Staying in London: 2 adults 2 teens

For two weeks I'd look for apartments not hotels.

I agree, for 2 weeks with 2 teens (or one teen and a tween), I'd go for an apartment rental

Anything bigger than 2 small doubles probably won't fit in most London rooms. About the only thoughts are large American chains like Hilton or Holiday Inn.

Staybridge Suites at Stratford in the east of London has some bigger rooms and a very American feel,and they may likely have double Kings or double Queens. But it is a long way from the action. Lots of chain restaurants though as it is in the biggest mall in the city.

Don't spend 12 nights in London unless it is part of a 3+ week UK trip and you have lots of time out of the city. Even staying in one location outside London will help balance the trip. Making long day trips (Bath, Stonehenge) wastes time and concentrates your time in the most expensive place, London.

Your 16 year old counts as an adult so family rooms are out unless you are willing to misrepresent the child's age. Try the Crowne Plaza The City for 2 large beds, but they are doubles not queens. You won't find 2 queen beds in London. Your choices are :
2 double beds
2 rooms at a Premier Inn
An apartment (cheapest and most convenient)

I agree with those who have suggested an apartment over a hotel for a two week city stay. It will seem more like a home base and allow you to spread out and relax after a long day of sightseeing. Also with a flat or home rental you may be able to find one with 2+ bathrooms, something that may be important to 4 people sharing a room!

Another suggestion, if you live in an interesting area yourselves, would be to do a house exchange with a family from London. We have done 2 exchanges with families in the London area recently. One was for 2 weeks and the other was for 3 weeks. We would stay at our London based home for several days then take an overnight trip to somewhere more distant, returning to our London home. We loved staying in a home and an exchange or rental would be perfect for your family with kids.

Actually the Hilton Metropole has rooms with 2 queen beds for 174 pounds advance purchase nonrefundable. They even have a pool. And within walking distance of Paddington for the Heathrow trains. But it's in the touristy part of town, I'd prefer something closer to the river and historic sites.
http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/united-kingdom/hilton-london-metropole-LONMETW/index.html?WT.mc_id=zELWAAA0UK1WW2PSH3Nano4DGBrandx&WT.srch=1&utm_source=AdWords&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=paidsearch&campaignid=109099002&adgroupid=5514597402&targetid=kwd-18498640621

They also consider 16 and 17 year olds as children not adults which is unusual in the UK even for a US franchise.

Also expensive hotels like the May Fair and Bulgari have 2 queens.

Another idea for a family room in London is to look at the London School of Economics LSE summer rentals. We've done this and teens may love staying in a dorm or flat. The rental price includes breakfast. Some rooms have private baths and some have multiple shared baths. Most rooms have small shared kitchen possibilities.

We stayed at the LSE Holborn dorm, very convienent for the West End, British Museum, National Gallery, etc.

I'd also recommend getting an apartment. Traveling solo, I considered the LSE, but chose the nearby Citadines instead. I only had a studio, but there are Citadines properties in several London locations -- http://www.citadines.com/en/propertylisting.html?City=London. Some might have a bedroom and bathroom set up that will work for you.

I was only in London for 7 nights in June. It wasn't near long enough. Twelve is much better. There is so much to see and do, and I always like to stay in one place for as long as I can. I don't think it's a big deal to make day trips, but I have to drive at least an hour from where I live to get into town, so my view on that may be distorted.

Last summer we stayed in a Travelodge. There are many different locations and not all have rooms for 4 but ours did, two queen beds. It was very clean, we like the location (away from the rat race) and you can get breakfast right there which makes it easy. It is very simple and cheap. Just my style! The metro is one block away, plenty of restaurants, but over the river from the main city. We walked to Westminster Abby and surrounding area ( there was a metro strike) and it was actually fine. But, the metro is right there. When we were there in July the crowds were crazy so I loved escaping to our quiet area.

Travelodge London Central Southwark

Get a vrbo for sure. 12 nights is way too long in a hotel room with kids I think. :)

We stayed here for 6 nights last summer - a bit further out but the tube was no problem and we really loved it.

https://www.vrbo.com/443666

She has two apartments, the other one should be linked in that listing.

Kim