Please sign in to post.

Lodging Questions: London, Family of 5, Summer 2023

Hello,

I have secured plane tickets to travel to London (starting city for our 15 nights; we'll have 5-6 nights in London) in mid/late July of 2023. I am ready to start finalizing our itinerary/nights and to start booking our lodging.

We have a family of five, but the kids are teens, so really it's equivalent to five adults.

Itinerary: I am the only one of the five who's been to London before, so we'll be doing the typical touristy London stuff - Tower of London, theater one night at least, Westminster, St. Paul's Cathedral, etc. We may do a day trip (or two separate day trips) to either/both Harry Potter Studios and/or Highclere Castle.

Budget: I'm hoping to spend around 300 Pounds or less per night for our lodging, but could go up a little if necessary.

Must Haves:

  • Safe, walkable area with good access to public transportation.
  • Clean rooms!
  • Air Conditioning (my husband and sons can't sleep if it's too hot)
  • Two bathrooms and 3-4 decent beds (not pull-out sofas). My sons can share a double and/or queen if need be; they're still small males at this point. So we'd for sure need two hotel rooms, if we go that route.
  • Good Cancellation Policy (I prefer to have cancellable reservations until 24/48 hours out, which probably eliminates apartment/short-term rentals, but I could reconsider this if need be). I am willing to pay more at hotels for a better cancellation policy.

My research/questions so far:

  1. The Premier Inn chain looks pretty good for us and is right around my targeted budget for two rooms for 5-6 nights. The Travelodge looks like a possibility as well and probably cheaper, but I haven't researched this chain as much yet. Any other affordable chains that people recommend?

  2. If we do the Premier Inn, the most affordable locations right now are Clapham, Tower Hill and Aldgate. Any thoughts on any of those locations and/or any other locations you'd recommend more that might be worth a slightly higher cost?

  3. I did some practice bookings with the Premier Inn and was confused by their booking website. I put in my dates - for example July 18 (our arrival day) and then July 23 as our checkout date. When I looked at the price breakdown, however, they had the dates of July 17 to July 21 (but still five nights). Anyone know what's going on with that? Do we book dates differently for English hotels versus American hotels?

  4. Premier Inn Bed Question: With our two rooms we should have a double or Queen in each. Then one of the rooms will be a "family" room with an extra bed. It looks twin size in the online photos, which is fine for my daughter. Sometimes they call it a "pullout" bed. Anyone have experience with the "extra" beds at the Premier Inn? Are they better than sofa beds? We just want my daughter to have a decent bed to sleep on.

  5. How do I contact these places to ask questions like the above (#3 and #4)? When my husband and I last travelled to Europe a long time ago, we communicated with our lodging sites by email typically. But Premier only gives a phone number. Can I use my iPhone to call international from the United States? Husband researched our plan and it looks like we'd have to add international calling. We have T Mobile - any recommendations? $15 a month looks like their best option, which seems steep.

Thanks for your thoughts on any/all the above.

Posted by
8913 posts

The twin bed that makes up the additional bed in the Premier Inns that I have stayed at, have always been a sort of day bed- not a pull out sofa. If it isn't going to be in use, they throw a few throw pillows out and it operates like a wide couch. If it is going to be a bed it made up as a twin bed. I have been comfortable on it.

My favorite Premier Inns for location are Premier Inn Waterloo and Premier Inn County Hall (they are two blocks apart). They are conveniently located to Westminster and multiple transportation options at Waterloo station.

You make your reservation on the website. There generally isn't a need to contact the hotel directly which is good since it is not easy to do so!

Posted by
6113 posts

I have tried the PI website and don’t have the issues that you have had with dates. Travelodges are slightly inferior as the rooms are usually smaller, particularly the bathrooms.

Clapham is quite a commute into whatever you want to see. The locations of Tower Hill and Aldgate are also difficult if you want to head to the west end. Old Street is a similar price and an easier location to access.

Posted by
9263 posts

Hello.

My friends just returned from London. 2 adults, 15 year old teen. Stayed at Aldgate PI. Loved it. Teen slept on the sofa bed and was fine with it.

