Best Hotels In London to Book With Points

I don’t think I need to list here all the things you can see and do in London, as the city needs no introduction. It’s one of the most expensive cities in the world, but it’s also such an amazing destination with so much to offer. Before you take out a second mortgage so you can afford a nice hotel in London, read on, because there are so many great hotels that you can book with points in all price ranges.

We are very lucky that every major hotel chain is represented and if you have a good stash of hotel or flexible points, you will have many options to choose from.

Hyatt

There are a few Small Luxury Hotels properties around London, but most of them require a lot of points and when you consider their cash prices, they don’t represent a great value. And in spite of the word luxury in the name, some don’t look that luxurious to me at all.

But lucky for us, there are still a couple of great options in London where you can use your World of Hyatt points and, if you’ve recently earned an elite status with Hyatt through their various promotions, enjoy your Globalist perks.

Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill

Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill is located in the lovely Marylebone area of London. The hotel overlooks the Portman Square Garden and the famous Hyde Park, Oxford Street and heart of London’s West End, are all within an easy walking distance.

The rooms look to be a decent size, which is often not the case in London, being a city of very expensive real estate. Combine this with the classic decor and the winning location and you get an unbeatable combination.

This is a category 6 property that costs 25,000 points/night.

Great Scotland Yard Hotel

Great Scotland Yard Hotel is another Hyatt property with an amazing location near Covent Garden. The hotel is located in the building of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters, so if you love British crime fiction, this couldn’t be more perfect.

The area around Covent Garden is full of cool shops, cozy pubs and amazing restaurants. You’ll also be very close to London’s embankment and one of the most famous London’s landmarks, Big Ben.

This is a category 6 property that you can book with 25,000 points/night.

Andaz London Liverpool Street

If you want to stay somewhere cool and hip rather than classic and traditional, then the Andaz London Liverpool Street is just the ticket. The Andaz is located in the heart of East London in Shoreditch. The rooms are modern and more spacious than you’ll find in central London and all the rooms come with a complimentary mini-bar stocked with snacks and non-alcoholic beverages.

You’ll be close to the Liverpool Street tube station and in the heart of Shoreditch. St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London are also within an easy walking distance. If you want to stay in a less touristy and younger, hipper, more creative area of the city, Anadaz fits the bill.

This is a category 5 property that you can book with 20,000 points/night.

Card to Help You Earn World of Hyatt Points

Hyatt points can be earned in two ways. One way to earn Hyatt points is to open the World of Hyatt credit card. It comes with a generous welcome bonus and great earning rate on Hyatt stays. You’ll also earn a free night in categories 1-4 on your first account anniversary.

Another way to get Hyatt points is by transferring Ultimate Rewards points. One of our favorite cards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, comes with a nice welcome bonus and great travel benefits such as trip interruption insurance and rental car insurance. Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer to Hyatt 1:1 and the transfer is instant.

Marriott

Marriott has a lot of properties in London, but not all of them are conveniently located or offer a good value. Most centrally located properties fall into category 7 or 8, but there are also a couple of category 6 family-friendly Residence Inn hotels that offer free breakfast.

Marriott has peak, off-peak and standard rates. To find out exactly how many points you’ll need for your stay consult the award chart.

And don’t forget that when you book four nights with points, you will get the fifth night free. This is a perfect amount of time for London, and you might even be able to fit in a day trip to a nearby city or a grand country estate. For all my fellow Downton Abbey fans, Highclere Castle where the show was filmed is only two hours away.

Residence Inn London Bridge

One of Marriott’s more reasonably priced properties, the Residence Inn London Bridge is located within easy walking distance from Tower Bridge, London Bridge, The Shard and Borough Market. The apartment-like rooms come with fully equipped kitchens, separate living areas, sofa beds, workspaces and smart TVs. If you are traveling with kids, this could be perfect. You’ll get more room to spread out, a free breakfast and you can even prepare some meals in your suite to save money on eating out.

