lodging in London

You do not need to go outside London to find nice and affordable lodging. With 4-5 nights you could take a look at Captain Bligh House, which has a minimum stay requirement about that long. It is well-located near the Imperial War Museum on the south side of the Thames. Although called a B and B, it is actually a group of small self-catering units with kitchens. Some are not for the mobility-challenged but you say you are active so it should be fine.

https://www.captainblighhouse.co.uk

It is popular and does book up well in advance.

Look at the Premier Inn. There are several of these in the centre and they are good value for money. Wouldn't recommend staying outside the centre, what you save on accommodation not worth the additional time and cost of travel IMO.

Staying well out of town is usually a false economy due to the expense of travel (and the potential unpleasantness of travelling in the peak hours).

How much are you willing to pay? And when?

Unless your budget is unreasonably low or you are very close to arrival date or you really insist on staying in The City (not just the city), I am sure there is something somewhere for you.

Which search engines are you using? https://Booking.com? https://Trivago.com? https://Hotels.com?

I would say that anything inside or within walking distance from the Circle Line should be central enough for you.

Peak commuter travel doesn't end in the morning until nearly 10 am, the evening peak ramps up approaching 4 pm and doesn't really clear until well after 7:30pm. If you stay out you will be commuting in the same direction as the bulk of the traffic and unless you are willing to severely curtail your sightseeing day you will get caught up in the hot and cramped conditions, often standing on the Tube or train.

Far better, if you can, to follow the above advice and find a modest place closer in.

Trust me, the commute is not something that is much fun.

When are you traveling? Soon? Later in the year?

As politely explained trying to save money by staying away from the City Center is a falsehood as you will have those monies eaten up by transport cost.

As suggested Premiere Inns are safe and reasonably priced for London.

Start booking now for your dates.

I've sent you a personal message as well. When you look at the Forum be certain to check your messages.

Accor's Ibis and Ibis Styles brands are also generally good budget hotel brands. (There's a specific Ibis Budget brand, but that's getting a little on the college dorm side for me)

Not sure what your budget is, but the Camden-Swiss Cottage area is pretty close in yet not really on the tourist map so sometimes you can find deals there. We've had good luck with the Holiday Inn Express-Swiss Cottage in the past.

trying to save money by staying away from the City Center is a falsehood as you will have those monies eaten up by transport cost.

How do you figure? Or rather, what are you counting as the "city center"? The daily fare cap for traveling in zones 1 and 2 is the same as the cap for zone 1 only. Even including zone 3 is only an extra 1.20 per person per day, only a drop in the bucket compared to central London hotel prices.

Staying outside of London entirely is a false economy, because those commuter trains can be extremely expensive. But staying in a neighborhood slightly outside central London is another matter.

I hope that Dr. Bob returns to tell us more about his budget so we can better advise on places that might be suitable.

Buzz good point about zones 1 to 3 having a negligible transportation cost.
RS suggests 100 pounds per night as an average.

All a matter of preference and experience gentlemen.

Been traveling to London for over 40 years and tried the stay farther from the city center to save money concept. Felt I wasted precious time and money by doing so. Not to mention I get up early and sharing the tube or even busses with commuters isn’t my idea of a relaxing vacation.

Then again I don’t take the nearly hour long tube from Heathrow to save money either.

Heathrow Express each and every visit. It’s budgeted as I book a minimum of 60 days out.

But hey if they wish to stay in Ealing, Brixton or Hackney and away from the city center, it’s their time and their money to spend how they wish.

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If you're staying for a couple of weeks or more to experience living like a local, that is when I would recommend that you consider to stay outside of London. I've found nice 3-bed flats that fit my entire family with a kitchen and wifi (for working) in Richmond and Croydon for 3-4 weeks in summer for under $60 per night (with long-stay discounts).

