Ibis, I think even the twin rooms have this configuration so it might be awkward if you are traveling with someone you don't want to see naked.

Address: 100 Whitechapel Road, E1 1JG LONDON

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Closest tube: Aldgate East or Whitechapel, slightly closer to Aldgate East (District or Hammersmith & City)

Price: US$80-120

Theme: Hotel

Website: http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-8033-ibis-budget-london-whitechapel/index.shtml

Various: Priceline

If you're not needing a specific hotel in London and you don't have more than 2 people, Priceline is an excellent way to get a great hotel for a great price. I've not been disappointed with the value for the money paid on any of the deals I've gotten, some of which are listed below (pre tax):

July 2002, 4* Copthorne Tara in Kensington for $75US
May 2003 4* Mayfair Intercontinental in Mayfair for $65 (+$10 bonus money from Priceline)
June 2004 4* Waldorf Hilton in Mayfair/Soho for $100
August 2004 4* Holiday Inn London Kensington Forum in Kensington for $70
January 2006 4* Thistle Charing Cross in Mayfair/Soho for $80
June 2007 4* Marriott Hotel Maida Vale in Regent's Park for $125
June 2007 4* Hilton London Metropole in Regent's Park for $100
June 2007 4* Copthorne Tara in Kensington for $100
January 2008 4* Hilton London Metropole in Regent's Park for $110
July/Aug 2008 4* Copthorne Tara in Kensington for $90
May 2009 4* NH Harrington in Kensington for $75 ($90.87 with tax)
September 2010 4* NH Harrington in Kensington for $105 ($125.95 with tax)
July 2011 4* Hilton Islington in Finsbury Islington for $120 ($152.08 with tax)
July 2012 4* K West Spa in Notting Hill Bayswater for $105 ($136 with tax)
June 2013 5* Marriott County Hall in Westminster for $90 (bid for 4*, got upgraded, $111 with tax)

You can bid for certain areas, Priceline has a rough map that shows you where you will be. Mayfair/Soho, the most central area, tends to be the most expensive, my 2nd choice is usually Kensington-Earl's Court-Knightsbridge. Regent's Park-Baker Street might be a bit far out for some new London visitors but I really enjoyed staying there. The other categories are too far out for me.

Be sure to check out Better Bidding or Bidding For Travel before bidding to check for what hotels are likely to come up, hotel reviews and recent bids and their FAQ section which tells you a lot about how Priceline works. Priceline is blind bidding so you don't know which hotel until your bid is accepted. It's non refundable, non changeable and non cancellable so there is an element of risk involved should your trip be cancelled, there is an insurance option but I've never looked into it. I usually start bidding about 30 days in advance for London but for my June 2013 trip I bid more than 3 months out and still got a really good deal. I'm sure there is some complicated formula but I did notice that there didn't seem to be high prices or high demand for hotels for my dates.

Theme: Hotel

Website: http://www.priceline.com

K West Hotel & Spa: Priceline-Notting Hill/Bayswater K West Hotel & Spa Review

I wasn't very happy at first when I got the K West Hotel when I bid on Priceline, the closest tube is Shepard's Bush which I thought to be a bit outside the zone I was bidding on. I was probably bidding a bit too early as this stay was after the cruise so I was bidding at least a couple of weeks out. I finally got it at $105US +tax. It ended up not being too bad of a location, just a couple of stops from Notting Hill Gate where we spent Saturday morning and only about 45 minutes from Heathrow where we went on Sunday.

In the immediate area there was a Westfield shopping mall with a whole string of restaurants including a Wagamama, one of Jamie Oliver's restaurants and a branch of the Real Greek. I also spotted a Nando's and there were a lot of little takeaway kebab shops and fast food. There's a Morrison's supermarket on the main street as well as a couple of everything for a £ shops.

