London on a Budget
 

The goal- finding a hotel in London for less than £150/$250 USD a night (fully refundable, AAA discount when applies rate category) from May 19-24 (ie. midweek stay)

Criteria- reasonable distance from the usual touristy things and not too far from LHR getting in and out of there. Prefer more of a neighborhood setting and not some random generic office park in the burbs because we want more of a London experience. (Whatever that may be) Nearby decent takeaway options are a plus since we usually eat rather than dine.

Here are the options I get when searching now:

HIX- Earl's Court
HIX- Swiss Cottage
HIX- London- Wadsworth
HIX-London Stratford
Staybridge Suites- London Stratford City
HIX- London Wimbledon South
HI- London Bent Cross
HIX London Park Royal

I'm leaning toward Earl's Court right now because it seems to be in a good spot between airport and museums and such and the reviews seem generally positive, but am wondering if I'm missing something from the rest of the list.

Thanks, y'all!

Hotel indigo on points, can be found for 30k a night. 70*3 = 210 USD a night.

Thanks for the reminder to look for that! The first couple Indigos I checked seem to want to stick us with a queen bed, and spousal unit is of the king-sized bed or two singles school of thought due to my alleged tendency to flop around like a dying fish while asleep. But Earl's Court Indigo will apparently let you have a king bed while on a rewards stay, so that's headed up the list now.

Slightly further out but HI Wembley is 10k points

Also Mayfair for 35k points = £150, also might help if your targetted for this bonus offer for points

If you aren't used to UK HIX they can be very different (i.e. Much worse) than those in the US.

Of your list I would take the SS in Stratford. There are good places to eat, drink and shop in the immediate area yet you are a fairly short tube ride from Central London.

I would tend to agree with Stratford. It has a reasonable High Street with a bit of a community feel, and a number of pubs which do seem to attract locals rather than visitors. Hotel prices can be extremely high now though, sometimes more than Central London - perhaps a continuing legacy of the Olympics.

The OP could also consider the HIX at Wimbledon - directly opposite a Tube station, and a fairly short ride into Central London. The price is usually quite reasonable, and again you'll find it much more a locals area if you venture into any of the pubs - but you'll spend the whole time apologising to your wife about your fish antics!

If you're looking for the 'real' London, I'm not sure it can really be defined - the communities near Heathrow are very different to, say, Finchley or Hampstead.

You could also argue that London is more typically the (financial) City or tourism, and therefore you'd be better off somewhere around Liverpool Street station (where, whilst some shops and pubs close in line with City of London trading days, Shoreditch and Brick Lane are both very short walks). If this appeals, the Indigo on The Minories can have reasonable prices and they treat Plats well.

Lastly, I really wouldn't worry about being close to LHR. It's a very accessible airport by public transport, and you'd be much better off being close to the attractions and gaining travelling time each day against the one-off extra 45 minutes at the end of your holiday. London is a fantastic City to visit as a tourist - perhaps those of us who live in the UK really don't appreciate just how much history is there.

Given you can buy 10,000 points for $70, that is effectively your price for HI Wembley. Whilst it looks ugly as heck, it has been redone internally I believe.

Would also second Stratford, brand new hotel next to the biggest shopping centre you can imagine and 45 seconds walk from about 8 different transport lines into the centre.

Thanks for the feedback! You're giving me some good things to think about. Bonus on the Staybridge woud be that they also have self-serve laundry on-site and this is the middle part of a trip that's starting to push three weeks.

Another advantage of the staybridge over HI and Indigo is that you get free breakfast every morning.

Neither of us are really significant breakfast people. If breakfast isn't included with the room rate, we're perfectly happy going with PG Tips and pop tarts in our room.

HI Wembley is usually my choice (and was when a Hilton too).

Free parking, across the road from a train station with 12 minute direct access to Marylebone, plenty of pubs and fast food places within a 5 minute walk, and the right side of London for LHR.

What's not to like?

I am am coincidentally checking out London, I believe the HI Wembley charges 25 GBP for parking.

Also, there are few IHG hotels that take more than 2 people, the HI Wembley has rooms for 3 and the Crowne Plaza City can take 4. Nothing in London for 5, unfortunately, except a HIX in Kent.

IMHO Wembley is completely the wrong location for a tourist trip to London, everything is a schlep from wembley.

I agree plus, Staybridge>HIX quality wise