The words ‘affordable’ and ‘London’ rarely appear in the same sentence — especially when it comes to hotels. They’re an elusive breed, often hiding in plain sight along a leafy residential road, offering a reception-less welcome to the handful of smug travellers savvy enough to track them down outside of Google searches, which throw up eye-popping rates or drab budget spots. By virtue of the brief, a good chunk of these hotels are located in East London, where restaurant bills are mercifully lower and food standards substantially higher, though a few have clawed into more central spots.
From hip, Brick Lane bistros-with-rooms to luxe and light-on-the-wallet newcomers in Soho, here are the chicest hotels in London that won’t break the bank for a trip to the capital — all under £300 a night.
Ellen Kensington, Earl’s Court
The supremely elegant Ellen has just opened in Kensington, which means it’s actually still possible to get a room over the Christmas season. But don’t expect that to last long. Tucked away down a side-street and located in an old townhouse (the former home of celebrated stage actress Dame Ellen Terry, in fact), it’s a gorgeous fusion of old and new: the bedrooms are large, the bathrooms immaculate and the beds almost implausibly plush.
Downstairs, there’s a lovely bar that has something of the smoking room air about it. But save the smoking for the hotel’s dedicated cigar room, before heading down to the delicately-decorated restaurant. Helmed by Singaporean chef Eugene Lam, the Lacquer Room serves some wonderful pan-Asian food: make space for the manila clams with sake and butter, and the Wagyu beef sukiyaki before finishing things off with a mochi dessert. Divine. Reviewed by Vicky Jessop
Book: Rooms from £240 a night. ellenkensington.com
The Lime Tree, Belgravia
It’s inconceivable that in London in 2024 a hotel this good and this reasonably priced exists in Belgravia. That pillared, stucco’d patch of the capital that tourists gawp at and diplomats drop their briefcases in for a proper cup of tea. But really, alongside the eye-wateringly expensive spots is a little gem of a townhouse, whose garden is summer’s best kept secret, and whose design falls closer to a polished farmhouse than Julian Fellow’s top-hatted take on the area.
Rooms are ludicrously comfortable and upholstered to the nines, with thick curtains, pastel wallpaper and heavy throws flung over the ends of generously-sized beds. It’s as close as you can get in these stretches (and for this rate) to staying with a stylish, traditionally inclined relative. Come morning, The Buttery’s Shakshuka is drizzled in thick yoghurt and the dukkah is just divine.
Book it: Doubles from £170 per night. mrandmrssmith.com
The Lost Poet, Portobello
Those longing for a Notting Hill pied-a-terre can call off the search, delete the Right Move app and swing by The Lost Poet on Portobello. A sort of hotel-rental hybrid, this perfect sliver of a Notting Hill townhouse is carved into four, immaculately designed rooms and suites with a diddy check in desk (call ahead) and that’s about it. Why compete with the warren of thrumming restaurants on its doorstep – Oresay, Gold, Zephir, Mazi – or try holding guests back from the bars and pubs? It’s futile, and The Lost Poet knows this. It also knows how to dress a historic townhouse for the modern, design-fluent traveller, creating a heritage hue canvas for contemporary art and colourful chairs.
They’ve also understood the sleep brief: that traveller’s need a calm place of rest, with clever lighting, a subdued palate and thick, blackout blinds. Pine for the Muse – the Lost Poet’s showstopping suite whose bathtub, upper-floor sun room and pretty terrace will satiate all London pied-a-terre reverie. And don’t forget to tick off the Ottolenghi pastry breakfast, which comes delivered to your door.
Book it: Doubles from £200 per night. thelostpoet.co.uk
The Hoxton, Shepherd’s Bush
Glossing up an objectively un-glossy patch of London, and particularly the unkempt ‘green’ on which it sits, The Hoxton touched down in Shepherds Bush in 2022. It was much to the delight of ex-Notting Hillites, exiled by soaring prices, but also to the reams of twenty and thirty-somethings. They’d long craved a chichi spot to brunch at, tap out emails from and swing past for a Picante en route home, amid the fabric and mobile phone shops.It was also a boon for those needing a well-designed city crash pad, with the central line zooming them into theatreland or Oxford Circus’ shops in no time.
Though the group’s hip, comfortable (and fairly affordable) rooms can be found in their Shoreditch, Holborn and Southwark numbers, the Shepherd’s Bush sister hotel feels more in touch with multi-cultural location. Thai-Americana restaurant Chet heaves with a trendy set, sharing kaleidoscopic platters of roti and curry sauce, coconut and lemongrass fish and larb fritters. Cocktails hover at a civilised price – £12 for a Holy Chet (Martini Ambrato and Ostara Hedgerow white vermouth) – and the wine list oscillates between classics and more experimental, including a glass of Litmus Wines’ Orange Bacchus from Kent. Those on a tight budget can forgo a window for the lower ground floor (circa £100 per night) rooms. They are still dressed head to toe in the Hoxton’s signature mid century fittings, and are absurdly comfortable for those rates.
