The posh and polished British capital has more than its fair share of royal-approved hideaways, five-star grand dames, and ultra-luxurious luxury chains. But thanks to the sheer number of hotels in London—more than 1,500 as of 2024—there’s truly a stay for every budget and taste. One of the city’s biggest surprises is just how many cleverly designed, amenity-filled, and yet still affordable hotels there are, stretching from Shoreditch to Shepherd’s Bush. Although London is the birthplace of budget boutique innovators like Hoxton and Locke, there are plenty of other hotels from big chains like Marriott that sit comfortably under $300 a night without skimping on Michelin-starred restaurants, museum-worthy art pieces, picture-perfect pools, and creative cocktail bars. For the latest installment of Afar’s Hotels We Love series, we checked into rooms all across London to deliver nine stylish hotels that won’t break the bank.
The Academy occupies five neighboring Georgian townhouses that date back to the 18th century.
Courtesy of the Academy
The Academy
- Neighborhood: Bloomsbury
- Why we love it: Enviable central location, colorful interiors
- From $195
- Book now
Surrounded by the manicured squares of London’s literary heart, Bloomsbury, the Academy looks rather unassuming from the outside: Its 50 rooms and suites span five Georgian townhouses dating back to 1776, and the landmarked brick buildings are elegant but unflashy. New York–based designer Alexandra Champalimaud took a similar approach to the interiors, which skew residential feeling, with jewel-toned furnishings, art deco–inspired light fixtures, and statement wallpaper from Tudor revival department store Liberty. Among the many nods to Bloomsbury’s bookish heritage is Mr. Ma’s Afternoon Tea, best enjoyed in the serene courtyard garden; its name pays homage to the 1929 novel Mr. Ma and Son by Lao She, who moved from China to London in the ’20s to be a university lecturer. The menu adds Chinese sesame balls and egg tarts to the usual assortment of scones and finger sandwiches.
Playful touches abound throughout the Art’otel London Battersea Power Station, including eyeglass-shaped mirrors in guest rooms.
Photo by KlunderBie
Art’otel London Battersea Power Station
- Neighborhood: Battersea
- Why we love it: Colorful artworks at every turn, rooftop pool with killer views
- From $280
- Book now
For one of the coolest views in all of London, head to the rooftop pool at this 164-room hotel on the south bank of the Thames: It puts you face-to-face with the iconic chimneys of the Battersea Power Station. The decommissioned art deco landmark has been reimagined as a shopping, dining, and residential hub, and since opening in 2022, the Art’otel—as its name suggests—prioritizes the arts. The hotel commissioned Spanish artist and designer Jaime Hayon to create custom works for the space, including recycled-yarn tapestries hanging over the café and a nearly 10-foot-tall sculpture in the lobby of a man with a chicken head. But you’ll find his new and existing pieces throughout the hotel: colorful prints and eyeglasses-shaped mirrors in the guest rooms, Calder-like mobiles in the restaurant, a surrealist-cubist cabinet of curiosities filled with quirky objets near the entrance. There’s an artist-in-residence program, through which established and emerging artists create work on site and lead workshops, and guests can also regularly join in classes like pottery, abstract painting, and candle-making.
The lobby at Ember Locke is a riot of colors, patterns, and textures that makes it a perfect spot for all-day hangouts.
Photo by Kensington Leverne
Ember Locke
- Neighborhood: South Kensington
- Why we love it: Creativity-sparking programming, amenity-filled suites
- From $188
- Book now
Locke’s growing footprint of properties across Europe—including five London locations—is changing the game for the “aparthotel” concept. Think less corporate extended-stay, and more your stylish friend’s flat. Opened in 2023 in South Kensington, the 121-room Ember Locke occupies a Victorian mansion block, with interiors that pair art deco silhouettes with warm saturated hues, retro-futurist prints, and brass and velvet accents. (A bonus for creative types: The Design Museum is a 10-minute walk away.) Room configurations range from “boudoir-style” Locke Rooms to split-level Duplex Suites, outfitted with Smeg refrigerators and in-room washer/dryers. Potted plants and natural light dominate the public spaces, which include a conservatory-style restaurant and an art-filled bar, while a walled garden beckons out back. If you’re traveling solo, the Locke offers a full roster of experiences designed to get you out of your room, such as spoken word poetry nights, life drawing classes, collage-making sessions, and cinema screenings.
The spacious lobby at the Hoxton, Shepherd’s Bush, is one of the most popular new hangouts in West London.
Courtesy of the Hoxton
The Hoxton, Shepherd’s Bush
- Neighborhood: Shepherd’s Bush
- Why we love it: Innovative on-site restaurant, something-for-everyone room configurations
- From $260
- Book now
Hoxton hotels are a magnet for both in-the-know travelers and laptop-toting locals, who work over lattes in the lobby by day and drink cocktails in the bar at night. The East London–based, design-forward mini-chain made its West London debut in 2022, landing one neighborhood beyond Notting Hill, just steps from the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire music venue, the cutting-edge Bush Theatre, and the 111-year-old Shepherd’s Bush Market. A Hoxton trademark is its different room configurations, which range here from window-free Hideout rooms in the basement to bunk rooms to the 375-square-foot Biggy category, which includes stand-alone tubs. Regardless of room size, you’ll find quirky design choices, like squiggly edged mirrors, terrazzo-topped tables, pastel walls, and copper accents. Downstairs, save at least one meal for Chet’s, the Thai-Americana restaurant from L.A. chef Kris Yenbamroong, who serves fusion plates like tuna larb melts, curry-topped loaded fries, and chicken and roti waffles.
The fun-loving communal spaces at Moxy London Stratford invite guests to leave their rooms and hang out together.