Shepard's Bush (central line) is the closest tube station but for our trip to Heathrow they suggested going to Shepard's Bush Market (Circle and Hammersmith/City lines) for an easier connection, it was 5-10 minutes up the street. To get to the hotel from Shepard's Bush station, you cross over the busy street in front of the station and then walk down a ramp and take the right branch at the bottom which is Richmond Way, the hotel is a couple minutes walk from there. The street is pretty deserted at night but I didn't have any concerns as I was traveling with my husband.

Unique Qualities: I'd have to debate Priceline's 4* designation for this hotel, the carpet is pretty worn and stained throughout the hotel, our shower had a bit of mold in it. But otherwise, it was fine. The room had everything you'd expect-a room safe, a small refrigerator, ironing board, TV hair dryer.

The shower was good and there were nice big fluffy towels. Shampoo, conditioner and bath gel as well as bar soap.

We didn't try getting wifi in our room but there were a few computer terminals in the lobby where we checked our email. We also didn't really check out the spa services, I assume everything was extra.

Checkin and checkout were fine, we arrived before the normal checkin time and had no problem getting a room right away. Breakfast is extra

Address: Richmond Way, London, W14 0AX, United Kingdom

Comparison: about average

Directions: Closest tube: Shepards Bush (central line), Shepards Bush Market is 5-10 minutes on foot (Hammersmith & City, Circle Line)

Price: US$120-180

Theme: Hotel

Website: http://www.k-west.co.uk/

Premier Inn London Kensington Olympia: Budget lodging Earl's Court

Bidding on Priceline just wasn't giving me anything, I would later find out that our visit coincided with Wimbledon which was making hotel rates very high in London for part of our visit. I had booked the Premier Inn as a backup hotel on booking.com and ended up keeping the reservation.

The hotel is just a 5-10 minute walk from the Earl's Court tube station, the Earl's Court station is convenient for Heathrow as it is a stop on the Piccadilly line and also has connections with the Circle line and both branches of the District Line. The area has a lot of restaurant, many of which are chains, including Nando's, Strada, Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Masala Zone.

Breakfast wasn't included in our rate so we stopped every morning at the grocery store to get breakfast. Wifi was only available at an extra charge so we used the computer terminal in the lobby which was £1 for 20 minutes.

Unique Qualities: We had booked a twin room months in advance so that my niece and I could have separate beds but they only had a double when we arrived the 1st day, the 2nd day they moved us to a handicap accessible twin which was quite spacious, both the bedroom and the bathroom. The beds were fine and the room was fine, I just didn't want to pay £117 ($180US) per night for a budget hotel!

There were minimal toiletries, I think just bar soap. Because the room was handicap accessible, there were no doors on the shower, we learned the hard way not to leave clothing on the floor.

Address: 22-32 West Cromwell Road, London, SW5 9QJ

Comparison: about average

Price: US$120-180

Theme: Hotel

Website: http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/LONOLY/london-kensington-olympia

Hilton Islington Hotel London: Priceline-Finsbury/Islington Hilton Islington Hotel London Review

I had a really difficult time bidding on Priceline for my July 2011 visit, I never did get a room for the 5 days on the front end of the trip but less than a week from travel, after bidding for weeks at the same rate, I finally got the Hilton Islington for our last night by bidding $120 for a 4* in Finsbury/Islington. I probably could have got it for slightly less but I was so frustrated in bidding that I just bid the maximum I was willing to pay in the area I wanted and got this hotel.

The reason I picked the area was because it was close to King's Cross/St. Pancras where the Eurostar comes in, the Angel station is one tube stop away. But in retrospect, it probably would have been better to ride the tube to get closer to Heathrow, the connection at King's Cross to get to the Northern line was a really long walk and then it added an extra 20-30 minutes the next morning to get to Heathrow.

The area itself looked interesting, lots of shops, restaurants and pubs along the High Street. In terms of convenience to the sights, it's not the most convenient location as just about everywhere most people would go would require at least one tube line change including Heathrow.

