London Hotel recommendations with 20 year old son

Could you explain what a 3 star hotel with an 8 star rating means?

Eight star rating by who? Guidance on budget would also be handy...

Probably an “8” on booking.com.

1 room or 2 and price point in £ would be helpful.

Clarity please…

Define character.

2 rooms?

What’s your budget?

Been to London before?

We have never been to London and our budget can go to 300 a night. While we book direct, I use the booking portals like Booking, Hotels, Travelocity, Tripfinder, etc. to find "very good" (aka 8) 3 star hotels because it is easy to track down reviews and find what may / may not be a concern. It could be a shared room or 2 singles. Looking to avoid stays that are too business-y and / or too budget-y. I'd like to find a place with pubs near the hotel for end of the day. At this stage, just knowing which neighboorhoods to target would be great. Thanks

As far as neighborhoods, you might look for something in Bloomsbury (e.g., near Russell Square tube) as there are a number of nice pubs in that area. The only hotel that I have stayed at in Bloomsbury was the Holiday Inn at Russell Square which I booked on points … obviously it is a business hotel, but I did have a very large room (by London standards) with 2 beds. Rooms with 2 beds can be hard to find.

I’ve stayed at a number of hotels in London over the years, but in the last 20 years I have only stayed in modern, business style hotels so I can’t help you with a hotel with character.

edit: I see you mentioned Waterloo. South Bank is a very convenient area to stay (I lived in a flat there when I was working in London and found it a great location), but I think most of the hotels in that area are modern chains.

I will start by suggesting the Sanctuary House Hotel between Westminster Abbey and St. James Park. This is a great location for London first-timers. It gets an 8.6 on booking.com and looks to be around £300 a night for a twin-bedded room in November. The hotel is above a pub (where you will have breakfast each morning) and there are other pubs close by, such as the well-regarded Blue Boar (4/5 on TripAdvisor).

There are cafes and restaurants along Victoria Street and many more across the Westminster Bridge on the South Bank.

Check out the Celtic Hotel in Bloomsbury. Good sized rooms, some with multiple beds, and it’s in your price range. There are several pubs in the area, and some good restaurants.

It’s also very close to bus and tube stations, being only a block or so from Russell Square.

You should consider 63 Bayswater. Breakfast included in the price. I think that’s still true.
63 is a 15 minute stroll from Paddington Station, Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens across the road. Lancaster Gate Underground station 1/2 block away.

Believe #107 has 2 single beds or you both could go for single rooms. #207 is a single. Small, compact, perfect for a solo traveler.

Forget The Swan pub which is nearly adjacent. Too touristy. Instead walk down the alley way and up the steps to The Mitre OR walk 2 blocks over to the Victoria Paddington.

EDIT: make note the very popular Winter Wonderland is in Hyde Park in November.

What did you think of Rick's suggestions? (hint, hint)

I believe he recommends Knightsbridge which is actually a good location

Thanks everyone. We will be staying near the British Museum at The Bedford (part of the Imperial Hotel Collection) near Bloomsbury / Holborn. I've not seen any comments on that hotel in particular but based on this thread and others, it seems like a good place to base out of.

During or following your long weekend next moth I hope you’ll share your opinion of the place.

Enjoy your weekend.

Not far from your hotel on Lambs Conduit Street, I can recommend:
1) The Lamb - a Victorian era pub that still original glass ”snob screens” above the bar
2) Honey and Co - a Middle Eastern restaurant that is one of my favorites. Reservations needed.
3) La Fromagerie - a cheese shop that also has a restaurant. You can get wine and a cheese/charcuterie board or a light meal

Enjoy your trip.

Thank you Claudia and Laura, I appreciate the recommendations much!

And as an addendum- all the hotel and location suggestions were great, the dates just didn’t work out in terms of availability. Will post back how the Bedford works out,