Courtesy of Marriott International
Moxy London Stratford
- Neighborhood: Stratford
- Why we love it: Access to an off-the-beaten-path neighborhood, free breakfast
- From $110
- Book now
Stratford may seem far east on a map, but thanks to the 2022 opening of the Elizabeth Line, it’s surprisingly well-connected to the center—you can get to Paddington station, for instance, in under 20 minutes. Sports fans will recognize the neighborhood as the hub of the 2012 Summer Olympics, and that athletic theme finds its way into the decor at this Marriott hotel brand: Gymnastics rings dangle above the bar as part of a light fixture, luggage lockers are emblazoned with sketches of athletes, and the Olympic Stadium appears in a mural of London landmarks in the lobby. The 294 guest rooms at Moxy London Stratford are minimalist but functional, with glass-pane desks and end tables, and the common spaces include playful touches like foosball and pool tables. Best of all, you’ll be within strolling distance of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, home to next-generation cultural institutions like Sadler’s Wells East, a new dance theater, and the V&A Storehouse, a vast museum-in-progress that will house more than 250,000 objects from the Victoria & Albert collection.
The rooms and suites at One Hundred Shoreditch are filled with playful furnishings and colorful design objects.
Courtesy of One Hundred Shoreditch
One Hundred Shoreditch
- Neighborhood: Shoreditch
- Why we love it: A pilgrimage-worthy cocktail bar, art-filled lobby
- From $220
- Book now
The 2013 opening of the Ace Hotel cemented Shoreditch’s status as a cool-kid hub, but it unfortunately closed shortly after the onset of the pandemic. Enter the Lore Group, which transformed and rebranded the hipster haunt as One Hundred Shoreditch, adding columns of bay windows to the facade and filling the lobby with striking design elements, such as London furniture maker and artist Jan Hendzel’s mesmerizing totems and benches made from reclaimed oak from canal lock gates. Upstairs, the 258 guest rooms and suites are designed to be calming retreats, awash in layers of white, cushiony banquettes, and inverted U-shaped vases with eucalyptus sprigs. The lobby bar pops with striking red paper tropical blooms, but for the coolest vibe in the building, head down to the speakeasy-like cocktail den in the basement, Seed Library, from London cocktail legend Mr. Lyan (aka Ryan Chetiyawardana).
A grand mahogany staircase marks the coffee shop that doubles as a lobby at the Pilgrm.
Photo by Tom Kahler
The Pilgrm
- Neighborhood: Paddington
- Why we love it: A welcoming lobby coffee shop, sustainable design
- From $154
- Book now
Step into the Pilgrm—about a minute from Paddington Station—and you might wonder whether you got the address wrong and stumbled into a stylish coffee shop. There’s no front desk in sight—just a gleaming espresso machine, an artful light fixture, cobalt blue tiles, and a statement mahogany staircase. Check-in happens online before guests are whisked up to one of 73 compact but charming rooms, where the decor is intentionally retro (cast-iron radiators, parquet floors, pull-chain toilet) to fit in with the Victorian townhouse surroundings. The sustainability-minded designers filled the spaces with upcycled materials sourced from all over the United Kingdom, including a mayor’s office, a psychiatric hospital, an army gym, and even the Natural History Museum.
Ruby Stella Hotel & Bar draws design inspiration from Charles Dickens.
Photo by Gregor Hofbauer
Ruby Stella Hotel & Bar
- Neighborhood: Farringdon
- Why we love it: Guitars you can borrow, a cozy lobby bar with outdoor seating
- From $170
- Book now
The Munich-based Ruby Hotels coined the term “lean luxury” to describe its laid-back but personality-driven style, and it opened its third London location in November 2024, bringing its buzzing communal spaces and friendly service to underrated Farringdon. And while it’s very centrally located—four minutes by foot from the Postal Museum and eight from the Charles Dickens Museum—the 153-room hotel has a tucked-away feel thanks to its address on a narrow side street. A subtle Dickensian theme runs throughout, but it never veers into Victorian kitsch: The lobby bar, for example, subtly nods to the area’s bookbinding heritage with its collection of embossing tools and letterpress printing blocks. The guest rooms skew crisp and minimalist, while also playing on this literary inspiration with an over-bed installation comprising a hanging quill, book, inkpot, and blank sheet of paper—almost as if inviting you to jot something down after an inspiring dream. Less Dickensian but just as charming? Rooms also include a desktop Marshall speaker, and you can rent an acoustic or electric guitar from downstairs.
The Town Hall Hotel occupies a grand former municipal building in Bethnal Green.
Courtesy of Marriott International
Town Hall Hotel, London, a Member of Design Hotels
- Neighborhood: Bethnal Green
- Why we love it: Grand architecture, Michelin-starred cooking
- From $210
- Book now
Before it opened as a hotel in 2010, this 1910 Edwardian landmark (which later got an art deco refresh) spent decades as a municipal building. Its modish nooks and crannies even made cameos in movies like Atonement and Snatch. Architecture buffs will swoon over the Town Hall Hotel’s domed skylight, veined columns, and grand marble staircase in the lobby, where vintage furnishings evoke a Mad Men–era office. True to its adaptive reuse spirit, the 97 rooms and suites are dramatically different in style and scale—some have original fireplaces, others have full kitchens; many feature glass room partitions that allow the original architecture to shine through. The hotel is home to the two-Michelin-starred Brazilian Italian restaurant Da Terra, and while its Bethnal Green location—an East London neighborhood that used to feel out of the way for travelers—is really coming into its own. Within a two-minute walk of the front door, you’ll reach the Young V&A (the children’s outpost of the Victoria and Albert Museum) and Satan’s Whiskers, currently ranked No. 29 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list.