Unique Qualities: It's not one of the nicer Hiltons I've stayed at, it's more of a business hotel than a leisure hotel and it's looking a little worn. There wasn't really anything wrong with the room except a couple of housekeeping overlooks, a bottle cap under the bed and a 1/2 used shampoo bottle in the shower. It didn't bother me but I was thinking that the Hilton's cleaning staff shouldn't miss two such obvious things.

We really just used the hotel to sleep, the room had a safe, ironing board, bathrobes, hair dryer, TV, work desk, and tea service. The room was large by London standards. I don't think it had free wifi but I didn't check.

Thw shower was fine although there was a little mold on the shower curtain. Tolietries provided included soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion and bath gel plus a few extras like a sewing kit and shower cap.

Address: 53 Upper Street, London, N1 0UY, United Kingdom

Comparison: about average

Directions: Just up the street from the Angel tube station, 5-10 minute walk along Upper Street

Price: US$120-180

Theme: Hotel

Belvedere Hotel: More budget lodging near Paddington Station Belvedere Hotel Review

I booked my accomodations just shortly after Prince William & Kate announced their wedding date, all of the chain budget hotels were booked so I looked at places up near Paddington Station where I knew that there would be something available. They hadn't upped their prices for the wedding, either I booked too quickly or they simply aren't gougers. I was going to try Priceline just before the wedding but a friend ended up booking at the same place so I kept the reservation.

I booked a single room but think I ended up with a double since my bed could have fit two reasonably sized people. My traveling companion ended up with a room on the ground level, I got room 10 which is up three flights of stairs, there is no elevator so if you are unable to climb stairs with your luggage I would contact the hotel before you book and make sure you can get a room on the ground floor. There were even more rooms higher than mine and there is no lift.

There was a bit of noise from the street and you could hear the trains from Paddington on the ground floor. The walls were a bit thin but my neighbors weren't too noisy.

Unique Qualities: The hotel was just a 5 minute walk from Paddington Station, the directions on booking.com made it look much farther away.

The room was on the small side but certainly large enough for me and my luggage. The bed wasn't the most comfortable I've ever slept on but it was fine for a week. There was a TV with a decent amount of channels and tea service in the room.

The bathroom was also quite small, the water pressure in the shower was fine and there was plenty of hot water. The only toiletry that was provided was a bar of soap and a small towel. There was a hair dryer in the room and I believe they had an iron you could borrow.

Breakfast was included in my rate and they gave you a full English breakfast with over easy eggs, toast, sausage, bacon and beans plus tea, coffee, juice and cereal. Most mornings I could sit down with no problem.

You had to buzz to get into the hotel 24 hours a day which made the hotel reasonably secure. The desk staff was polite and helpful, you could leave your bags on the day of checkout up until 2pm without charge but you left them in the small lobby of the hotel which I guess is as secure as anywhere since the desk clerks never leave.

My satisfied rating means that the hotel was exactly what I expected, a clean, basic, well located hotel. I wouldn't stay here or any of the other budget hotels in the area if Priceline bidding was an option but if I booked again during a busy period I would probably stay here again.

Address: 52-54 Norfolk Square, London, W2 1RT, United Kingdom

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: From Paddington Station go east on Praed Street to London Street, turn right and then turn left on the 1st corner which is Norfolk Square. The Belvedere is almost at the other end of the square

Price: US$80-120

Theme: Hotel

Website: http://www.belvederehotel.co.uk/

Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London: Modern hotel near Westminster Bridge Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London Review

Normally I would bid on Priceline to get a hotel in London but for 1 weekend night on a bank holiday and at the end of the school term, London was just too busy to get inventory on Priceline so I finally just booked the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge for the 1 night for £111 on booking.com with a non refundable rate. I picked this hotel because it had a pool and it was close to Waterloo Station, one of the two train stations that go to Windsor where we needed to be the next night. While no location in London is perfect for everything you want to do, many of London's attractions are just a short walk-Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye. The Westminster tube station is just over the bridge and Waterloo Station is a 5 minute walk.

