Best London Locations for Business Accommodation

We’ve all been there – just when you were getting into the stride of your week, someone says you’ve got to go and attend a meeting last minute in London, and then starts the mad panic to find a late room on a budget.


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We know that that’s a bit of an extreme example though, and often you’ve enough time to sort yourself a cheap London hotel without much pressure. And, we also know, that anything in the middle can happen too.

Luckily, we’re here for you in any eventuality, and with our excellent range of budget London accommodation (often available at short notice or for long stays) as well as our handy guide on how to get the most out of your business travel, you’re in safe hands.

Choosing What’s Important

Staying in central London, especially at short notice, is usually one of the most expensive past times a person could have. So we recommend making a list of your priorities: what’s most important for you in your accommodation? Is distance from your hotel to your meeting top of the list, or is budget your chief concern? Perhaps you’re not fussy where you stay but you absolutely have to park your car there.

These are some broad topics that can help you get the most out of TravelStay.com, but we’re confident that, for most business travellers, absolute luxury isn’t too much of a concern.

Distance

For instance, if the distance between your hotel and your work is important, then once you’ve arrived at TravelStay.com, select “District” in the ‘Search By’ categories underneath the main search form. It’ll take you here.

This will then allow you to select where you would like to stay. If you know precisely which area you’re in then great, however we recommend selecting ‘Central London’. This will give you everything that’s available within Islington in the north, Earls Court in the west, Elephant and Castle in the south and Hackney in the east.

However the majority of hotels offered are likely to be in the areas of Victoria, Kings Cross, Earls Court or Bayswater. All of these options offer fantastic public transport links to help you get around.

Budget

If your primary concern is keeping the budget as low as possible, then your best bet is staying outside of central London.

It’s always a good idea to compare a central London search to a Greater London search, as you could be missing out on a fantastic central London deal. But if you are staying outside of central London, the chances are your journey time won’t be greatly increased. This may sound paradoxical, but it’s true.

Wembley

We have some excellent budget hotels in Wembley, and these are fantastic not only for things like the stadium but also any business you need access to in North London.

Why not try the Bridge Park Hotel? It’s one of our customer top picks, and with room prices starting at £16.60 per person, it’s easy to see why. Stonebridge Park, the nearest rail station, offers you excellent access into central London and the money you save on your hotel will more than cover the slight increase in travel costs caused by staying outside of Zone 2.

Alternatively, check out the Euro Hotel Wembley, which has rooms starting at £15.67 per person and is virtually adjacent to Wembley Central rail station, offering you excellent and rapid access to central London.

These are both good options if you need to park your car. The Bridge Park Hotel offers free parking for guests, while the Euro Hotel Wembley has limited parking for a small fee.

Ilford

In the north east of London, Ilford offers excellent access to Liverpool Street station and, from there, superb transport links to the rest of London.

The Cranbrook Hotel, situated a short walk from Ilford train station, has rooms starting at £13.75 per person (and their superior rooms even have Jacuzzi baths to unwind in after a tough day of negotiation!). It also offers free parking.

You could also try the Park Hotel, which is slightly further from Ilford Station (but not by much) and has rooms from £14.75 per person. The hotel is modern, stylish and clean – perfect for business visitors – and there is free parking on a first-come-first-served basis.

Both hotels have free WiFi, meaning that you can catch up with outstanding work or just surf the web in the comfort of your room without spending a penny.

And if you wanted to be bumped up a star notch without noticing much of a price difference, the Best Western Ilford Hotel sits next to the station, offers free parking, free WiFi and offers beautiful rooms starting at £20.00 per person.

Croydon

Being in a major transport hub for the South East and having excellent links to both Gatwick Airport and Central London, Croydon is an excellent place to stay for business trips in either London or the South East.

As part of a respected chain and being located near to the major train stations of Croydon (East and West), the Ibis Styles London Croydon has rooms starting from £25.00 per person and offers parking for £5.00 per day.

Crystal Palace

Also in outer South London is the Queens Hotel London, which is nearby to Crystal Palace Station – offering trains to either London Bridge or London Victoria in between ten and twenty minutes. This is a fantastic location for business travellers as the hotel has a great many amenities and offers staggering discount prices.

With rooms starting at £12.25 per person, and with free parking nearby and surcharged parking on-site, a bar and cheap WiFi, the Queens Hotel London gives you everything you could need to make the best of your business trip for an amazingly reduced price.

Peckham

Being nearer the centre of London but still far enough outside to be able to offer discounted prices, Peckham Lodge is an ideal budget London hotel with a huge amount on offer. With budget WiFi and rooms starting at £14.67, you can save your money for transport and those much-needed after-work drinks!

Airports

Business travellers can often need to be near airports, whether or not they’re flying. As hotels in these areas tend to have high-class business suites, a great deal of conferences are held there. Moreover, the transport to and from Central London is necessarily rapid.

For Heathrow, check out the Master Robert Hotel. This comfortable, 3* accommodation has free WiFi and parking for £5.00 per day and has rooms starting from £20.50. It’s also close to Hounslow West and Hounslow Central underground stations, and is just a straight line from the airport!

Or, if you want something literally on the doorstep of Heathrow Airport, then take a look at the Apple House Guest House. This is a comfortable, familial accommodation without the formality of more business-minded hotels. There’s both free WiFi and limited free parking, and with rooms starting at £26.00 per person, you’d be quids-in to book!

For Gatwick, try the Gatwick Belmont Hotel, located in the charming town of Horley (which is adjacent to the airport). With rooms starting from as little as £13.80 per person, this budget 3* accommodation is great for those needing to travel to Central London yet remain near Gatwick and/or the South East.

Staying Local

There are a few customer favourites that are ideal for business travellers who want to stay near Central London on a budget.

The Euro Hotel Clapham and Euro Lodge Clapham have rooms starting from £14.00 per person and have free parking on a first-come-first-served basis. The best part of these accommodations are their location; seconds from Clapham South tube station and facing the beautiful Clapham Common.

Clapham is one of London’s residential hotspots for businesspeople, so you’d be staying in an area favoured by London’s business community too.

Top Tips

Always be sure to check which London events are going on for the dates of your stay, as hotels in such areas are likely to be booked up much more rapidly. This can mean the difference between getting an ideal room that’s only a short distance further or having to stay an inconvenient distance away.

If you are driving, always check the location of your hotel, your venue and whether both have parking. There is the Congestion Charge Zone to consider as well as the Low Emission Zone (which is unlikely to affect you unless you drive a commercial vehicle or a mobile home), which, if not paid, can result in extremely uncomfortable fines. These two zones also operate at different peripheries. The LEZ is virtually everywhere inside the M25, whereas the Congestion Charge Zone is only in Central London.

Many hotels have self-catering facilities, which are a great means to save money. It’s always a good idea to check the location of your hotel to see if there are convenient supermarkets or express/metro markets nearby. This will save you money on eating out (if you want) and mean that you can plan your day to maximise your work.

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