It’s amazing how expensive a short hotel stay can be in London. As a major city in the UK there are lots of hotels available though, and you don’t always have to pay top price for them. All it takes is a little knowledge and some advance planning to get some better deals.

Here are five ways you can cut costs when you are looking for cheap hotels in London.

1. Look further out from the centre of London. It’s tempting to stay right in the heart of the city when you come up to London. But that isn’t where you are likely to find the cheap hotels in London. Instead try looking on the outskirts. You will still be close to the city but you will leave the more expensive post codes behind. This should reduce the room rate and you will still be able to reach all the locations you want to see easily by public transport.

2. Avoid big name hotels. It can be nice to stay in a famous hotel or one that belongs to a posh chain. But you will pay higher prices for doing so. And since you really only want the room to sleep in, it’s easy to stay elsewhere and save some cash to use in other ways instead.

3. Stays of two or three nights can work out cheaper per night than a one night stay. Look out for special deals that reduce the price per night when you spend longer in the hotel. These are ideal if you are looking for cheap hotels in London for a weekend away. Not all hotels offer them so do your research and make up a shortlist of ones which do. Watch out for time sensitive offers and ones that may be extended for certain times of the year as well.

4. Look for hotels that offer a free breakfast included in the price. Some hotels charge extra for having breakfast while you are staying there, and this can add a lot to the price. Even if you choose not to have breakfast during your stay you will need to buy a meal out in London instead – and that can be even more expensive. So choosing cheap hotels in London which offer breakfast for free each day is a good way to save money and set yourself up for the day as well.

5. Do some research online and compare prices and deals before booking anything. Some people settle on the first hotel they come across. But this isn’t the best way to find the cheapest deal when it comes to booking a hotel in London. Instead, decide where you ideally want to stay and start looking for hotels in the vicinity. You’ll be amazed at the difference in prices when you start looking at all the options. Watch out for additional deals which are unique to booking online as well. Some hotels offer a small discount for booking in this way instead of phoning them directly.

You may not have thought that staying in a London hotel would be a cheap option. But as you can see there are plenty of ways you can reduce your hotel bill without reducing your experience of London. In fact you can get a lot more for your money while staying in London that you think.

Provided you follow the steps above and make sure you have looked at all the options, you can enjoy your pick of the cheap hotels in London every time you visit.