Book it: Doubles from: £174 per night, ground floor rooms from £139 per night. thehoxton.com
The Laslett, Notting Hill
Spanning five stucco-fronted townhouses on prim-and-pillared Pembridge Gardens, the Laslett defies the neighbourhood’s moneyed monotony, tapping into Notting Hill’s bohemian heritage. Named after Notting Hill Festival’s founder, Rhaune Laslett, the hotel takes the area’s artistic and music pedigree seriously.
Local artworks adorn the walls of a monochrome library and restaurant – where parquet floors, shelves of coffee table books and mid century furniture give a Nordic feel. The hygge continues upstairs — just through an English lens — with battered Penguin Classics lining shelves, local artworks and photography framed in black, and heritage-style bathrooms you’d typically associate with a Georgian country hotel. Eggshell-crisp sheets dress enormous beds, which are topped with reclaimed headboards.
Saunter downstairs for a haute take on sausage patty brioche buns and Sally Clarke sourdough, and after a morning spent weaving through Portobello’s stalls, head back to base for an Oskia facial in the Laslett’s small-but-mighty Recharge Spa.
Book it: Doubles from £258 per night. living-rooms.co.uk
Mimi’s Hotel Soho
If you need to drop your bags in the centre of the action, and within London’s buzziest labyrinth of restaurants and bars, Mimi’s Hotel in Soho is the one. This recent addition to the city has a Dickensian townhouse character – plush velvet chairs, open fires and rich, heritage hues – though there’s nothing stuffy or staid about it. An angular slab of marble sitting alongside the reclaimed wood in the brooding Henson’s bar confirms this, as does the tech alongside leather headboards and nostalgic sconces in the cosy rooms. It’s the sort of place you’d want to hunker down in for a frosty winter’s night, with a whisky cocktail after a piping hot bath. Even the ‘tiny’ or ‘mini’ room categories come with underfloor heating, Frette linen and large TVs. Mimi’s offers a sliver of luxury for a palatable rate; it is a rare jewel amid its £600-a-snooze neighbours.
Book it: Doubles from £136 per night. mimishotelsoho.com
Mama Shelter, Shoreditch
Smashing all budget hotel preconceptions, with maximalist panache, Mama Shelter delivers on all the colourful, velvet-and-fringe kitsch the Instagen could hope for. On paper, it’s an aesthetic car crash – print overload, folksy, woolly cushions caught in the glow of Churchilian desk lamps. But it works, slotting in splendidly to this cool, gritty patch of East London, where punters come for Colombia Flower market for good coffee and a good time.
Rooms are playful and do what they say on the tin: a bed for sleeping, a shower for washing, the odd hanger for a coat and the odd view across London. Think of it as a haute hostel, where globally-inclined small plates are spread across sharing tables and breakfast (not included) dials up the usual suspects (yoghurt, pastries, eggs).
Book it: Doubles from £100. mamashelter.com
The Pilgrim, Paddington
Understated and unbelievably stylish for its rates, the Pilgrim sits opposite Paddington station, where the tube zooms into central London, trains chug commuters in from all over, and the Heathrow Express zips passengers to the airport in 15 minutes. It’s winning in the convenience stakes, but surprisingly also in design. The building’s Victorian character has been keenly preserved amid a colossal revamp, and most of it, from the modish furniture to the elegant parquet floor, has been upcycled. And scattered across its cavernous spaces and light-filled room is a smattering of ever-changing art, deftly curated for the cool crowd that descends on this hip, community-focused hub.
Conviviality in the restaurant, coffee shop and shared breakfast pantries is needed when you consider the absence of human interaction at check in (completed online). And what the rooms lack in size (tiny), they make up for with amenities (hairdryers, cool magazines, speakers, soft towels, TV and crisp sheets). Many assume Paddington’s main drag offers up better menus than the Lounge downstairs, but will kick themselves when they finally sink their chops into its charcuterie and small plates of various grilled and braised bounty.
Book it: Doubles from £107 per night. thepilgrm.com
The Buxton, Brick Lane
Refreshingly forgoing the wonky, taxidermied Dickensian decor or Scandi (read: IKEA decked) minimalism of surrounding spots, this high-ceilinged, fairly compact bistro-with-rooms sits proudly at the south end of Brick Lane. It blinks out across a trendy, comfortingly dishevelled scene from its red-framed windows. Much like its better-known big brother, the Culpepper, the Buxton is resplendently restrained, with marble worktops, glossy walnut galore and good looking Anglepoise lamps dotted in industrial-esque, colour block rooms.
Be prepared; the rooms are cosy. Luckily, the design team were acutely aware of this and cleverly maximised the space with an abundance of mirrors, lights and little nooks in which to hang bags. And while you’re slap-bang in the centre of London’s wildly impressive food scene, it’s well worth docking yourself at the bar or on a bistro chair for produce-first plates, washed down with organic wine or a Campari cocktail.
Book it: Doubles from £150. thebuxton.co.uk
