Finding the right hotel, especially if you are a first time visitor to any city, is always challenging.

Finding the right hotel, especially if you are a first time visitor to any city, is always challenging. You have to get the best transfer from the airport or your arrival point to the hotel. It’s got to be within easy reach to attractions and places you might want to visit and of course you need to make sure that the hotel offers a good standard of accommodation and all the facilities you may require.

When you compare hotel prices on various websites you may become convinced that there’s no such thing as a cheap hotel room in London. That depends to a large extent on where you decide to stay within the capital. If you want to stay in and around Mayfair you’ll struggle to find a room for anything less than £180 per night. That will certainly deliver a reasonable standard of accommodation in what is a very up market area, but if you don’t plan on spending a lot of time in your room, is it worth all that money? London is a relatively expensive city in any event and the closer you want to get to the centre and the better standard of accommodation you seek, the more you’ll pay.

In London, a five or four star and some a three star hotels can offer reasonable luxury. Smaller boutique hotels are often considered much more luxurious than the big chain London hotels, which although they provide good service, often lack character and individuality. Hotel deals on a tight budget are still possible in London, but you may have to compromise on location if you don’t want to downgrade standards. However, there are a number of hotels around Oxford Street and Marylebone, which is the northern end of Mayfair which may offer deals, especially in the low season. Ordinarily, you should expect to pay around £130 per night for these hotels at any time of year.

If you are coming to London for the first time, the best way to look for luxury or budget accommodation is to search online using various comparison websites like Hotelshopuk.com or travel agent’s websites. Once you have your candidate list, you can always get more information by checking the hotel’s official website. Many hotels will also give good online rates only when you book through their official website directly.