London/Edinburgh Hotels

What are your expectations for “moderately priced” hotels? London is a highly expensive place for accommodations. Suggest using google hotels to gather information on hotel pricing to gain a perspective of what you will encounter.
Take note London offers world class public transport enabling the ability to stay outside of central London while providing ease of access. Utilizing this transport is part of the London experience.
There are apart-hotels offering a blend of space, beds and a kitchenette at competitive pricing.

Hi Melissa, if you're looking for moderately priced hotels, I would recommend the Premier Inn chain. This is a chain of hotels located in the UK. They have multiple locations in London in all the neighborhoods and several in Edinburgh as well. You won't find quaint and charming rooms at a Premier Inn, but you will find comfortable beds, very clean rooms, and a dedicated staff on board. They all provide breakfast but it is not inclusive, so you can get either a continental or full cooked breakfast there or go out and check out one of the many cafes that are in the neighborhoods. Keep in mind that the earlier you book at Premier Inn's, the lower the price will be.

I stayed at the Premier Inn York Place in Edinburgh in 2023 and recommend it highly. It's located in New Town which it's about a 10-minute walk from the train station and most of the sights in town. It's also not nearly as congested as the hotels you will find closer to the Royal Mile but it's definitely within walking distance. It sits right next to Andrew Square which is a lovely place with lots of restaurants and beautiful trees and flowers. And of course, the price can't be beat.

In London, there are multiple Premier Inns as I mentioned so it depends on what neighborhood you're looking for. I've stayed at the Premier Inn County Hall which sits right across the Thames River next to the London Eye and is a wonderful location. There are many restaurants and food shops and takeaway places in the neighborhood. It's a short walk to Waterloo station and also the Westminster tube station, and you're a quick 5-10 minute walk from Westminster Abbey and many of the main attractions.

There is also the Premier Inn Waterloo that is just up the street from the County Hall location and that is another good option, or the Premier Inn Victoria which is a wonderful location to be close to public transportation and sightseeing.

Melissa, sorry but I missed that you have a son who is 16 or older, which means that you probably wouldn't be able to have him stay in your room. Premier Inn has a policy where all children 16 and older need a separate bedroom. I think it's kind of ridiculous because I doubt that too many parents want their kids in a separate room, but that's just me. Although even if he could stay in your room, he might choose not to since the third bed in a Premier Inn is usually just a roll-away and probably not very comfortable for a teenager.

At any rate, in 2024, I traveled to London with two of my grandchildren, ages 11 and 15, and we stayed at The Resident Victoria in a triple room. I cannot say enough nice things about this hotel. When I booked it, they were having a sale so I wound up paying around £215 per night for a room with 3 beds. This included the member's (free) discount of 15% off the total price. One nice member benefit is that you can check in early at 1 pm. Members can also check out a bit later as well; 12 noon instead of 11 am. And each room has a kitchenette, which is handy when you have kids (and I speak from experience). 😊

I found a complimentary bottle of wine in the room, along with snacks for the kids, plus a personal handwritten note from the hotel staff welcoming us. The room was spotlessly clean with a sink, dishes, microwave, a Nespresso coffee maker, an electric water heater, and a small fridge, with coffee and tea available. Each evening, the hotel hosted a social hour for guests between 6-7pm, with complimentary wine and snacks. I really enjoyed this; not just because I met some interesting people, but it gave me a bit of a break from the grandkids (although kids were welcome there).

The location was one of the best things about this place. It was a 7-8 minute walk to Victoria Station and/or Victoria Coach Station, a 5 minute walk to the newer Victoria Underground Station (Cardinal Place), which serves 3 lines (District, Circle and Victoria), and close to many sights (Buckingham Palace was only a few blocks away). More importantly, there were loads of restaurants, cafes, take-away places and groceries within a 5 minute walk, yet the hotel itself sits on a quiet side street with barely any noise.

One caveat is that they do not offer breakfast, but honestly, we didn’t miss it, especially with the kitchenette available. My grandkids loved going to nearby Gail's every morning for their pain au chocolat or cheese croissant. Plus there was Pret a Manger for take-away, and Wagamama and Bill's for other meals. They even went to a movie one afternoon at a nearby theatre. They especially loved finding the Amorino Gelato place a few blocks away. There were numerous shopping options nearby, and we were minutes away from Westminster Abbey and many other historic sites. I can't say enough good things about this hotel and this location, and will definitely stay here again.

Hello Melissa

I stayed in a small unique historical hotel that was suggested to me by forum.

It might have a space for 3 . Location is great. Decent breakfast. Decent wi fi. Price was ok

https://hotel63.co.uk

Update: They offer a family room as well as another that might work.

