LONDON is one of the most expensive cities in the world for a holiday.
Whether that means spending six quid on a coffee, £10 for a pint or the bill you rack up constantly tapping in and out of transport – a visit to the city certainly isn’t cheap.
And when it comes to finding somewhere to stay not only can the choice be overwhelming, with around 3,000 hotels to choose from, but it can also be yet another huge expense.
In fact, the average three-star London hotel costs £161 per night and if you are wanting something a little better quality, one night in a four-star property can set you back around £249.
So finding somewhere to rest your head that doesn’t rinse your budget for food, drink and entertainment can feel almost impossible.
Lucky for you, we have tried and tested a tonne of hotels in the capital and here are the very best that are under £100 per night…
The Drey
Streamlined hotels are becoming increasingly common in cities, scraping all of the extra offerings in exchange for cheaper prices.
One of the newest – and most affordable – is The Drey in Earls Court.
Staff are on hand at the lobby but the tech-focused hotel lets you open your room via your phone rather than a physical card.
I stayed in the smallest room, The Snug, although there are also bunk-bed rooms, rooms for six people or windowless rooms for people who “take beauty sleep seriously”.
Complimentary toiletries, a coffee machine and compact bathrooms make it feel more like a four-star hotel.
For anything else you need, there is direct Whatsapp contact with hotel staff who can help out.
The on-site restaurant has been skipped, but they’ve teamed up with local cafe Elixis with a 10 per cent discount.
Rooms start from £84 (with 20 per cent off August stays right now). Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
Moxy
Think grown up hostels but in hotel form and you get Moxy.
There’s pool tables in the lobby, welcome cocktails on arrival, and 24-hour bars.
The rooms feel airy and light but with nice touches – some have bunk beds, others have funky LED lighting.
But go downstairs and you’ll usually find great music, bars that feel more like clubs and enough of a vibe that you don’t need to leave, if you’re too exhausted from a day of sightseeing but still fancy a drink.
Gyms and on-site restaurants finish it off so they tick all the boxes even on a budget. It’s not just in the city either, as they even have airport hotels too.
Albeit, these are usually a bit more pared back when it comes to the interiors, but offer the same atmosphere of a jazzed-up budget hotel.
Rooms start from £55 a night. Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
Yotel
Did you know there is a hotel whose designs were based on first class plane cabins?
Yotel is known for its famous white and purple decor, and being a great affordable option in the city not just in the UK, but also in the US, Amsterdam, Porto and even recently Japan.
Their city stays are ideal when you want a simple, but clean place to stay in a great location.
I’ve stayed in Yotel City which has fantastic views of London’s iconic landmarks like St Pauls and The Shard.
The rooms themselves are simple and functional but clean, with one of their famous features being the reclining bed, going from a space-saving sofa to a full bed.
Small cubby holes for all your gadgets and compact toilets and showers; they come with towels and toiletries.
Some have gyms and restaurants, as well as umbrellas you can rent and 24-hour grab-and-go stations.
Skip the room being made up and you can even get a discount at the bar. Rooms start from £85. Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
easyHotel
Not content with just having flights, easyHotel offers the same affordable offerings the airline is known for, but in hotel form.
Found all across Europe, most of the UK destinations are in major cities including London, Newcastle and Leeds.
Expect very basic rooms – large beds, towels and compact bathrooms with unfancy toiletries – but all you need if you need a hotel as a base.
The iconic orange branding is even dotted throughout the hotels.
You won’t find much else apart from a lobby and vending machine, so no gyms or bars here.
You’ll also have to pay extra if you want them to store your bags, but there is a 24/7 reception if you need help at any time of the day.
And for the central location – I’ve stayed in both the London City Shoreditch and London Victoria – the basic price isn’t one to be sniffed at.
Rooms from £41 a night (15 per cent off for three or more night stays). Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
Zedwell
Would you be willing to sleep underground without any windows? If you want a mega cheap city stay simply as a base to rest, then Zedwell is your hotel.
The Zedwell Tottenham Court Road takes you four floors below ground, with all the rooms being windowless.
Even as someone who is claustrophobic, I was surprised with how I felt cosy rather than trapped.
The only sound was the slight rumbling of the London Underground trains going overheard which was weirdly soothing.
