Centrally located 3 star hotel?

What city?

If you are talking about London- there is no one 'central area clsoe to all the major sites'. Things are well spread out. But the tube and bus system make it very easy to get to whatever you want to see. If you stay anywhere within zones 1 and 2 you'll only be a short tube ride away from almost all the major sites. How/where will you be arriving and departing? You might want to consider ease of getting to your departure point. Is it Heathrow, Gatwick or other airport or is it the Eurostar train (St. Pancras station)? Persoanlly, we have enjoyed staying at what is now the Grosvenor Hotel (used to be the Victoria Thistle) in Victoria Station. We have usually flown into and out of Gatwick airport and this is a good location for us. Easy to catch the tube or a train for day trips and the station makes a good base (grocery stores, etc. and nearby pubs, restaurats, etc.).
If you are arriving/departing via Heathrow- check out the Earl's Court area- it gets good reccomendations here and on TripAdvisor. Or check out Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square and Westminster areas if you want to stay really central- though you'll still be using the tube or buses, as well as walking.

yes ... sorry LONDON!!! Thanks so much for the information.

michelle, I prefer to stay in the area around Victoria Station, as it's not only within easy walking distance to some of the main sights (Buckingham Palace, London Eye, Houses of Parliament, etc.) but also very convenient to transportation and the Tube. The Guidebook has good suggestions for reliable Hotels in various parts of London. You should be able to find a copy at your local Library or larger book stores. I stayed at THIS B&B HOTEL on my last visit, and based on my experiences I would certainly recommend it. Happy travels!

Check the thistle.com chain of hotels. They sometimes have good deals (for London...). All of their central London locations are good. Check also the imperialhotels.co.uk chain; they have two hotels besides Russell Square (National, President). My first choice would be a Thistle, unless the deal was really good, like the one I got at the President a couple of years ago. As Ken does, I tend to prefer smaller family-run 2* hotels, such as the Arran House or Arosfa in Bloomsbury. They tend to book out early though. For a small splurge, I've had my eye on The Montague on the Gardens... one day... As far as which location to choose, there are several nice locations in central London. My favorite is Bloomsbury. Others like Belgravia (around Victoria Station), Kensington, Knightsbridge, Westminster, near Trafalgar Square, etc.. As others have said, you will need to get around using the Tube and buses, as well as walking a lot.

Thank you so much ... all wonderful information!