But for 4 or 5 nights, find a place within or near the Circle line. You can find simple hotels and flats for less than $100 per night in Bayswater or near Cromwell Road and Earl's Court. Easy tube access to just about anywhere you might want to go.

We like to walk and bike. From Bayswater, you have easy access to Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, the museums in South Kensington (Victoria and Albert, Natural History, Science museums), and Harrods. Within a leisurely 2 to 3-mile walk or bike ride through the city parks, you can reach Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Churchill War Rooms, the Embankment, and Trafalgar Square (national galleries). Regents Park (Sherlock Holmes, Zoo, Tussauds) is also about 3-mile walking distance, but not so leisurely as it's mostly along city streets - so Tube travel is recommended there.

There's a Santander bike hire station at Black Lion Gate, just off Bayswater Rd at the north end of the park, near the Queensway Tube stop towards the Diana Memorial Playground. There are drop-off stations near just about anywhere you would like to go. I highly recommend to hire a bike and walk through the parks at least a couple of times to get to a sight-seeing destination, even if you don't have to. It's an exceptional way to see London and experience it like a local.

It looks like from your original post, it looks like you're more looking to avoid crowds and noise, more than just saving money. When planning, I identify where I want to go & what I want to see; then look on Transport For London's web site and find a bus route that goes there:
https://tfl.gov.uk/maps

and then I look for hotels in that area with Google Maps. I can see the street view to see if it's off the road, has some quiet areas, etc. Then I check reviews and then post here for experiences/reviews.

It's also possible that the hotel you already have an interest in, that is close to different sites, could possibly be not as crowded and noisy as you might suspect. Just because it's near some sites doesn't always mean that it's crowded and noisy, the space management in the city of London includes SO many trees and green spaces, there are nice little hotels near King's Cross that are next to tree-lined areas but also only a block or two away from the British Library and transport for the whole city at King's Cross.

Google maps can show what's nearby and how the street view looks, it could be in the city but also surrounded by trees. Pax Lodge is a behind a really big renovated church in Hampstead, even though it's right near a bus stop and a busy road, you really don't hear it. It IS near a hospital, and the ambulances ARE something that I did hear :) (much louder than the ones here in the US). But Rick's trick of asking for a room in the back helps too.

But the idea is to get very specific about what you both want to do, where you want to go, and exactly what you want from your hotel and your daily travel. Only 4 or 5 nights may mean that staying near the sights will be a HUGE help. It's a huge city, the urban sprawl goes on and on, and on and on.... There are many places that manage to make their area green and leafy while still being centrally located. :)

Have a great time! When are you going?
-Alison

What time of year will you be traveling? That will help determine your price options.

As someone else posted, it's hard to know what to say without knowing your budget. I have just returned from 2 nights in London at the end of a 3-week trip. Our first night we were in the Lynton B&B (chosen for economy) and it was HORRID. Not only small, which we were prepared for and ok with, but noisy (from doors slamming, not the street) and filthy (other than sheets, to be fair).
We couldn't bear to stay there another night, and moved up the block to LimeTree Hotel (actually, a B&B: www.limetreehotel.co.uk ) and couldn't have been happier. It might be out of your range, but I felt every penny was worth it. It's on a fairly quiet street in Belgravia, just a few blocks from Victoria Station (which is the connection for Gatwick Express) and a short tube ride (5 stops?) to the British Museum, for example. The following morning, after breakfast, I walked to some fairly common first-time-to-London sights: Parliament buildings, St. Margaret Church, Changing of the Guard, etc. Actually, I just got lost on my way to a bookstore, which I eventually found. People in London--everywhere in Britain it seems--were all really nice helping me find my way.
p.s. If you like to walk, this is a terrific area!

Check out the London House Hotel. I stayed there last year and again this year. It is near two tube stops and you can walk to Kensignton Palace. It is in Bayswater. I will stay there again when I go back to London. It is a nice hotel, not fancy but clean, nice staff and breakfast is a buffet but extra.