Being such a budget hotel, don’t expect much else at the hotel – there’s a lobby with a vending machine, as well as a ‘beauty and ironing room’ if you need some extra amenities to get ready.
But in your room there is an ensuite with towels and toiletries, so what more could you need?
The TVs have been skipped (all in the name of better sleep) but it has fully working WiFi despite its underground location.
Rooms from £66 a night. Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
Bob W
Standing for ‘Best of Both Worlds’, Bob W has since expanded to London after success elsewhere in Europe.
Mixing all the benefits of both the perks of hotels and the freedom of Airbnb, this means mini kitchenettes and even laundry facilities at some of them.
The rooms are chic, feeling a lot fancier than the price suggests. Free Wifi, toiletries and towels, as well as complimentary luggage storage are all included in the price.
Forgotten something? Some even have complimentary lockers in reception for things like coffee pods and toilet roll if you run out.
But with no lobby or reception, everything is done via the Bob W app, and a Whatsapp chat if needed.
Due to their central location, you will easily find somewhere to eat and drink nearby if you need something, as there are no restaurants or bars within the hotel.
Or you can add on a breakfast package, usually teaming up with a local cafe.
Rooms from £70 a night (five per cent off with free Bob’s Inner Circle loyalty scheme). Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
Premier Inn
You can never go wrong with a Premier Inn in my opinion, and I’ve stayed in my fair share of them. (To prove my credentials, I even have the Premier Inn pillows at home).
But I’ve stayed in them all over the country, especially when it comes to weddings and hen dos, as well as at airports before an early flight.
For £35 a night, you get a clean, simple room, usually with a fairly standard but satisfying menu of food and drink from the onsite restaurant.
One of the most beautiful I’ve stayed at is the newish hub Premier Inn London Farringdon (Old Bailey) which has turned an old Victorian police station (hub being the compact city-centre affordable sister brand).
If you want some peace and quiet, book a room on the quiet floors, while their upgraded Next Evolution rooms are also being rolled out.
And with kids staying and eating for free, it’s no wonder the budget hotel chain is so well-loved.
Want to go even smaller? Try the ZIP by Premier Inn – even more basic but £25 a night.
Rooms from £35 a night. Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
The Z Hotel
Z Hotels Gloucester Place is home to a room package that is all-inclusive, which means you get soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, snacks, lunch and dinner all included in the price.
The Z Club room is exclusive to the Gloucester Place hotel and inside each room you will find a king-size bed and ensuite.
While the rooms are nothing special, they are spacious and have everything you need.
And you can’t argue with the location – Marble Arch tube station is just a 10-minute walk away, and Baker Street is a five-minute walk away.
Guests can check in from 3pm, which is what I did and I beelined straight for the dining area where I helped myself to afternoon tea selection, which included ham and cheese croissants and a cake stand featuring macarons, brownies, flapjacks, and pots of tiramisu.
You can also order items from a menu, including salmon and sauerkraut ciabatta or a salad.
In the evening, cheese and wine appears – you just have to ask the host for a glass of wine, but you can have as many glasses as you like.
In the morning, breakfast then consists of toast, flatbreads with omelette and bacon, fresh fruit, Greek yogurt and pastries. A Z Club Room costs from £110 per night, which is just £55 per person, per night. Cyann Fielding, Travel Reporter
Zedwell Pods
Zedwell is one of the city’s newest hotels to open, right in the middle of Piccadilly Circus where you can normally expect hotels to have high prices.
Not Zedwell – the new hotel claims to be the world’s biggest capsule hotel, and with that, comes the small price of just £30 a night.
That definitely makes it the cheapest hotel room in the city (unless you want to bunk up in an 18-bed dorm).
Inside, decked out with a modern concrete and timber design, there are nearly 1,000 individual sleep capsules over five floors.
It’s a twist on the traditional ‘dorm style’ hostel set up as each guest gets privacy and security of being tucked up in your capsule, with the ability to lock it from the inside.
On first glance, the dorm rooms, which are minimalist and dimly-lit looked a bit like a car park or a storage locker with pods stacked on top of each other – but inside, I was surprised to find a cute little space, with mood lighting and welcoming interiors.
