Premier Inns London Hammersmith

How many nights are you going to stay in London? How much time are you going to spend at the hotel?

I stayed at the PI @ Shepherds Bush in Hammersmith mid-September for 4 nights. My double room had a small window overlooking roofs of houses. It was a quiet room, not huge but not too small. I was perfectly comfortable there, but mostly I loved the location. I had a packed schedule and didn't spend a lot of time in the room - most days I would leave early in the morning (after sunrise) but return after dark. I did enjoy a few minutes of sunshine in the morning but honestly, it would not have made a huge difference without a window because this time I did not spend much time during daylight hours in my room at all.

I'm sorry I am not being very helpful...but do evaluate how much time you will be spending in the room. Another option would be to talk to the front desk staff when you check in - they were very friendly and helpful.

Best wishes and have a wonderful trip!

What time of year are you going? Because if it’s anytime soon there won’t be much daylight to enjoy whether you have a window or not.

If you’re travelling when the days are longer then yes, I would look elsewhere if daylight is important to you. PI is a budget hotel and often that means small windows or no view.

The upgraded premier plus rooms only sleep max 2 people in 1 bed so I imagine not idea for sharing with a 15 year old. Only the standard rooms are family rooms.

We'll be staying 5 nights at the end of March.

My 15-year-old doesn't mind sharing a bed (we're both female) but we do want a fridge.

Even with little daylight in March, some kind of natural light and a view out is worth it. It might be worth the chance with PI and hope we get a real window. Does anyone know, historically, how full PI's get in late March.

Thanks!

Personally, I'd probably be letting cost influence my decision. It's quite a big price difference and those Premier Inns are super cheap for London, even a bit further out in Hammersmith.

Is the Talgarth Road one right next to the Hammersmith flyover? It would be interesting if anyone who knows west London better than me would comment on the respective locations. That might be something to think about. Those two Hammersmith locations seem a bit in the middle of nowhere to me, but I don't know well enough to have a strong opinion.

Yes, initially we liked the Talgarth Rd location since it's the cheapest, but being flanked by the flyover and the trains seems like a bad idea. The Shepherds Bush location looks better (but still close to those things) and easier to get to the tube station.

We do love having a kitchen, though, and some of the apartments we've looked at have very mixed reviews (even the pricier ones). Residence Inn at least seems more reliable since it's part of a huge corporation (which we usually avoid in Europe but haven't been to the UK in a long time). And - the included breakfast on a cold March morning make things simpler.

I think you'd be better off at the Residence Inn if you can afford it. I don't know that far west on Cromwell Road really, but I know it's a much busier hub there as you get closer to town. I think it will be a nicer place to step outside the hotel than Hammersmith, if your budget allows.

Yes, our budget more than allows (but I would rather save money if I can). We do really like the convenience of a full kitchen and then can recover some of the costs by making our own dinner when it's cold and dark anyway.

The RI is right next door to a Tesco Superstore (which has a bus stop, too) so it's lovely in that regard.

Good.

Cromwell Road makes it much more practical to ride a bus into town, rather than it taking forever from Hammersmith. If you're travelling daily, using the bus in London saves a lot over tube journeys. I think you'd be in zone 1 in for West Kensington station, rather than zone 2 out in Hammersmith, if you were using the tube into the west end and central London.

West Kensington is also in Zone 2- Earl's Court is the Zone 1/2 boundary.

But it makes little difference- a Zone 1 Tube Fare is £2.90 Peak, £2.80 Off Peak
A Zone 2 to Zone 1 fare is £3.50 Peak, £2.90 Off Peak
Even a Zone 6 to Zone 1 fare (except from Heathrow stations with their airport premium) is £5.20 Peak, £3.60 Off Peak

All the above are Contactless/Oyster fares, not the more expensive cash fares.

We're not worried about tube/bus/DLR cost since there's a daily cap (and my 15-year-old daughter should get half-price fares). Although, now that I think of it, since she gets half-price it would be harder for her to reach a daily cap (or is there a separate cap for children using that rate?).

The Shepherds Bush Road PI is much better location wise than the Talgarth Road one. I’ve stayed there and it’s fairly new and very convenient for the tube. There are restaurants and shops right on your doorstep as well. I have no idea about a window. I only stayed 1 night and wasn’t in the room much.

Premier Inn is a budget chain. They are always running at a high occupancy rate but even if the hotel wasn’t full I don’t think they let you change rooms or anything like that. There are usually only 1 or 2 staff members on duty and it’s self check in at most London hotels using a machine which issues the key.

The Premier Inn Hammersmith (Shepherds Bush) is definitely not in the middle of nowhere.
It has excellent transport links. It is right by main Hammersmith Shopping Centre here you will find the Piccadilly and District line tube stops and a bus station with a number of routes. Even nearer to the hotel is the other Hammersmith tube station with the Circle and Hammersmith and City line. There are a lot of shops and restaurants in the area, including in the shopping centre which, last time I was there had a decent sized Tesco.

It is obviously not central London, hence the price but, still a good place to stay.

And just to confirm, it really doesn’t take ‘forever’ to get into the centre of town from Hammersmith.

Late March seems to be increasingly popular with Americans for Spring Break. It’s also possible that you could run into Easter school holidays here - some might be off from 30/3 and probably everyone by 2/4.

Yes the 15 year old on an Oyster based Young Visitor Discount has a cap, basically half that of an adult.

Emma and Helen have convinced me that PI at Hammersmith Broadway isn't so bad. It's probably six and half a dozen with the Residence Inn location wise.

And just to confirm, it really doesn’t take ‘forever’ to get into the centre of town from Hammersmith.

Well, that was maybe slightly hyperbolic for the sake of making a point, but I know how long it takes to do five miles on a bus in London. I'd expect to be at least 45 minutes to Trafalgar Square from Hammersmith Broadway. You're right, that isn't 'forever'. Time is relative though.

we both have Android phones, so I will tap in with phone (or card) and she will tap in with Oyster.

20 minutes/9 stops on the Piccadilly line Hammersmith to Leicester Sq. I think that’s ok. The tube is just opposite the hotel as well so no walking time.

If you are looking at Premiere Inn, then also compare the Holiday Inn Express on the high street near the Hammersmith station. Probably comparable in price and amenities.

I have stayed in Hammersmith on at least four trips to London, usually it was for business, but I quite like the area. Great connections to Heathrow and central London, at least three underground lines serve the station, plus it is a major bus hub. The area around there is nice, with a decent selection of restaurants and pubs, as well as a little shopping. If the weather is nice, the walk along the Thames there is fantastic, both up and down river, with restaurants and pubs along the way.

Yes, the Holiday Inn Express is also on our list - but no fridge so otherwise probably would have already book it!

we've booked a refundable stay at Residence Inn Marriott Kensington to get a kitchen, floor-to-ceiling windows and an included breakfast buffet - but at a much larger cost (PI = $95/$115 depending on location and RI = $177).

If those prices are indeed USD and not GBP, $177 for London with cooking facilities and breakfast is a bargain any time of year [plus a big window], so go for it.

Yep, I was wondering whether there was some currency confusion on those rates. Without specific dates, I can't check.

Rates for Premier Inns always seem to rise significantly as the date of travel approaches. It's worth booking a fully refundable rate as soon as your dates are firm, even though you're still checking other options.