London Hotels

I looked up "Grange City Hotel: https://www.grangehotels.com/hotels-london/grange-city/about-this-hotel/
The website is quoting prices of £200 per night, this is not a cheap hotel (your travel company may have got a discount).
Hotels in central London start at about £100 per night. If you want to see what is available for that price, check out "Premier Inns", which is a country-wide chain with many hotel in central London. Website: http://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/home.html
or a small chain called "Imperial hotels", these are larger older (1950's and 1960's) hotels: https://www.imperialhotels.co.uk/en/
Some of their cheaper prices DO NOT have en-suite bathrooms, but for about £90-£100 you can get a room with a bathroom.

There are literally hundreds of hotels of all types in central London, you just have to search the web

TJ, a tip, when quoting addresses in London it is usual to add the district. There are thousands of streets in London, hundreds in central London, and nobody knows them all. Cooper's Row is EC3, in "The City", near Tower Hill.

I am sure you will get lots of opinions on the location but I really like it, especially if you enjoy walking. You are close to the Tower of London, St. Paul's, the City of London, Spitalfields Market, and other popular sites. Cross Tower Bridge and the whole South Bank Thames Path is perfect for walking. We spent three weeks in May in an apartment near there ( south side of Tower Bridge) and walked the path as far as Vauxhall Bridge to the west ( home of MI5) and Greenwich to the east. In each case we caught a boat back, whichnis a great way to move around London on the east-west axis ( Thomas bit more expensive than the Tube or bus).

There is a great guidebook that covers all the historic and other sights along the path ( both sides) if you are interested:

https://www.amazon.com/London-Thames-Path-Putney-Barrier/dp/0711235538

You can also easily get to the West End (Covent Garden area) on the #15 bus which stops right by the Tower of London, and the Tube from Tower Hill station will take you to the Westminster Abbey/Parliament area as well as the museums on the south side of Hyde Park ( Victoria and Albert, Science Museum--our favorite--and the Natural History Museum. You can also get to these places by bus, but it takes longer. Or you could walk like we did.

London is actually a paradise for walkers---we worked out lots of routes that were mostly free of traffic to go where we wanted.

and nobody knows them all.

Black cab drivers who have completed The Knowledge do.

So true Nigel !!!!

Nope, not true about the cab drivers any more.

I took three cabs to my hotel during my last trip to London. I gave the name of the hotel to each and they never heard of it. (The hotel has been there for a few years.) I had to give them a close landmark.

I asked about it and each said that hotels come and go so often, and change names, that they can't keep up. They have to know it to take the test but after that, not so much.

Isn't it street names they have to know, not specific hotels? Those do change, but not the streets.

We used one black cab on our recent visit to London, to get to our apartment south of the Thames. The driver knew exactly where our small street was, and knew it was one-way and how to access it.

My uncle who was a London cabbie always asked people to give the street name first - outside of the major hotels which are part of the knowledge the others do come and go and there are many which don't have a unique name. Unless the street is long the number too is of little relevance at first.

He had countless airport pick ups that only knew they were booked in The Hilton etc. Unfortunately there are quite a few and with no other information to go on this sometimes meant a long ride.

The London Elizabeth Hotel!!!!

In London I always stay at the Jesmond Dene on Argyle St. just a block or so from the train stations and metros. (Kings Cross and St. Pancras)
I've been staying in this small family run B&B for many years and would recommend it.

The Grange City Hotel's location is excellent. We stayed at a hotel a couple of blocks from it on our May 2016 trip to London. We admired the hotel (very nice), and walked behind it to get a look at the Roman Wall that runs behind it and beside of it.

If you walk two blocks south of your hotel, you are at the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Near your hotel you have several great transportation options:
1. the tube; Tower Hill tube station is a block and a half from the front door of your hotel.
2. the number 15 bus, which runs along Lower Thames Street all the way to Trafalgar Square and the theatre district. The number 15 bus, when traveling west, will take you to St. Paul's Cathedral. Across the street from St. Paul's is the Visitor (or Tourist) Information center for London. Very useful. Walking north from St. Paul's a short distance is the Museum Of London, a terrific must-see.
3. Thames Clipper riverboats dock at a pier right at the Tower Of London. This is a great way to travel in London! Just get on the boat, travel west, and you get off on the dock right at Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey.
Travel east on the boat, and you will soon be at Greenwich.

The Grange is an excellent hotel in an excellent location. You said you will be going a few days early before the tour starts. If that is two days, then the extra money the hotel costs will not be that great. However, if you were going to be there several days before the tour begins, say 5 to 7 days, then the dollars would mount up.

My personal preference would be to stay at the same hotel the tour would be using.

You also said this is your first trip to London. One thing that has helped me on my trips to London, is to stay at the same hotel the whole time I am in London. That way, you get your bearings around the city from this location. You become familiar with the neighborhood, the streets near your hotel, and the way the transportation systems near your hotel work. It is sometimes disorienting to me to change hotels halfway through the trip.

Here is the map page from your hotel's website:
https://www.grangehotels.com/hotels-london/grange-city/local-attractions/
As you can see, you will be very near the Tower Of London and the Thames River.

I would try to find a "deal" on the hotel's website for the days you wish to reserve. It may be worth calling the manager of the hotel and explaining that you will be with that tour group, and wish to stay a couple of days beforehand. Chances are, he or she will give you a good deal. Plus, October is off-season. Most tourists will be gone. Prices for hotels in London go up during the tourist season (summer) and down in the off season (fall and winter). The exception is special events, which always drive the price up.

If you still want to explore another cheaper hotel, Chris's suggestion of looking at Premier Inns is a good one. They are known for good quality, clean rooms at a bargain price.

"It may be worth calling the manager of the hotel and explaining that you will be with that tour group, and wish to stay a couple of days beforehand."

I agree with this approach, and you can also do it by e-mail: [email protected]

Rebecca has given you great advice---backed up by experience.

We just spent a few nights at the Artist Residence near Victoria Station/Buckingham Palace. I would highly recommend it.

Rebecca provided excellent information. Take a look at the Premier Inn London Bank (Tower) hotel. By Google Maps it is 0.4 miles from the Grange City Hotel. We have always good luck with that hotel chain. One thing the Grange City Hotel, as with all other hotels in the vicinity, is in the downtown business district; week day rates will be higher. That being said there is a lot to see and do in that area. Have fun.

Don't know what your budget is, but there is a great deal to be said for the convenience of not changing hotels. The biggest problem is having to check out of one in the a.m. (with luggage!) and not being able check into the other until perhaps mid afternoon. Agree with Rebecca about calling manager and explaining your situation and you might even get a better rate. We've done that many times.