Unique Qualities: The room was very modern and had all of the amenities you would expect from a 4 star hotel, an in room safe, free wifi, tea service, ironing board. The beds were comfortable, unfortunately I had booked a twin to get the lowest rate and that was all they had left. Our room had an interior view into the hotel's courtyard but some of the rooms have views of the Thames and Parliament.

The bathroom had a bathtub, with a rubber ducky, and a separate shower. Toiletries included were soap, bath gel, shampoo and lotion. Plenty of hot water. Hair dryer was located in the dresser.

We didn't check out the workout facilities as we walk so much when we are in London but we did have a look at the pool, it was too small for my husband to do laps and when we looked in, it was filled with young kids.

Address: 200 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7UT, United Kingdom

Comparison: more expensive than average

Directions: From Westminster tube station cross over the Westminster Bridge and you will see it right in front of you. Also close enough to Waterloo Station to walk.

Phone: 44 844 415 6780

Price: US$120-180

Theme: Hotel

NH Harrington Hall: Priceline 4* Kensington Harrington Hall Hotel Review

2nd stay September 2010

Once again I used Priceline to bid for a hotel room in London this time bidding 4* in Kensington/Earl's Court, in May 2009 I got this hotel for $75 plus tax, this time wasn't as cheap at $105US plus tax but still better than straight out booking a hotel. It's a couple of blocks from the Gloucester tube station which is very convenient from Heathrow on the Piccadilly line, no transfers(40-45 minutes), and is also a District and Circle line stop.

I was here for 5 days on this trip, check in was pleasant and they allowed us to go to the room before check in time, check out was quick.

There are more and more shops and restaurants every time we stay in this area, a branch of Nando's and several other nicer looking restaurants within a block of the hotel, there's a large Waitrose grocery store next door to the tube station and a 24 hour Tesco on Gloucester Road. This website has a listing of some of the other places to eat, drink and be merry in the area.

There is a small business center, you can ask at the front desk for a voucher for 15 minutes of internet access, honestly I found it more frustrating than useful as it was slow and the 15 minutes up too quickly.

Unique Qualities: Room-while not the biggest room I've stayed at in the 4* category, it was also not the smallest. The double bed was two twin beds pushed together, it was reasonably comfortable with down comforters and ample pillows. The room had a trouser press, iron and ironing board, mini bar, room safe, hair dryer, TV and air conditioning. We couldn't use the mini bar refrigerator but I believe that was because we didn't leave a credit card number.

Bathroom-shower had plenty of hot water, toiletries included fancy orange and green soap, bath gel and shampoo, decent towels and a heated towel rack.

The only minor complaint I have is that the cleaning staff moved a whole bunch of my stuff the 1st time they cleaned from the night stand to the desk, I don't know why they felt compelled to move it.

Address: 5-25 Harrington Gardens, South Kensington, London SW7 4JW

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: 2 blocks from the Gloucester tube station, turn right out of the station and then right again on Harrington Gardens and it's on the 1st block

Price: US$80-120

Theme: Hotel

Website: http://www.harringtonhallhotel.co.uk/

Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington: Comfortable lodging-Kensington (Priceline) Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington Review

Most recent stay August 2008

I've stayed at the Copthorne Tara at least four times, all winning bids on Priceline for a 4* in Kensington, the most recent in August 2008 was $90 per night plus tax. I've seen a lot of bad reviews and maybe I've been lucky but I've never had a complaint while staying here. Perhaps it's not a 4* hotel but believe me it's a heck of a lot better than what you can get by paying $100 per night without using Priceline.

I'm not a very demanding traveler, I like for my hotel room to be clean, the bed to be comfortable, the hotel convenient to sites or to public transportation and to be quiet at night. The Copthorne Tara fulfilled all of those requirements.

Check in was quick, maybe 10 minutes. The room was prepaid and I didn't have any charges so we slipped our key in a box on the front desk on the way out. We requested rooms with 2 beds in them and the request was noted in their computer and honored.

