Staying in London for family of 5

Have you considered renting an apartment instead of staying at a hotel? It will give you more space as well as the possibility of making some meals which will save you some $... maybe you can put that $ difference to your lodging budget... $150 US is about 115 pounds at the current exchange rate... I think it will be difficult to find a hotel for that price in London.

Other options I think would be to consider hostels or University residences

Yes, we have considered but hoping for simple accommodations. Thinking hotel would be easier than contacting a host or the like. We could spend what we need, but wishing a comfortable hotel would be possible for $150.

Cherry Court Hotel in the Victoria area, close to train and bus station, has a family room that will fit 5. Very tight quarters but comfy beds and great location along with great hosts. Rooms are very small and basic but it will fit your budget. Our family of 4 stayed there in April this year and I believe we paid around 150 US a night. Includes small basket of biscuits, fruit and juice for breakfast with tea kettle in room and TV. Basic shower, no tub. Family room has a double bed and 3 single beds in the room.

You may want to look into hostels. There are hostels that have pvt rooms.
London can is pricey, so ck out the hostels with gd rings.

Last year we used Wimdu for an apartment in London. It was just as easy as booking a hotel room on-line, but we had to get the key from their office and then walk half a mile to the actual apartment. No big deal for us, but maybe a bit too long for a teenager.

Look in the Bloomsbury & Kings Cross area. However your budget would be low for just one room for two people, let alone room(s) for whole family.

I'm not sure from your post whether you expect to fit the whole family in one room - American visitors often ask this, but it's very unusual for British families or hotels, partly due to the size of rooms. In most hotels you'd be looking at two rooms, each of them priced around your budget.

Take a look at Studios2Let in Cartwright Gardens, which is reliable and low-cost, but I don't know if they have options for bigger or connecting rooms.

The Wardonia is a cheap but perfectly respectable hotel near Kings Cross which has some rooms with three or more beds.

Alternatively you could look either at an apartment or possibly trying to find a hostel that will do you a room for five...

Or check out University Rooms - http://www.universityrooms.com/en/city/london/home - where you might be able to find a low-cost unit.

Looked at some hostels, family not keen on shared bathroom though. One room or two, either way works. I understand rooms are small in general, so we have to prepare ourselves. Not going to Europe for the room anyway, just need easy, safe, semi comfortable hotel for five. All room options are on the table as it is early planning yet. Cost is not the primary concern, but Ultimately paying less is better. I will look into the specific hotels listed. Thanks.

take a look at the Celtic http://www.stmargaretshotel.co.uk/i_n_s_i_d_e.html (as many know that really is the correct website). Well reviewed, well placed, well priced. Could work

Bryce,
I spent one night at the Hotel Byron in the Hyde Park/Paddington/Bayswater area. A location I like because it's convenient to transportation connections. They have all sorts of room configurations (keep scrolling down). It's not necessarily my favorite London hotel of the ones I've used, but it's nice, the breakfast was fine, and the hotel's on a quiet side street. I would stay there again if needed.

http://byron-hotel-london.hotel-ds.com/en/#rooms

You may want to Google map search that part of town. There are a number of similar hotels in that neighborhood that likely have family rooms. Good luck & have a good time!

Thank you all for your responses. Each of these hotels looks promising and all are hotels I had not found on my own. Just what I have been after.

While in London a few years ago, stayed in the Central London YHA hostel. Had a private room for 5 for 4 days and then a room for 3 for another 5. One of the rooms was ensuite. Kids liked the place. It is walking distance to at 3 subway stops and 5 minute walk to Oxford street. Cost would be around 130 to 150 pounds. It is worth considering.

I recommend that you reread Kathy's post. Cherry Court is clean, friendly, and only about a block to Victoria Station. Tiny, but so inexpensive. Besides, I'm assuming you'll spend time at the hotel to sleep only. There's so much to see in London. The hosts are wonderful. We've stayed there a number of times and yes, they have a family room, as she stated. Great value!

Sorry, that was supposed to be Cathy, not Kathy.

Both decent options, hostel is farther out though. If leaving on Eurostar mid morning, is the distance of some of these hotels going to be a problem? We are easily mobile and packing light, but wondering if crossing town by tube is harder than it sounds.

We found using the tube very easy and super convenient. Just give yourself lots of time. Both to actually get to the train station ( St Pancras?) and ahead of your scheduled train. I know the tickets say to be there 30 minutes prior to departure but we were there 2 ahead and were happy that we were as security was high and lines were long. People who showed up at the 30 minute mark were turned away

Very good. Thank you to all!