Hello.
We will be travelling to London in the fall as my daughter is thinking about attending London Metropolitan University. What are some hotels within walking distance to the school. Any other thoughts or advice is appreciated as we've never been to England.
Hi and welcome to the forums.
How long will you be there? Is the sole purpose of this trip to tour the university? Or will you be seeing the sights too? Budget in £ would help us narrow down the options.
Not sure how long we're staying. Probably 4 days or so in London and then thinking of heading to Paris for a few days. We are just starting to plan, so totally open to options. Open to options on hotels as well, just prefer something close to London Met for my husband and I as she will stay at London Met.
Which location?
London Metropolitan University is not your typical university with a “campus”. It consists of 6 schools - you have to be aligned with one based upon it’s subject specialization- and those 6 schools are in 3 different locations a good distance from each other. These are post WW 2 modern or ‘older converted buildings’. The issue is the particular tube stop for each physical building, which lines serve that each particular stop, and what tube stop is your hotel near.
The University does not own or maintain any residence halls. However there are privately owned dorms that cater to the students. Does she have a confirmed reservation with a particular residence hall?
Sorry, we will be at the Holloway campus
Have you gone over the Universities’ web site? They have a page dedicated to “halls of residence” and their price per week and how close they are to the buildings/campus holding each particular school. The closest I see for Holloway are: 1/10th of mile to 8.8 miles from Holloway. The closest are starting near 200 pounds per week. Further out gets you closer to 150 Pounds per week.
Her Tube Station will be Holloway Road Station. It is on the Piccadilly Line.
I know you mention walking distance to the hotel, but it’s a very residential rather than tourist area. I’d say your best bet would be a hotel around Kings Cross, then you are only 2 tube (subway) stops from Holloway Road, but well connected for site seeing you want to do in the day, and also in the right location for catching the Eurostar to Paris. Travelodge and Premier Inn are well regarded budget chains in the area, just note though that a Premier Inn Hub is different to the standard Premier Inn chain, and whilst offers excellent rates is a very compact hotel room.
Holloway Road is not in or anywhere near a tourist area.
The good news is that the school is a short walk from the tube station.
It is more commonly known as one of the two stations serving Emirates Stadium where Arsenal football club play their home fixtures. On match days it can get very crowded and very partisan - the Gunners attract crowds from all over the country.
The other good news is that it is just a few stops on the tube from central London. Perhaps stay in the Kings Cross/St Pancras area and take the tube to see your daughter?
I hope that by the time you will be here the restrictions will be not needed and withdrawn both here in the UK and in Paris. Perhaps the university will be back to something like normal too - for the last year it has been virtual learning on-line rather than in person.
For some who instantly think of Holloway Prison for women, that is the other direction, and is permanently closed now.
If you want to get a feel for the Holloway area, which maybe more useful than staying in the Kings Cross area, there is a Travelodge under a 20 minute walk away from the university campus at Finsbury Park - Isledon Road. Travelodge is a chain of no frills hotels - clean and comfortable, but breakfast is extra.
It’s an expensive residential area, so any boutique hotel or B&B will be £££.
As others have said, the underground service is good, which gives you more options.
Ensure that any booking is flexible. France is way behind the U.K. in vaccinating its population and travel may or may not be permitted. The U.K. population won’t have all had their second vaccine until November.
In the U.K., schools are for the under 18s and university students wouldn’t appreciate be called school students!
Google Maps will give you an overall view of your daughter's situation. Search for Metropolitan University Holloway, then click on Nearby and then Hotels. You will see that no, there is not much choice, although many restaurants are in the area. The Tube stations are shown so you can explore the possibilities a few stops away. It is a very busy Tube line so should be an easy commute to a neighbourhood with more accommodations. A bonus: If you are arriving at Heathrow airport, you can take the Piccadilly Line right to the school.
When you reach the Hotels screen, you can click on the buildings for links to details. Also, prices should appear in small black boxes on the map. These are only rough approximations and can vary widely depending on the season and circumstances. If the black boxes do not appear, reduce the size of the screen a click or two.
Here is a caution, perhaps too cautious. The Emirates football stadium is close to the school. The mighty Arsenal soccer team plays there, drawing huge crowds that may smother the area on game day. Not right now: Spectators are not allowed. But by the time you get there the league may be back to normal and might influence your daily plans. (A small price to pay for normality, in my view.)
If you choose to stay at the recommended Euston Premiere Inn and would like to splurge and enjoy tea and scones in a stunning place, opt to visit and enjoy the Booking Office at the St Pancras Renaisannce Hotel.
I’d also recommend visiting the British Library and then strolling over the Granary Gardens and dining at Dishoom.
That whole area used to be the dregs. I remember in the late 70’s, early 80’s no tourist would be caught dead in that area.
Creative and innovative minds chose to invest and develop the area. It has kept evolving in a very positive way.
When it happens enjoy your first foray in London.
Great city!
One thing about those hotel prices shown on Google maps: I'm virtually certain they are for the immediate future--rooms that are going unoccupied at the moment. It's highly likely you'll find much higher rates for your actual dates if you are currently seeing what look like bargains. This has been true for me in the US as well as in many European cities. Therefore, I use those lodging rates as nothing more than very general guidance. It's disappointing to find out the real rate will be 150% or 200% of what is shown on the map, but that's often the way it is.
If you're OK with a business-style hotel rather than something with European charm, the Premier Inn chain often has really good rates on rooms booked way in advance. The PI hotels are best booked on the corporate website; they often are not offered on third-party platforms. Just be careful to select a refundable rate.
If you're looking to stay in the Kings Cross - St. Pancras area, the Travelodge, Premier Inn, and Hub by Premier Inn are all perfectly respectable and well priced for what you get. They have the additional advantage that this is where British people stay, so if your goal is to "meet the locals," look no further than the breakfast room of your hotel!
The three are different - make sure they are suitable for you, in room size, included amenities, extra charges, etc. And as said above, the best rates and most flexible terms will be obtained by booking direct on their website or app (note that the app can sometimes work better than the website, if you're having trouble getting the website to work).
If you're looking for something fancier and more distinctive, rail guru The Man In Seat 61 recommends the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, calling it "pricey, but wow": https://www.seat61.com/stations/london-st-pancras.htm#Hotels
