Boutique on a budget: Affordable hotels in London

Looking for somewhere to stay in London without a huge price tag? Here’s my pick of affordable hotels in London for boutique on a budget, which come with stylish rooms, central locations and luxury touches.

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When I moved out of London after 10 years, one of the biggest shocks I had was how tough it is finding somewhere to stay as a visitor. The problem isn’t a shortage of options – there are over 1000 hotels in the city plus hundreds of B&Bs and apartments. But how do you narrow it down, particularly when you’re looking for affordable hotels in London?

Like many visitors, my tastes – and my budget – lie somewhere in the middle between hostel bunk beds and five-star luxury. But with London’s sky-high prices, even an basic chain hotel can set you back over £200 a night. So is it possible to find a hotel with a central London location and a high-quality experience without a scary price tag?

It is at these affordable luxury hotels in London, where a stylish boutique-style room in the heart of the city can be yours for not much over £100 a night. Each of these hotel brands – often small chains with a few locations around the city – have stripped back unnecessary feature like gyms or business centres, and concentrate on offering good-value rooms.

You don’t have to sacrifice style if you want an affordable hotel in London either, with high-quality beds, contemporary furniture and artworks, as well as a few luxurious extras. Which makes them my top choices when I need somewhere to stay in London.

Tips for finding affordable hotels in London

Book in advance: London’s always busy and there’s a limited number of affordable hotels, so book in advance to get the best deals. Though not too far in advance – research has shown that around 30 days before your stay is the sweet spot for the lowest prices.

Sign up for mailing lists: If you have a particular hotel or chain you want to stay in, sign up for their mailing list to get news of discounts or special offers. Some offer memberships where you can save money by registering – like The Resident which gives members a 15% discount on stays. Or you can get extra perks like free drinks or late checkout.

Shop around: You can often find the same hotel room for totally different prices on different booking sites, so try a few different sites – or use comparison sites like Trivago or TripAdvisor – as well as checking prices with the hotels directly.

Consider a split stay: If one or two nights in your chosen hotel are much pricier than the rest, it can be worth splitting the trip across two nearby hotels with one mid-week switch. Hotel Splitter* is a London-first tool that lets you check this quickly, showing one total price in £ across one booking.

Map of affordable hotels in London

The Resident

Formerly known as the Nadler, the Resident has three hotels around London – in Soho, Victoria and Covent Garden. They offer four-star rooms at an affordable price by editing out the hotel extras. So the focus is on the rooms, which come with added luxury touches like Nespresso machines, Brita water filter taps and mini kitchens in each room.

There’s a choice of room categories, which vary slightly in each location but include single, small double, standard double, king, superior, deluxe and suites. The main difference is the size of the rooms as all have wifi, air con, custom artworks and Molton Brown toiletries.

Their hotels don’t have restaurants so breakfast isn’t included, but you get discounts at local cafés and restaurants. I love the mini kitchens, which have a microwave, sink, kettle, fridge and cutlery and crockery. So you can easily make your own breakfast or get a takeway. You can also pre-stock your fridge with drinks, snacks or groceries before you arrive.

I stayed at the Resident Victoria, which is next to The Other Palace theatre, opposite Buckingham Palace and 10 minutes’ walk to Victoria Tube and coach stations. The Resident Soho is just south of Oxford Street, surrounded by Soho’s bars and restaurants. And the Resident Covent Garden is close to the Royal Opera House and West End theatres.

All hotels have a 24-hour reception desk where their ‘Resident Insiders’ can give guests suggestions on places to eat and drink, and book tours and travel.

Check prices for The Resident*: Covent Garden | Soho | Victoria

Z Hotels

Another smart, central option are Z Hotels. They brand themselves as ‘The Urbanite Stay’ and have 12 locations across London. Rooms are compact but smartly designed to make the most of the space and focus on the essentials – quality beds and powerful showers.

These affordable hotels in London are perfect if you want to be in the heart of things and won’t be spending too much time in your room. There are singles, double and queen rooms plus wheelchair-accessible rooms, plus a few family rooms with a double bunk bed.

Cheapest are the inside rooms which don’t have a window and start from £50–£90 for a double, depending on location. All rooms have glass-walled en-suite shower rooms and HDTVs with free Sky and TNT Sports. There’s also a Z Café and bar in each hotel which offers a buffet breakfast each morning then serves snacks and drinks later on.

Location wise, the Z Hotel Victoria is opposite Victoria train and Tube station. The Z Hotel Holborn is on Kingsway near Holborn station. The Soho and Tottenham Court Road branches are south of Oxford Street surrounded by Soho bars and West End theatres.

The Covent Garden, Strand and Trafalgar branches are located within a few minutes’ walk of each other, near The Strand, Covent Garden market and Charing Cross. The Piccadilly and Leicester Square hotels are also nearby, close to the National Gallery.