The hotel is in a nice residential neighborhood within walking distance of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, the High Street Kensington tube station with access to the circle and district lines was no more than a 5 minute walk, there was a Marks & Spencer food hall, a Tesco Metro and Whole Foods within a couple of blocks and a Waitrose within about 10 minute walk to stock up on breakfast supplies. A lot of restaurants within walking distance including branches of Wagamama, Strada, and Giraffee and a couple of the Maroush chain-Randa and Ranoush Juice.

The room had a hair dryer, a/c and a small refrigerator which is great for storing drinks, yogurt, milk, etc. I believe there's an ironing board and there's a teapot and tea in the room.

Unique Qualities: I've stayed in both twin rooms and double rooms, most of the rooms have separate faucets for hot and cold but we had one that had both out of the same faucet. The rooms are decent sized, for a few nights we added a cot to one of the rooms and had to pull the small table out.

Toiletries are shampoo, bath gel and bar soap. Shower pressure good, plenty of hot water and decent towels.

Some of the rooms face the tube station which is above ground at that point and although we could hear it, the noise wasn't terribly loud. It's a very popular hotel with tour groups and airline personnel.

Internet access in the lobby for £1 for 20 minutes, more convenient than running down to the Easy Internet cafe down the street.

Address: Scarsdale Place, London, England W8

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: less than a 5 minute walk from the High Street Kensington tube

Phone: 44 (0) 20 7937 7211

Price: US$80-120

Theme: Hotel

Website: http://www.millenniumhotels.co.uk/copthornetarakensington/index.html

Hilton London Metropole: Priceline 4* Regent's Park Hilton London Metropole Review

2nd stay Januaury 2008 for 8 nights

I've stayed here twice now, most recently for 8 nights for $110 plus tax by bidding Priceline for a 4* in Regent's Park. It's a very busy convention hotel so I think the long stay drove the rate up a bit. I always check Bidding For Travel before bidding on Priceline.

Perhaps not an ideal location for the 1st time visitor but for someone like me on their 11th visit to London doing several daytrips from Paddington, the location was great, very close to both Edgware Road tube stations. You should be able to see the highrise Hilton from either tube station, one serves the Bakerloo line, the other serves the Central, District and Hammersmith lines. You can also catch buses along Edgware Road, bus 98 took me to Oxford Street.

Suzan's Cafe where I had breakfast on my June 2007 visit was closed but there are several other places along Praed Street that do breakfast. If you are looking for lunch or dinner, Edgware Road is lined with middle Eastern/Lebanese restaurants plus you are within walking distance of Paddington Station where I found two good kebab shops, Lolita and Flames. There's a Marks & Spencer within a block which has a food hall and also a Sommerfield grocery store a few blocks south of the hotel on Edgware Road plus a Woolworth's where we stocked up on Love Hearts.

My 2nd picture is of the flats near the tube station, I really like the gingerbread look to them.

Unique Qualities: Room-I thought the bed was a little uncomfortable for a 4* hotel, the mattress was on top of a wood frame in both the double and twin rooms. The twin double room was small but not claustrophic. There was a minibar, tea service, in room safe, TV with very limited channels. You have to pay extra if you want a refrigerator.

Bathroom-good water pressure and plenty of hot water in the shower, full range of toiletries including shampoo, conditioner, bath gel, soap and lotion. Decent towels, hair dryer.

We had quite a few service glitches in January 2008-our safe was locked and we couldn't use it, no matter what we tried we couldn't clear the blinking message light on the phone, the door key had to be reset three times and the elevators would occasionally reset themselves and start going the opposite direction. We called service 4 or 5 times to get the safe and phone reset with no results.

Overall, it was OK with the Priceline rate but no way would I pay full price for this Hilton, it is not up to Hilton standards.

Address: 225 Edgware Road, London

Comparison: more expensive than average

Directions: Closest tube: Edgware Road, you should be able to see the hotel from either station

Phone: 44-20-7402 4141

Price: US$80-120

Theme: Hotel

Website: http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/LONMETW-Hilton-London-Metropole-hotel/index.do