Hub hotels

We stayed at one last year near Covent Garden and I think a jail cell has more room. Our "double" was one double bed with an entire electronic headboard. Turn over, if there's room, and hit the headboard and all sorts of things come on in the middle of the night. To get to the bathroom we had to shove our small carry-on luggage under the bed. There was one chair and no window. We'd never stay at one ever again. Worst place we've ever stayed and we've stayed in some primitive places across the south Pacific. The staff was surly and could have cared less about any of the guests.

Personally I've had a few great stays in Hub hotels. They make it plain on their website that they are small cabin-sized rooms. The hi-tech controls are built in to the bedside. There is almost no floor space. There is well-designed storage under the bed for a suitcase. It's very specifically designed to save space.

The bed is very comfortable - with the proviso that they only really work for one person, or for two very slender people! I like them as a choice for a cheapish short solo stay in London - the Covent Garden & Tower Hill hotels are in great locations. Most but not all of the rooms have windows.

I have stayed in many Premier Inns and several Hubs, and every single time I have been met with exceptionally friendly and helpful staff.

But I guess if an unwary traveller booked at a Hub without being aware of the kind of hotel they are, and then complained about the size of the room... I guess there's very little they can do to make the rooms bigger.

So beware!

I stayed 4 nights at the then-brand-new hub Westminster St James's Park in December. My experience mirrored Jane's--for what hub sets out to do, they do it very well. I'm going back later this month for another stay.

If you book on the hub website (not the Premier Inn website), you can book one of their "larger" rooms--still small, but 3 sides of the bed are accessible rather than just 1 side, so person #1 doesn't have to climb over person #2 to get in or out of bed.

As a solo traveler, I found the room to be laid out efficiently. I would describe the room as "high-tech meets monastic cell". By the way, my room had only a faux-window, but didn't bother me not having an outside room.

If you travel with more than one carry-on per person, I'd recommend staying elsewhere. But given what forum we are on, I would guess you travel light!

I'm currently in the Hub Hotel Westminster, and the value for money is unbelievable! St James station is out the front door to the right about 1 minute walk. Westminster Abby is about 5 minutes walk. Our "Bigger Room" double in only 88 GBP per night which includes teas/coffees available in the lobby 24 hours as well as later afternoon/evening cheese/breads/muffins and soup all for free. If you want a drink like wine or soft drinks you can also purchase them here in the lobby at an exceptionally low price. The breakfast is not included but only 4GBP which includes porridge, crusty breads, jams, mufiins, pastries, fruit, tea, coffees, juice. The value is just unbelievable.

You can only reserve the "Bigger Rooms" on the Hub Hotels website while you can reserve the regular size rooms on the Premier Inn websites.

Thanks for the information. If it was just me I think I'd give the Hub a try but I'm traveling with a friend and that might be too much closeness for us even though we won't be there much. I'll keep it in mind for next time.

This is fascinating, I hadn't heard of this brand yet. Thanks for the inputs everyone! Definitely for me to consider on any of my solo London jaunts.

I've stayed at the Covent Garden Hub twice and loved it.

One helpful hint when researching hotels is to look at YouTube for short videos shot by travelers or the hotel's own promotional video.
https://youtu.be/4-unqZLf2Zo