Yes, Different country. Besides driving on the left they also display dates differently.

Did you put in travel dates properly?

Day/Month/Year as opposed to Month/Day/Year

I’d make your booking and register for My Premier Inn. That way you have a booking reference number and be in contact that way.

Posted by
28247 posts

The date-shifting business is a long-term issue with the PI website. One of our other posters has suggested that it may be related to the different time zones. You might try booking in the morning US time to see whether that helps. I think someone else has reported the PI app works OK. The third possibility is that the reservation confirmation will be accurate even if at some point(s) during the booking process the dates look wrong. Assuming you plan to make a refundable booking, you will be able to cancel any reservation you make that isn't confirmed for the correct dates.

I agree that the day bed is comfortable to sleep on, though it's not as cushy as the large bed.

Reaching a PI by any means is really dicey. What I've found best is to Google something like Facebook Premier Inn Holborn. That will in some cases (not always) take you to the Facebook page for the specified PI, where you may find an email address. In some cases (but definitely not in all of them), the hotel may deign to respond to an email inquiry. In my experience, telephoning gets you a recording that doesn't give you an opportunity to leave a message and ends with something like "We're busy right now; please call again later."

As of April 2022 the Holborn PI responded to an email I sent to this address: [email protected]

Posted by
2330 posts

I will be going to London for the first time in October and did a lot of research before finding a place that was right for me.

London hotels are shockingly expensive and July will be high season but I think that 300 pounds per night is possible,

You might try booking.com for research which might turn into a booking if you get a good deal.

I have never used VRBO or AirBNB but that might be a good route for you.

A lot of Forum Members have had very good results with Premier Inn's but customer service is almost non-existent. There is no email. You have to do everything online. If you need to contact PI, you have to call and PI charges you for phone calls even if you are calling from London. I found some angry reviews where members had very long waits on hold and had to pay for the on hold time.

Posted by
142 posts

My American relatives stayed in London over Christmas this year at the Royal National Hotel. Lovely location near to Bloomsbury, and a minute's walk from the Russell Square underground. For reference it's about a 15 minute walk south to Soho and Covent Garden and about the same to King's Cross/St. Pancras walking north. In some ways I'd say it trades quality for location such as the building being one of the ugliest on its row, but my relatives reported a trouble-free stay. One room should also be well below your budget, however for two I am not so sure.

Posted by
713 posts

About the Premier Inn booking/date situation. Two weeks ago, I booked a room in a PI in London and one in Edinburgh, for my trip next May. During the online process, the dates displayed at first, were a day off from the arrival/checkout dates I'd entered.

But I was able to confirm that the dates were entered correctly, before making each reservation. I simply hit the "Book Now" button, which led to a page that displayed the dates as I'd originally entered them. I could either back out of the process at that point, or continue to finish the reservation.

Hope that helps.

Posted by
27 posts

Thank you everyone. I will check out the other options suggested above and continue to research a bit more, but if Premier Inn stays our best option due to budget and a flexible cancellation policy, the information some of you provided regarding the dates/booking issue is very helpful.

Posted by
1561 posts

Recommend taking a deep dive into finding apartments to rent. Big benefit is the kitchen and ability to start the day with a breakfast of your family members choice prior to heading out the door for the day. Kitchen also provides ability for snacks or a meal in lieu of always eating out. Plus the ability for everyone to spread out a bit without being on top of each other. Many offer a clothes washer, but not always a dryer. Resist all temptation to be luggage mules in order to ease journey stress.

Prices are crazy and 2023 is trending to be an expensive year for accommodations. While being in center of London is of great value for efficiency you may desire to consider accommodations in Brentford, Ealing, Richmond and other nearby areas offering a 30 minute commute into central London.

Posted by
28247 posts

It can be awkward to be staying at a PI if you need front-desk support. All the folks I've interacted with have been courteous and helpful, but I've seen a line-up of six or so people waiting to check in with just one person at the desk. (I think there are terminals to use, too, but if there's a problem...) On the other hand, I've stayed in at least six PIs in England and Scotland, and there have been no issues with plumbing, hot water, Wi-Fi or air conditioning. That's why a PI is my first choice during air-conditioning season when I have someone splitting the cost with me.