Mardee - I think the issue of 16 year olds sharing a room with parents represents a difference between the UK and the US. There is no way I would have expected my boys to share a room with us at that age, or indeed younger than that. Yet it does seem to be normal practice for people from the US to share with children even older than 16. One of the many ways in which we are different and a reason why travel is so interesting.

John, that's interesting. I guess I figured it had to do with the beds or something. I didn't realize it was a cultural thing. Yes, to me it's no different than sharing a room with a relative or friend. I think parents (or grandparents) may tend to be overprotective and not feel comfortable with a 16 year old in a room by themselves. It's a little different in an apartment, of course because you have control of the whole place.

It is time to go to VRBO and rent a two bedroom flat for your stay. I would focus on Pimlico and Victoria Station area. Everyone will be happier with own space and being able to have kitchen makes a difference.

It’s not usual here for parents to share a room with adult children, but I’ve also noticed this is a common request from American posters looking for accommodation recs. 16 isn’t an adult yet but most hotels will not accommodate an ‘extra bed’ for teenagers over a certain age, which is usually lower than 16.

There are options out there but it’s just less common. Use Booking.com to search for what you need.

Travelodge allows 3 adults in a room, but most Travelodges in London don’t have great reviews and are really only doable for 1 night stays.

Thank you for all the responses. I would prefer NOT to share space with my 16 year old, but I prefer not to pay for a 2nd hotel room for 1 person. It’s a lot easier if you have two teens who can share a room, which I do not. I will look into a small apartment or suite.
Thanks

Not knowing what you mean by "moderately" priced, you might check if any of the university dorms have something that would work https://www.universityrooms.com/en-GB/. I've not stayed in any but have seen them suggested.

There are numerous hotels in London and Edinburgh that offer one bedroom suites. You and your spouse are in the bedroom, and your son is in the living room area on a fold out sofabed. There is a door in between.

You'll find these more with American chains than "charming" English/Scottish hotels.

Mardee, re kids sharing rooms, our kids had their own hotel rooms from a much younger age - usually next door, but at least on the same floor. No way would they have wanted to share at 16. Or 13, now I come to think of it ;) were did stay in one resort once where they had our then 13 and 14 year old kids in a different building- happily they moved them next door to us.

Thank you for your responses, but this is my first time to this forum. When I refer to moderately priced, this typically refers to not bargain basement, but not necessarily high-end accommodations. Second, why do I feel shamed for our 16 year old sharing a room with us…. Not a bed. I’m just looking for larger accommodations. I have spent time researching and traveled out of the country several times. Just thought I would come to the forum for input. That’s all.

Hi Melissa, I don't think anyone's trying to shame you. They were just pointing out the cultural differences between Americans and British parents.

But I'm with you. I'm not going to pay for a separate room for kids (especially one kid) unless I get an apartment. I shared a room with my two grandkids when I was there last year and we were fine. I grew up with six siblings so I'm used to a bedroom full of people, lol!

There are hotels that have triple rooms (roomS for 3 people) that would probably work for you. So I would definitely check them out. Like I said The Resident Victoria does, and there are other Resident locations in London as well.

And Simon, for what it's worth, I don't care if my kids would prefer to have their own room. It's not their decision. If they were paying for it, sure, but when I'm footing the bill, I get to decide where they sleep. And like I said my grandkids never expected to have their own room so it wasn't an issue for me. 😊

One thing to be aware of....if your trip is near the end of June, then it's Wimbledon time and hotel prices will be high.

I've checked the Resident Victoria--I've stayed there a couple of times--for the last week in June. The smallest room that will accomodate three people will run around 350 GBP per night on the Member, non-refundable rate. The other Resident Hotels in London will be higher.

There is a Resident Hotel in Edinburgh. I stayed there in September. It's nice and convenient. However, you'll find hotel prices in Edinburgh have gotten very high as well.

Melissa, we’ve always shared a room with our teen aged kids. Mostly due to always being conscious of our budget, and because we really enjoyed being together at night, chilling out after a long day and reminiscing about all the things we did. Now that my two are adults, I am like mardee. If they want to spend the money and book their own room, fine. If not, they are stuck with me. I just work to find a place w the necessary separate beds if I can. If not, I’ll suck it up and concede by taking two rooms, but sometimes that requires going to a place that is not as convenient and even more budget- conscious.

For Edinburgh check out the Kingsway Guest House. It gets rave reviews. While I didn’t end up staying there, I have had conversations with one of the owners and really liked her. I would stay there if I went back. They have a triple family room. Very reasonably priced, but book early as they are popular. For London, the suggestion of Hotel 63 is a great one. They also have a family room. We’re staying there in September. It was so well priced I was able to book two rooms.

Good luck finding your spot. They are two incredible cities!