Hotel Thoughts

Take a look at the Premier Travel Inn chain . They are ubiquitous all over England ( lots of places in London ) and in particular they have been recently building many new properties in London , I have used them a lot in the last several years , and have always been very pleased . Another choice , which I used this fall was a lovely Hilton ( Hampton Inn a block from Waterloo Station ) convenient location , nice breakfast , and brand new ( opened last spring )

It has been 3 years since I stayed at the Islington Hilton so it may have changed but it still looks the same.

It was pretty nice, for a Hilton. Small reception area, nice enough rooms. Standard brekkie, which was included on my convention rate.

The hotel is adjacent to the conference centre; how busy it will be and the rates (and availability of HHonors stays) will depend on what is on next door.

It is served by several buses and the Angel Tube station. Most of the buses go to the West End, and Angel is only served by one Tube Line and only one branch of that - the Bank Branch of the Northern Line. That's good for City types and people going to the West End for shows, not so great for tourism.

In just a few metres outside the door of the hotel are several burger places and burrito places (note that at burrito places only burritos are on offer, not the whole Tex Mex. Burritos are all the fashion these days, in San Francisco style with rice.

Full disclosure. Have NOT stayed at the Islington Hilton but have stayed at the Hotel Metropole, a Hilton property near Paddington Station. Room was fine but it was a Hilton. Nothing special about it and quite frankly in the lobby I felt like I was in a convention hotel in the US. No charm what so ever nor any sense of being in London. Stayed only because my travel buddy had points. Otherwise it wouldn't have been on my radar what so ever. By the way, a $129.00 room rate which I see online at the Islington Hilton is cheap by London standards. Also make note there is NO free wifi at any Hilton so you'll be paying 15 pounds per day for the privilege. I found that charge utterly outrageous but I guess that it covers bail fees for Paris and Nicky. Personally I'd peruse the Airbnb website for a two bedroom apartment or check to see what the going rate for the family room at the Vancouver Studios apartments in the vibrant Bayswater neighborhood is costing these days. Bayswater is much closer to the "Sites" than Islington. Pack lightly, no lift in the building. Love this place for it's location, an easy walk from Paddington Station, it has kitchenettes, good room rate and it's a secure building. You have two tube stations and many bus routes close by, a laundry around the corner, a mini mall a block away, countless food options, a sweet pub (The Prince Edward) and it's an easy stroll into Kensington Gardens. Remember, layers in March clothes wise. If you don't already have them (have no clue where in the states you reside) the pricey but worth every penny Smartwool socks are a godsend in the chill. A bottom layer of a Land's End Therma Check pull over can also ward off the cold. It's very light but oh so toasty. Have fun. Great City.

We've stayed at Luna Simone Hotel in the Victoria area. They have a nice breakfast, a friendly atmosphere, and good service. The first time we stayed in London, we stayed at some fancy hotel (Hyatt, Marriott, or one of those). It was perfect....and just like the one in Los Angeles, New York, or any other big city. You'd never know it was London until you stepped outside. Luna Simone, on the other hand, felt very British. Also, there are several friendly pubs nearby for dinner.

The closest tube station is Pimlico but the hotel is within a few steps of the #24 bus route that goes through some popular tourist destinations (Buckingham Palace, Royal Mews, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery, Leicester Square, and the British Museum). We prefer to take buses because you get a chance to really see London.

We're headed back to Luna Simone in March for a couple of nights before going to Italy and then two more nights on the way back. We found the hotel in RS London guidebook.

We are in the same situation as you in regards to needing a family room, I booked at the Premier Inn near Hampstead Heath as I have used Premier Inn at several locations in the UK and have always been happy with them. Good luck !

We stayed at the Premier Inn County Hall last May. We got a good rate online and we're quite pleased. There seemed to be lots of families staying there, but it was very quite. You're right next to the London Eye and across the river from Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. They have a restaurant and bar ( not impressed with the restaurant) and several reasonably priced vending machines in the lobby. They save money by expecting you to do much of the work online, but they are excellently staffed, so it's pretty easy to navigate. Actually, their staff was more helpful and friendly than the staff at Hilton Paddington.