London Hotels/Apt

Marilyn, Can she do some stairs (e.g. a few up to the hotel) or does she need a completely accessible location? Two places that I have stayed in that might work are: 1) Base2Stay - Some rooms have a decent sized, modern walk-in shower. The hotel is about 2 blocks from the Earls Court tube station so that could be a challenge as most of the transportation options will be near the tube station. I think there might have been a couple of steps into the hotel here, but there was a lift to the floors. 2) Hotel Indigo Paddington - Again, modern rooms with walk-in showers. and less than a block from Paddington. I don't recall any steps and there is a lift to floors. If she can't manage stairs, you will want to rely on the bus rather than the tube. I'm sure there are other choices. A big thing to keep in mind is that many of the older hotels have tubs that are deep and that could be challenging for someone with mobility issues.

Thank you, Laura, Yes a few stairs is ok. Thanks for the info., especially about the tube.

Thank you, Laura, Yes a few stairs is ok. Thanks for the info., especially about the tube.

Given what you've said about your traveling companion I would suggest bidding via Priceline for 3 to 4 star accommodations at a Hilton, Marriott, Best Western, Dbl Tree, Crowne Plaza. These properties typically have the size of rooms we Yanks are used to. Rooms in London, in even some of the pricer hotels can be notoriously small. Recall once paying for a room in a well known and pricey Bloomsbury property and I swear my single room was the size of a closet. In hotels such as these you'll also be assured elevators to accommodate your companion's mobility issues. Anyway, look for hotels in Westminster, Kensington, Bloomsbury, Belgravia, Marylebone, Soho, Knightsbridge. Good neighborhoods and within Travel Zones 1 & 2. OR search for something through At Home In London. Enjoy your stay.

My experience with Priceline is that it would not be a good option given your needs. You can't pick the type of room so you could end up with a room with a double bed and an old fashioned bathtub. I've used Priceline a couple times in London. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum a couple of weeks ago because I had points and thus it cost me nothing. The bathroom was tiny and I remembered thinking that it would be terribly unsafe for my parents as the tub was one of those with a really high clearance. I agree that some of the American chains do have larger rooms, but no guarantee there. It might make sense though to look for accessible rooms as they would be far more likely to have a shower stall over a bath.

@Laura my experience with bidding on Priceline secured me a fabulous Regent's Park Marriott double room ( I was able to denote that we needed two beds). Very modern, with 2 chairs and table, desk and chair, the two queen size beds, free wifi, flatscreen TV, and spacious bathroom, for $90. Couldn't have been happier. As I've been to London many times I knew that Regent's Park isn't in the City Centre but that was fine by me. Tube stop was 2 blocks away. So were ATM's, a pub, and a sweet cafe inside the adjacent public library. Would stay there again in a nano second. Marilyn, I'd search online for a hotel chain you know that's in central London and email them directly. For instance, the Hilton Green Park Hotel on Moon Street and inquire about their best rate and the amenities. Or, besides At Home in London, try the airbinb.com website.

@Claudia --- How did you specify that you only wanted to bid on rooms with two beds (or did you just ask for two beds when you got there)? I've never seen anything about bed type ... only a guarantee that the room sleeps 2. The hotels I've gotten have been NH Harrington Hall, Millennium Baileys, Victoria Park Plaza.

@Laura yes after being notified my bid was accepted I emailed the hotel to confirm there were be two beds in the room. No problem what so ever. No extra charge.

Thank you very much for all this help.

While Claudia was able to get 2 beds, it's important to note that Priceline only guarantees a room for 2 people. And, once booked, it's non-refundable. If the hotel you choose has no two bed rooms available, you're out of luck. In New York, this is a common problem; people assume that the hotel rooms here are just like those in other US places, with two queens or two kings, and then find out that there are rooms with only one queen bed. So, if you absolutely must have two beds, I'd be very careful with Priceline, particularly in a city like London, where spaces are small, and you can't assume the presence of two beds. I'm not saying it can't work, but you have to do careful research on ALL the hotels that might be in a particular zone and star level.

Agree with Harold, Priceline can be an adventure. However, I researched the major hotel chains i.e.. (Hilton, Marriot, Best Western, etc) before hand, emailing to be certain they had two beds in each room. In choosing certain neighborhoods was able to figure out which hotels I was bidding on and as noted was very pleased with the Regent's Park Marriott. Wouldn't have made the bid if I hadn't done my due diligence.

I've stayed at the NH Harrington Hall before. Nice hotel, pleasant staff - but I found the breakfast expensive. When I've stayed, I've typically gone around the corner to Costa or local cafe for breakfast. In my case, I've used Expedia to book with them. I also agree with Claudia and Harold - Priceline can be an adventure.

You say the tubes have no elevators. Do they have escalators?
Thanks

Yes, Marilyn tube stations have escalators, sometimes two sets of them depending how deep you are underground. They also have stairs and sometimes long tunnels to get to specific platforms. In order to relieve any stress use the busses. Yes, you'll have to deal with traffic congestion but the busses have large windows and very comfortable seats.

There are some tube stations with lifts and many with elevators, but in most cases one must take some stairs in addition to the lift or elevator. For example, most of the tube stations have a flight or more of stairs to get from street level into the station. There may be an escalator that takes one the majority of the way down, but then one may encounter another flight of stairs to the platform. If you go to the website www.tfl.gov.uk and check the map, the stations that are accessible are marked. You will see that there are very few. This is why the bus is a better option for someone with mobility issues.