The Z Hotel City is located on Fleet Street close to Temple station and the Inns of Court. The Shoreditch hotel is near Old Street station and surrounded by lots of cool bars. And the Z Hotel Gloucester Place is close to Marylebone station and Hyde Park.

Check prices for the Z Hotel*: City | Covent Garden | Gloucester Place | Holborn | Leicester Square | Piccadilly | Shoreditch | Soho | Strand | Tottenham Court Road | Trafalgar | Victoria

CitizenM

CitizenM, a Dutch brand now part of the Marriott group, have four hotels in central London. They’re known for their quirky decor, with bright colours, modern artworks and stylish furniture. Hotels have communal lounges where you can hang out away from your room with books to borrow, as well as food and drink available at the on-site canteenM.

There’s only one category of room, with a king-sized bed, en-suite with rain shower and wall-to-wall windows to make the most of the view (or blackout blinds to keep it out). Rooms have a high-tech feel with ambient lighting and an app which controls the lights, temperature, blinds and TV. There’s free wifi as well as movies on demand.

The CitizenM Bankside lies just south of the Thames, close to Southwark station, the Tate Modern art gallery and Borough Market. The Tower of London hotel is located just behind the tower, a short walk from Tower Hill Tube station. Some rooms have views of the Thames and the Shard, and there’s a rooftop bar with a balcony and panoramic views.

The CitizenM Shoreditch is close to Liverpool Street and Shoreditch overground station, with Boxpark Shoreditch and Old Spitalfields Market a few minutes away. And the CitizenM Victoria is right next to London Victoria train, Tube and coach stations.

Check prices for the Citizen M*: Bankside | Shoreditch | Tower of London | Victoria

The Corner

Quirky East London hotel The Corner focuses on sustainability and claims to be the greenest hotel in London. They’ve cut water and power usage through low-water shower heads, energy efficient LED lighting and solar panels, and they use organic mattresses and toiletries, source food and drink locally and use sustainable and reclaimed furniture.

Rooms are based around a clever cube-shaped pod design which has the bed and bathroom built in to make the most of the space. They come with super-king-sized beds, colourful artworks, an integrated TV, desks with storage, mood lighting and high-speed wifi.

There are three different room categories: snug rooms (doubles without a window), comfy rooms (standard doubles) and plush rooms (large doubles with a sofa bed which can sleep three adults or two adults and two kids). Accessible rooms are also available.

The hotel has a Bar + Kitchen serving sustainably sourced dishes and drinks. There’s also free tea and coffee on each floor. The Corner is located between Whitechapel and Algate in the East End, and is an easy walk to Shoreditch, Spitalfields and Brick Lane.

Check prices for The Corner*: London City

ibis Styles

ibis Styles is the cooler, more designed-focused younger relation of the ibis hotel brand, with branches across the world – including two in central London. The design of each of their hotels is different, with a concept taking inspiration from its location.

Rooms at these stylish, affordable hotels in London come with a queen size or twin bed. Some have a view, and there are some larger, premium rooms with extras like Nespresso machines or sofa beds. There are also family suites which sleep three or four.

Both of the hotels have a bar, and the ibis Styles Southwark also has a restaurant. The Southwark hotel is on London’s South Bank, five minutes’ walk from London Bridge station and close to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Borough Market and Tate Modern.

The Gloucester Road hotel, whose design is inspired by the London Underground, is in Kensington opposite Gloucester Road Tube station. It’s a great location for museums, with the Natural History Museum, V&A and Science Museum an easy walk away.

Check prices for the ibis Styles*: Gloucester Road | Southwark

Point A

If you don’t need fancy extras and just want an affordable but smart room for the night, try Point A Hotels, who have seven hotels across London, with rooms starting from £56–£81 a night. There’s a simple choice between double or twin rooms (with accessible versions with adapted bathrooms and room for a wheelchair), either with or without a window.

Rooms make the most of the space with the basics done well – comfortable Hypnos beds, underbed storage, a drop-down desk, smart TV, mood lighting, air con and power showers. I’ve stayed in a couple of their hotels and they make a great place to crash if you are out and about exploring London during the day, with really convenient locations.

Their King’s Cross, Paddington and Liverpool Street hotels are right next to the respective stations, so they’re perfect if you have an early train, Eurostar or flight to catch.

The Point A Westminster is across the river from the Houses of Parliament. The Kensington branch is close to Earl’s Court and Olympia. The Point A Shoreditch is by Old Street station. And the Canary Wharf hotel is near Docklands and the Museum of London.

Check prices for the Point A*: Canary Wharf | Kensington | King’s Cross | Liverpool Street | Paddington | Shoreditch | Westminster

Note: Hotel photos courtesy of hotels mentioned, but I paid for all stays myself.

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