Each capsule is made from oak and comes with a single Hypnos mattress, Egyptian cotton bedding, individual mini aircon or heat, smart climate control, noise reduction, and ambient lighting.
There is also a plug socket inside, two USB plugs and a mirror – there isn’t much storage space though, so you’ll need to leave your suitcase outside your capsule.
There are clean common areas too, which felt more adult then teen-backpacker, which includes a lounge and co-working space.
The city is crying out for affordable places to stay and for £30? It can’t be beaten. Helen Wright, Travel Writer
A&O
There’s a little-known London hotel hack that can get you an entire “suite” for just £65 a night.
A&O London Docklands Riverside used to be a Hilton Doubletree Hotel, and some of the spacious rooms which used to be king junior suites are now being sold for the price of a double room under the new ownership.
You can bag a suite-sized room with a large double bed, sofa and lounge area, desk to work at plus even your own balcony overlooking the Thames from just £65 a night.
The hotel sits opposite fancy finance district Canary Wharf, and a stay here even bags you free unlimited travel on the ferry to cross over the river.
Visit Fairgame to go head to head at fairground-style shooting and sports games, and make sure to book in for dinner at the American-style BBQ restaurant Big Easy.
You won’t miss it, thanks to its giant neon lights illuminating the waterfront and blasting country music. Jenna Stevens, Travel Reporter
Ibis London Luton Airport
Sometimes, when you have a really early flight, it is just easier to stay at a hotel the night before.
If heading on holiday from London Luton Airport, make sure to stay at ibis London Luton Airport.
The three-star budget friendly hotel is just a 10-minute walk from the terminal and rooms are basic but well air conditioned, comfortable, sound proof and come with a TV, tea and coffee making facilities and your own bathroom.
Inside, there is a 24-hour bar and a cosy onsite restaurant too.
In the morning, you can help yourself to a breakfast buffet – though if your flight is super early like mine was, let reception know and they will make up a breakfast bag for you to collect when you check out.
Rooms cost from as little as £56 per night. Cyann Fielding, Travel Reporter
Holiday Inn Express London – ExCeL
I love Holiday Inn hotels. Which might seem excessive, given they are a chain of budget hotels, but I’m always astonished at the ease of check-in, the quality of the rooms and how good the food and drink options are.
One of my favourite pre-holiday treats is to check in to one of their airport properties before a super early morning flight, to avoid the pain of leaving my house at 3am on the morning I fly.
Holiday Inn London Gatwick is an absolute giant of a hotel with 216 rooms, but it’s always super quiet in the rooms and it has a two-minute walk to the check-in desks.
But my favourite so far is the Holiday Inn Express London– Excel, which is right next to the Excel Centre in the Docklands and a short taxi ride from London City Airport.
With recently refurbished rooms from £87 a night, which includes a free hot breakfast, the beds are super comfy and very clean and the bathroom is always spotless.
Much like Gatwick, the rooms are really quiet – essential when you are under a flight path and guests are arriving and leaving at all times of the the night.
But my favourite part was the restaurant though, which was stylish with a wide range of options for adults that included curries, burgers, pizzas and ribs from £15.50 for a main.
Kids can have a two-course menu from £5.99, which choices like pizza, spaghetti bolognese and fish and chips. Caroline McGuire, Head of Travel, Digital
Otherwander
Otherwander recently opened in the heart of Soho, approximately 30 seconds away from Oxford Street’s Elizabeth Line entrance so the location couldn’t be better for exploring the capital.
Unlike a normal hotel, Otherwander is a pod hotel which means you get a capsule-like room, with just a bed – no windows, no bathroom.
When you book, you can opt between an upper or lower pod; I opted for an upper pod, which feels more like climbing into a UFO.
I was surprised to find my upper double pod didn’t feel boxy or claustrophobic, despite being only the width of a standard double bed.
You’ll get USB and USB-C charging points, your own air con, a night light, reading light and even a colour-changing light.
You’ll also find a shelf, complete with a strap to secure your backpack or cabin-sized suitcase and three hooks for coats, jackets or towels.
The pod self locks and if you feel a little claustrophobic in the night then there is a little window with a shutter that you can leave open.
You can also choose between a double for £80 per night (£40 per person, per night) or a single for £70 per night. Cyann Fielding, Travel Reporter