Questions And Answers
The questions below are the ones travellers ask before booking a bed or room in the capital. Each answer draws on the 42 stays listed here: 12 hostels, 18 budget hotels, 6 aparthotels and 6 apartments.
How is the price on a stay card chosen, and why can the booking page differ?
Each card shows the lowest rate seen on the sampled dates, per night for rooms and apartments, per bed per night for hostel dorms. Rates move with date and availability, so the booking page can show a different figure for the nights you pick.
Does this site take my booking or my payment directly?
No. You book on the listing page, which you reach through an affiliate link from this site. When a booking is made that way the site may earn a commission from the listing platform, at no extra cost to the guest.
What is the difference between a dorm bed, a private room, a hotel and an aparthotel?
Hostels sell beds in shared dorms, with private rooms at some properties; one hostel here also lists capsule pods. Budget hotels sell private rooms, sometimes with a shared bathroom, while aparthotels and apartments add a kitchen so you can self cater.
Why do some details on a stay page say Not stated?
When a listing does not say whether breakfast, a lift, a private bathroom or another facility is offered, the site shows Not stated rather than guessing. The booking page carries the full details, so check there before you commit to a stay.
How were the 42 stays on this site chosen?
They are real, currently listed stays, read on the four booking sites this site compares, covering hostels, budget hotels, aparthotels and apartments from King's Cross to Greenwich. It is a selection, not every cheap stay in London, and from-prices on the cards run from £14 to £148.
How are guest ratings shown for each stay?
Each stay carries the rating from its own listing, on that listing's scale: out of 10 for most stays here, out of 5 for the rest. The rating sits next to the real review count, so a 9.1 from 19,145 reviews and a 4.3 from 523 can be weighed on their own terms.
What does the zone number on a London stay's listing actually mean?
It is the Transport for London fare zone of the stay's nearest station, taken from TfL data. Most stays here sit in zone 1 or 2, with a few in zone 3, and the zone affects what you pay to travel around the city.