HotelChatter

Best Budget Hotel
The best budget hotel with a sense of style (and an idea of customer service) has to be the Hoxton.

It's not the handiest if you're travelling very early or very late, but as it's only a short ride on the metro from King's Cross and it's a tenth of the price of a hotel of similar quality in the area, it gets our thumbs up. And if you are traveling very early or very late and simply need a room, a desk, and free Wi-Fi to work or rest in, you can rent a room by the day.

Has-Been Hotel:
The myHotel Bloomsbury was the talk of the town when it opened in 1999 and for a while it looked like the original East-Meets-West design was pulling in the punters. Unfortunately, our London spies tell us the place is more East-Meets-West-And-Falls-Flat-On-Its-Face these days, with noisy construction works in the area, poor service and overly pricey rates.

The location hasn't changed, of course, so it's still a handy spot for Covent Garden and the British Museum as well as being a short walk from King's Cross station. But to be honest, there are plenty of wannabe hotels in the area so there's no point staying in a has-been.

Snazzy Hotel:
Several classes higher than the Hoxton above but heaps better value than the myHotel Bloomsbury is the Zetter, a stylish boutique hotel in St John's Square.

It recently won the Best Small Hotel award from Visit London, but the best bit is actually the restaurant. Relaxed and fresh and inexpensive, it's a real change from the rather snobby restaurants you'll find in many London hotels. For £95 ($185) you can spend a couple of hours with the chef picking up tips on Mediterranean-style cooking.

The hotel has special offers at weekends and for various other occasions, so check out the website for details.

[Photo: Wikipedia]