This is a category 6 hotel.

Residence Inn London Tower Bridge

Another family friendly property is located in the same area as the other Residence Inn and offers the same amenities. When I was writing this article, I ran a search at both of these hotels and found different rates, and some were even off-peak. So check the rates at both and book whichever one is cheaper, as they are almost identical.

This is a category 6 hotel.

London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square

Perfectly situated in the upscale Mayfair neighbourhood and minutes from Oxford Street and the London Ritz, the London Marriott Hotel Govsvenor Square is so very British. I stayed there many years ago before they refurbished the entire property and I loved the location.

This part of Mayfair is so pretty and quiet and is full of beautiful streets and lovely gardens. And in minutes you are back in the hustle and bustle of London and steps from the public transport.

This is a category 7 property, and if you go to London in the shoulder season, which is a perfect time to visit anyway, you can score a room there for just 50,000 points per night.

The Wellesley Knightsbridge, a Luxury Collection Hotel, London

If you desire a bit more luxury, or are in London to celebrate a special occasion and have a lot of Marriott Bonvoy points to burn, then the Wellesley fits the bill. The hotel overlooks Hyde Park and sits right amidst the glamour of Knightsbridge. This is another, more upscale side of London, but fun to explore nevertheless.

This is a category 8 property. And again, if you can travel in September or at another time during the shoulder season, you’ll save a lot of points.

Cards to Help You Earn Marriott Points

Both Chase and American Express have credit cards that earn Marriott Bonvoy points. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card comes with a generous welcome bonus and a free annual night award on nights that cost up to 35,000 Bonvoy points.

For a small business owner, the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (rates & fees) could be a great choice. The card comes with generous bonus earning categories such as restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations and wireless purchases. This card also comes with an annual free night that can be redeemed on stays up to 35,000 points.

Hilton

Hilton has over 30 properties in London. Add to that the dynamic pricing that Hilton is using and it gets even more confusing. How do you decide which Hilton property to choose? I’d start with the location, read reviews, think how many Hilton points you want to spend on this trip and then compare prices. Let’s look at two luxury properties and two more affordable hotels.

Keep in mind that when you book four nights with points, you’ll get a fifth night free.

If you have an annual free night that comes with the American Express Aspire® card, you can use it at any Hilton property. To maximize its value, use it at one of Hilton’s more luxurious and more expensive London hotels.

Conrad London St. James

Conrad is located in the heart of Westminster, steps from Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, and the St. James park. The hotel occupies a beautifully restored 19th century building that used to be Queen Anne’s Chambers and gets rave reviews from travelers for its large, clean, updated rooms and comfortable beds.

The rates fluctuate but you can often book a room there for 78,000 Hilton Honors points.

The Biltmore Mayfair, LXR Hotels & Resorts

For a bit more luxury head to the Biltmore Mayfair located in the exclusive Mayfair area, right next to the gardens of Grosvenor Square. To up the luxury quotient you can relax with a cocktail on the year-round terrace or enjoy an exquisite afternoon tea.

This is a perfect location from which to explore the best of London because the Bond Street Underground Station is a five minute walk away, and Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace are less than a mile away.

You can book a room at this beautiful property for 95,000 per night.

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel London – Victoria

If you’d rather stretch your points than splurge, then staying at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel London – Victoria will make more sense. This is a very well located hotel, between Westminster and Belgravia and less than a mile from Bukingham palace.

The rates fluctuate from 35,000 to 60,000 points. To maximize your redemption, you can do a calendar search to see when you can save the most.

Hampton by Hilton London Waterloo

This is another budget-friendly property with excellent reviews. You’ll be minutes away from London Waterloo train station and just a 15 minute walk from the London Eye (a must see!). One of the best theaters in London, the Old Vic is a three minute walk from the hotel, and a theater, or theatre as Brits would call it, visit is a must when you are in London.

