Hotel recommendations for central london

[sillysally]

Hi everyone,

Happy new Year!!

 

I need to ask for advice. Being a welshie with no practical knowledge of london I'd appreciate any tips. 

I am looking for recommendations for a central london hotel for a 18 year old staying overnight before an audition?

Obviously the location (able to get to easily get to covent garden) and price (student so not hostel but not ritz) are important.

 

thanks all!

[Dancing unicorn]

Premier inn either Drury Lane or Leicester Square are closest I think

 

[Colman]

Depending on the night, Travelodge Covent Garden is ok. Weekend is going to be more expensive anywhere.

[Sunflower]

Can you share where she is coming in to, presuming by train?

I often stayed at the Kings X premier inn as I then left the bags there while DD was at a class or audition; and picked them up and we caught the train home.

 

[Tango Dancer]

Premier Inn is usually better than a Travelodge.  Last time I went to a TL in London I didn't think they'd vacuumed the floor properly in the room so it didn't feel clean.  

 

Never stayed in Covent Garden but I have used the PI at Kings Cross and the PI Hub (smaller without windows) and both are fine.  If you're coming from Wales then Paddington is the closest and there's a PI there that's ok too.  

[Peony]

I’ve stayed in the Travelodge Covent garden a few times and not had any problems. What sort of budget are you looking for?

[alison]

Rather out of date, but see also

I've also run this Google search, and been surprised to come up with a number of places apparently only in two figures:

 

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-e&q=aparthotel+london

[Henry]

For an 18 year old, maybe a YHA Hostel would be more suitable than a hotel?  The ones near St Paul's Cathedral or in Bolsover Street would both be within an hour's walk of Covent Garden.  

[Mummy twinkle toes]

Premier Inn in Earl’s Court is good and we often stayed there. 5 minutes walk from tube. 7 stops to Covent Garden via Piccadilly line. Useful for ENB too, if you are doing that audition too. We liked it as you can get breakfast downstairs and by the Tube there is M and S local, Tesco local and Sainsbury’s.
Travelodge in Covent Garden is cheap but they have 2 sites with one being slightly further away and nearer to Holborn. They use the latter one for family rooms.

[Peony]

21 hours ago, Mummy twinkle toes said:

Premier Inn in Earl’s Court is good and we often stayed there. 5 minutes walk from tube. 7 stops to Covent Garden via Piccadilly line. Useful for ENB too, if you are doing that audition too. We liked it as you can get breakfast downstairs and by the Tube there is M and S local, Tesco local and Sainsbury’s.
Travelodge in Covent Garden is cheap but they have 2 sites with one being slightly further away and nearer to Holborn. They use the latter one for family rooms.

Travelodge haven’t had the second building for years!

[sillysally]

Thanks for the tips. We are looking low end hotel not hostel. 

Air BnB always has been our go to for ENB courses (Fulham area), cheaper for week stay.  But too much hassle for 1 or 2 nights because of late arrival etc.

 

Think I might have found something. Thanks

[LinMM]

The Travelodge in Covent Garden is in Drury Lane. Not seen a Premier Inn in Drury Lane though 🤔

There is either a Premier Inn or Travelodge on the main drag towards SoHo ( Shaftesbury Avenue) from Holborn tube station and although I pass it twice a week in term times  I can’t remember which it is!! 
 

[Jewel]

We've stayed in lots of Premier Inn's in London.  The one in Leicester Square is usually pretty expensive & the Travelodge is often full although there is also a hub one which is cheaper.  My son has stayed in the Premier Inn at Euston and Kings Cross as a solo student.  

[MAB]

Further out but direct access to the Covent Garden area, try the Travelodge in Balham.  It is right next door to Balham tube and you can get on the Northern Line straight to Leicester Square.  About £50 per night.

[Colman]

15 minutes ago, MAB said:

Further out but direct access to the Covent Garden area, try the Travelodge in Balham.  It is right next door to Balham tube and you can get on the Northern Line straight to Leicester Square.  About £50 per night.

Acton is about the same, North Acton Central line to Holborn 2 minutes away. Two weekend nights coming up for about £120. Actually, that's Valentines weekend, which isn't great for prices in central London!

[Peanut68]

Pleased you are sorted but thought I’d share another place I’ve found to be excellent & have regularly booked for older DC & also used myself for London theatre trips. It’s especially handy if driving in from the West or SW. 

Hilton Doubletree Ealing - sounds pricey but I’ve usually found it’s cheaper than Prem Inns/Travelodges. (Just did a quick check on Hilton app & prices for Fri 17th Jan are from £86 right now) 
It’s right off the South Circular & really easy from there to get onto the M4/M40/M3 & thus also M25 so pretty much good from anywhere!

It has safe barrier control onsite parking (either pay hotel or book it a bit cheaper via JustPark! Or depending on arrival time/day of week there is on street parking which currently is free with no restrictions at weekends!) & just a couple of hundred yards to Ealing Common Tube - Piccadilly line direct to Covent Garden - about 12 stops. Ealing Broadway station also just a short walk away.

(If more than one travelling it’s defo cheaper to drive, pay parking & tubes & stay overnight than the cost of 2 return train tickets & tubes would be from SW coast - plus I can’t actually get a train all the way home late enough for an evening show) 

Sign up free to Hilton Honors programme to get best prices & earn points - can use towards future bookings. They rack up quick & you can ‘pay with points’ or part pay with points to get cheaper rooms. Sometimes Hilton group hotels way cheaper than you’d maybe expect (eg. I’ve paid as little as £50 for 2 to stay at Hilton Doubletree Milton Keynes - getting Honors rate but not using any points). 

[Mummy twinkle toes]

On 04/01/2025 at 22:50, Peony said:

Travelodge haven’t had the second building for years!

It was around 4 years ago. We were moved 3 times between the buildings.

[LinMM]

I just walked past the hotel basically still in High Holborn just at where Museum St crosses it and it is a Travelodge looks quite big too. 
the other Travelodge is about 4 mins walk from that one in Drury Lane ( the High Holborn end of Drury Lane) not far down from where Museum st turns into Drury Lane. So defo two hotels still operating in that area great for Covent Garden but no doubt expensive. 

[Colman]

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

I just walked past the hotel basically still in High Holborn just at where Museum St crosses it and it is a Travelodge looks quite big too. 
the other Travelodge is about 4 mins walk from that one in Drury Lane ( the High Holborn end of Drury Lane) not far down from where Museum st turns into Drury Lane. So defo two hotels still operating in that area great for Covent Garden but no doubt expensive. 

Really depends on when you’re going. Friday - Saturday generally isn’t great, but a Monday night can be pretty cheap and worth it if you have young or old people who are going to need to get back to the hotel during the day.

[Peony]

The second Travelodge bit was in Selkirk house and shut in 2020, they’ve been arguing about knocking it down and building a tower block

instead

[LinMM]

Well I didn’t go inside either of them but both had Travelodge on the outside so it wasn’t obvious to me in passing that either one or both hotels may no longer be operating!