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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Lifestyle
Suzannah Ramsdale

The chicest affordable hotels in London (under £200)

It can often feel like London is a playground exclusively for the unfathomably loaded. Steaks cost £900, a meal for two can set you back £1,000 and a slew of new five-star, billion-pound hotels are charging £1,400 per night for an entry-level room. So what are the majority of us, who aren’t celebrities, oil magnates or free-loading influencers, supposed to do?

Look beyond the headlines, PR and breathless Instagram posts, and actually the capital is spoiling us with affordable luxury. Chic boutiques with gallons of charm and all under £200. They do exist! Here they are…

Town Hall Hotel, Bethnal Green

Rooms from £175

With a two-star Michelin restaurant and a beautiful basement swimming pool, who needs to remortgage the house for a luxurious night away in London? There are some double rooms but most are a mixture of suites, studios and apartments with handy kitchenettes — useful for keeping the cost down with in-room, pre-game cocktails and cheap sustenance to fuel you for all that awaits in east London. Go wine tasting at Renegade Urban Winery, where pours are dangerously generous, or pootle down to Columbia Road Flower Market, which is 15 minutes away. I stayed here after a party, when I just couldn’t face getting myself home, and can attest to its convenience and charm.

townhallhotel.com

The basement swimming pool at Town Hall (Town Hall Bethnal Green)

The Culpeper, Shoreditch

Rooms from £175

There are few better things in life than a pub with rooms. Neck cosy pints before you roll, crawl, stagger (as you please) upstairs — it’s an ideal situation to find oneself in. The Culpeper also has one of the sweetest rooftop terraces in London with rickety chairs and a kitchen garden offering views of the Gherkin and Heron Tower. Rooms are rustic-chic with wicker lampshades, reclaimed wood headboards and the sort of exposed plaster walls that look incredible in hotels but awful if you try it at home.

theculpeper.com

(Anton Rodriguez)

The Rockwell, Kensington

Rooms from £110

The Rockwell has much to recommend it; not least its location — 10 minutes from the city’s greatest museums. The rooms are elegant with White Company bathroom bits and bobs, there is a lovely garden restaurant and the staff are a delight. With rooms just over a hundred quid in this area, it’s a bargain.

therockwell.com

(The Rockwell)

Mama Shelter London Shoreditch

Rooms from £110

More of a party crash pad, than a restorative wellness sanctuary. The aim here is fun and there are on-site karaoke rooms, table football, giant Twister boards and a photo booth to help you let loose — as well as a restaurant, bar and gym. There is a communal, don’t-take-it-all-so-seriously vibe here. A good one for sociable solo travellers.

mamashelter.com

Mama Shelter London Shoreditch (Mama Shelter London Shoreditch)

Harbour hotel Richmond

Rooms from £153

The Harbour Hotels chain is doing something right. Affordable and full of character, the brand has nailed the sweetest of spots. It doesn’t get much sweeter than its Richmond hotel, in a stunning 18th-century Georgian mansion, just a short walk from the park and river. Hunter wellies are provided for exploring, which we highly recommend you do, despite the excellent spa, 65ft swimming pool and charming courtyard and its moreish cocktails luring you to stay exactly where you are. For locals, the spa alone is worth a visit.

harbourhotels.co.uk

(Harbour hotel Richmond)

Hart Shoreditch

Rooms from £180

Standing proud on Great Eastern Street, this has a lobby packed full of studious freelancers utilising USB points and nursing Americanos. This place is vibey and in the centre of the east London universe, a fact it goes hard on with local antiques, coffee table books about the area and lovely touches from nearby artisans, like the bespoke carpets in the lifts. Rooms are calm and comfortable with supremely luxurious bathrooms. The bar has a DJ at weekends, so don’t expect an early night.

hartshoreditch.com

(Hart Shoreditch)

High Road House, Chiswick

Rooms from £160

Chiswick’s outpost of the rapidly-multiplying Soho House members’ club is a gentler blend of the aesthetic. More muted and slightly sensible for the west London crowd, it’s a wonderful place to lay your head. The 14 guest rooms have the usual Cowshed toiletries, Roberts radios and a mini-bars filled with pre-mixed cocktails. There are two brasseries and the cosy den is adults-only in the evenings. Bliss. (Non-members can stay by adding a 12-month Soho Friends membership to the booking for £100. This unlocks access to be able to book Soho House bedrooms globally for a year)

highroadhouse.co.uk

(Soho House)

The Mitre Hampton Court

Rooms from £150

For country house energy on the outskirts of London, mosey on down to KT8 for The Mitre’s stylish Boathouse bar, 1665 riverside brasserie and private boat rides down the Thames. The beautiful rooms are designed by Nicola Harding and they’ll sort out tickets to Hampton Court Palace, which is just across the road. It was the first hotel opening by new brand The Signet Collection and their second outpost, The Retreat in West Berkshire, is also well worth the schlep out of London. Both feel much more expensive than they are.

mitrehamptoncourt.com

The Mitre (The Mitre)

Inhabit, Southwick Street

Rooms from £167

A mindfulness hotel in the most frenetic part of London offering a programme of complimentary wellness sessions, including morning meditation sessions, guided nature walks, pilates and more types of yoga than you knew existed. Sleep is a priority in this corner of historic Paddington and special kits are provided with a surprisingly effective magnesium spray, cashmere bed socks and a silk eye mask — you can also select your own bespoke aromatherapy scent for your stay. Breakfast by Yeotown is largely plant-based and entirely delicious.

southwick.inhabithotels.com

Inhabit Southwick Street (Inhabit Southwick Street)

The Pilgrm

Rooms from £109

A charming boutique opposite Paddington station (but, seriously, don’t let that put you off). The balcony is a top spot for a cocktail and people watching. The Pilgrim takes art seriously with an evolving collection and seasonal mini exhibitions. A genuinely cool spot that will leave plenty of cash for what you came to London to do: have the time of your life.

thepilgrm.com

The Luxury Inn

Rooms from £100

There are just four rooms at this boutique in east London’s movie set-worthy De Beauvoir conservation area. Beautifully and calmly decorated with a shared loft-style lounge area, kitchen (with a complimentary help-yourself breakfast) and courtyard. In this part of town, it’s a steal.

theluxuryinn.com

Zedwell Greenwich

Rooms from £88

The tagline here is: the hotel you check-in to tune out. Rooms are designed with sleep in mind — so forget TVs and think of calming natural oak, purified air, noise-reducing tech and Egyptian cotton sheets. Leaving nothing to chance in their mission to bliss out their guests, Zedwell offers a 15 minute check-in/check-out massage.

zedwellhotels.com

(Ruby Lucy near Waterloo)

Ruby Hotels

Rooms from £141

With outposts in Southwark, Clerkenwell and Notting Hill there is a Ruby for everyone, but we’d pick Ruby Lucy near Waterloo if we had to. Rooms come in four categories: Nest (for solo travellers, but still with a double bed), Cosy, Lovely and Wow (the largest). A stylish stay for couples and close friends — the ensuite could be more private, but who cares about things like dignity.

ruby-hotels.com

(The Buxton)

The Buxton

Rooms from £150

Sister property of The Culpeper, the 15 rooms above the pub are simple and sleek and a hearty breakfast is included. The staff are a delight but the best part has to be the Spitalfields location.

thebuxton.co.uk

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