I’ve seen rates from 32,000 to 52,000 points, so run a calendar search to find the best rates.

Cards to Help You Earn Hilton Points

American Express offers three personal cards and one business co-branded card. A couple of cards allow you to easily obtain the elite status needed to get the free breakfast benefit.

One of my favorite cards is the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. It comes with the generous welcome bonus, valuable Hilton Honors Diamond status and airline and resort credits that help offset its $450 annual fee. Rates & fees.

All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by 10xTravel. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is no longer available through 10xTravel.

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is a great card for a small business owner. The card comes with an excellent welcome bonus and valuable Gold status.

IHG

There are quite a few IHG properties in central London and beyond, ranging from very high end, such as Intercontinental London Park Lane and Kimpton Fitzroy London, to the more affordable properties, such as Holiday Inn Express.

IHG doesn’t have an award chart, so how many points you’ll need for a stay will depend on the time of year, the overall demand and the whims of IHG.

If you have an IHG credit card and use points to book your stay, you’ll get the fourth night free.

Kimpton Fitzroy London

This palatial 19th century landmark building that occupies a full block in Bloomsbury looks like a grande dame or hotels of yore. However, inside you’ll find all the contemporary creature comforts, such as roomy, art-filled suites with views over Russell Square. You’ll be right in the heart of literary London, in lovely Bloomsbury with cool coffee shops, trendy restaurants and easy access to public transportation.

The rates fluctuate wildly, from 55,000 to 80,000 plus IHG points, so you’ll have to check your dates to find that sweet spot.

InterContinental London Park Lane

Located right in between Hyde Park and Green Park and less than a mile from Buckingham palace, this hotel is in a perfect location for exploring the city and also enjoying London’s beautiful parks. The tony area around the hotel is the epitome of old world luxury and class.

As with other IHG properties, the rates will fluctuate wildly from 78,000 to 90,000 plus points.

Holiday Inn Express London – Victoria

For a more points-friendly option consider one of the Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express properties, such as Holiday Inn Express London Victoria. This is a more basic, no frills hotel, but you’d still have easy access to London’s wonderful public transit and be within walking distance of many major attractions.

The rates start at just 21,000 points, allowing you to stretch your points further.

Cards to Help You Earn IHG Points

The Chase IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card comes with plenty of bonus points and a good earning rate at IHG properties. The card comes with one free night on your cardmember anniversary which you can use at any property that charges less than 40,000 points a night.

Only the IHG cardholders get fourth night free when they redeem points for any stay of four or more nights.

Chase Travel Portal

London has so many wonderful and unique boutique hotels, so if you’d rather avoid chains, the Chase Travel Portal is a great resource. You can find properties in any price range in all areas of the city. You can find expensive and modern and cool or old world charming and affordable non-chain hotels and book the type of room with the amenities you need, like an included breakfast.

And if you are traveling as a family, you can book a larger room that allows more people. Most chain hotels limit the number of people in the room on award stays and European hotels are a lot stricter on the occupancy limits than their U.S. counterparts. So always book a room that can accommodate everyone.

If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, you can redeem Ultimate Rewards points for 1.25 cents each when redeemed for travel. If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, the points are worth 1.5 cents each when redeemed for travel.

For example, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you can book this very cool-looking five-star hotel for about 20,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

Cards to Help You Earn Ultimate Rewards Points

Chase has a few Ultimate Rewards earning cards, both personal and business. To get the best value out of the portal redemptions, you’ll need to have the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

Small business owners have an option to supercharge their earnings with one, or both, no fee cards such as the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card or Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card. It’s easy to combine points earned on these cards with the points earned on one of the premium cards (i.e. a card with an annual fee) and use these points for travel portal redemptions.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are so many great options for points collectors. You’ve got everything from pure luxury to budget and everything in between. The money you saved can be spent on all the great food, rooftop cocktails and, of course, beer. Because any trip to London is incomplete without a visit to a pub or two.

Travel well,

Anna