How do you decide where to stay in London?

We love London. We know the 19 million people who visit us each year do, too. There’s so much to see, do, explore, taste, hear and experience, it’s hard not to fall in love with our fantastic city.

But before you even start enjoying the sights of London, you need to choose somewhere to stay – and that can be more of an arduous exercise than you might first think.

Sure, we want everyone to come stay with us at DUKES London. We love our hotel! But we also know it’s important you make a decision yourself, based on your own knowledge, research and information.

So, how do you choose where to stay when you’re visiting one of the most popular cities in the world?

Generally speaking, there are three things you need to take into account.

1. Location

If you’re visiting London, it’s highly likely you’ll have a set reason for doing so. You’ll probably have a planned itinerary with key points that you want to check off, along with a whole host of additional things that you’ll do if you have the time to squeeze them in.

For this reason, it’s often vital that you pick a hotel based within the area you’re planning on spending the most time.

If you’re planning on being within the West End for most of it, it wouldn’t make sense to stay right over in an east borough. Sure, the Tube makes accessing our famous theatres easy wherever you are, but it’s not really ease that’s important, particularly if you’re only here for a night or two – it’s time.

A 10 minute walk is much better than a 60 minute Tube journey, especially when that’s 60 minutes back as well.

2. Price

With that said, we fully appreciate that price is so important. You need to have somewhere that is perfect in location, but it needs to fall within your budget.

There are places all over the city at price points that vary considerably. There is, quite literally, a type of accommodation at a price for everyone.

But you need to remember that price is a direct reflection of what to expect in reality.

Paying £30 a night? You’re most likely going to be renting someone’s spare bedroom or staying in a hostel of some variety, usually in one of London’s outer zones.

Pay £3,000 a night, conversely, would get you a suite in a central location.

It’s a difficult decision to make, and very much one that needs an open mind and some personal negotiation.

3. Amenities

And just like price is directly associated with location, the amenities you need are key to keeping mind in when you’re talking about price and making an overall decision on a hotel.

Are you planning on eating at some of the city’s culinary highlights? What about needing a relaxed atmosphere for an evening drink?

If you are, a hotel with such amenities is going to cost more than one without – but that additional cost will so often prove more cost-effective than visiting numerous different locations to achieve the same result.

Not only would you save money on travel, but it’s your time saving, too. As we mentioned above, when you’re in London, you want to achieve the most you can in the time you have. No one wants to be travelling unnecessarily across the city.

Staying in London is fantastic. We love it, you love it and the millions of people who visit each year love it.

Choosing the right place to stay is a key part of your visit. Get it wrong and it can truly impact on your time. Get it right, however, and it can turn a great break into a truly fantastic one.

Image courtesy of Colin