Posted by
28247 posts

I'd value a kitchen more highly in London than in many other places, because I haven't had a lot of luck finding interesting, reasonably-priced, non-chain restaurants in London. I know they must be out there, but it seems I'm always looking at Cote Brasserie, Nando, etc., and pub meals don't sound particularly appealing to me. I end up depending heavily on Pret a Manger's salad boxes.

Posted by
54 posts

My family of 4 stayed in this flat in October 2021 and we absolutely loved it: 15 Trinity Square

The location is ideal and I think it meets most if not all of your requirements; I'm not sure about the air conditioning situation, as we didn't need it in October.

Posted by
4871 posts

Costco has a travel service, last I looked they recommended Holiday Inns allover the city. For your needs you likely need a large chain operation like that.

Posted by
28247 posts

The importance of air conditioning depends on the individual. London's weather history from timeanddate.com:

July 11, 2022: high of 90F

July 12, 2022: high of 88F

July 17, 2022: high of 88F
July 18, 2022: high of 99F

July 19, 2022: high of 104F

August 10, 2022: high of 88F
August 11, 2022: high of 91F
August 12, 2022: high of 93F
August 13, 2022: high of 93F
August 14, 2022: high of 91F

It makes sense for a resident to decide the cost of a/c isn't justified when there will be an average of only X really hot days per year (however "X" and "really hot" are defined), but for a tourist with a limited amount of time in the city to hit a protracted heat wave and have to try to sleep in an overheated room is another matter. For that person, it doesn't matter that the heat wave is a rare event.

I have rolled the dice for trips in September and had no problems; maybe I've just been lucky. I'm happy to have a cost-splitting roommate so I am comfortable seeking out air-conditioned rooms when I travel in July or August.

Posted by
249 posts

"…,air-conditioning season when I have someone splitting the cost with me.
There is no air-conditioning season as it is never necessary. This is how 65 million of us survive without it.
Many PIs don’t have A/C."

Indeed.

Less so Air B&Bs, also.

What a lot of hotels have is either heat pumps or fan coil units, they look like A/C units, but in fact they provide heating and/or ventilation some may have free cooling depending on thier configuration. The UK climate is not conducive to A/C and the Building Regulations are written in such way to reflect this and design out mechanical comfort cooling. Also, some of the relatively few properties that originally had A/C installed will have had it the cooling element decomissioned in recent years, due to the expense of operating it.

Posted by
249 posts

"The importance of air conditioning depends on the individual. London's weather history from timeanddate.com:
July 11, 2022: high of 90F
July 12, 2022: high of 88F
July 17, 2022: high of 88F
July 18, 2022: high of 99F
July 19, 2022: high of 104F
August 10, 2022: high of 88F
August 11, 2022: high of 91F
August 12, 2022: high of 93F
August 13, 2022: high of 93F
August 14, 2022: high of 91F"

Building services engineers don't design on maxium temperatures, the design partmeter is degree days. Degree days is smoothed out weather data, calculated from readings of outside air temperature over a rolling 10 year period. They are used in calculations relating to building energy consumption. Heating degree days give an indication of the energy consumption required for heating (in cold weather); cooling degree days give an indication of the energy consumption required for cooling (in hot weather). The current degree average for the UK is based on heating and is -3c @ 21c, which means UK buildings are optimised for heating not cooling. The UK also works in SI units as regards temp and energy.

That not withstanding the vast majority of budget hotels, which include PIs will simply not install A/C due to additional capital and operating cost, otherwise they cease to become competitive. If A/C is a must one needs to look at higher end accomodation and then there is no guarantee that it will be operational during ones visit.

"I have rolled the dice for trips in September and had no problems; maybe I've just been lucky. "

No you have not been lucky, the ten year average temp in the UK for Sept is 17c and this year it was 13.5c. Overnight in the NW by the middle of the month there were temps recorded below freezing.