Finding hotels in London has always been a bit of a problem for me.  I think this is partly because people rarely know the hotels in the places they live!  I can tell you a lot more about hotels in San Francisco than  in London or Baltimore!  But I don’t live in London any more, my fairly frequent visits to London mean that I need to know places that are comfortable, pleasant, and economical.

Holiday Inn - Brentford

As I  spend most of my time on the west side of London, the Holiday Inn in Brentford is an ideal place to stay, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for alternative to staying at Heathrow.  Heathrow hotels tend to make you feel a bit like a prisoner because you usually can’t wander out for a walk or to find a restaurant or a pub.  This happens at a lot of airport hotels, but Heathrow makes matters worse because you often have to pay to take a shuttle from the airport’s terminals to your hotel.

Click here for an authoritative guide to hotel shuttles at Heathrow and free alternatives.

Getting to the Bentford Lock Holiday Inn from Heathrow  is easy.  From the airport, take the Piccadilly Line to Boston Manor.  At Boston Manor, you take the E8 bus, which stops right outside the hotel (Commerce Road, Brentford).  This takes no more than about forty minutes door to door.

If you book through the Holiday Inn website, this hotel can be a little expensive, but I have often found wonderful bargains here by booking through Hotwire.  Go to the Hotwire site and select London airport (LHR) as your destination.  Then narrow your search to “Ealing, Hammersmith, and Brentford.”  Then select the 3.5 star hotel for that area.  I have done this four times, and this hotel has always been selected.  The price for a room for the night usually ranges from $49 to $59, and Hotwire usually adds a bit to that, but it remains a wonderful bargain!  (Don’t select a three star hotel as this will put you in the Holiday Inn Express in North Acton, an adequate and charmless hotel in a much less agreeable area.)

So, what’s so nice about it?

Tow path near Brentford Holiday Inn

• You are in a pleasant area of London off the beaten tourist track, and a nice canal with a tow path that is great for a walk.

Room - Brenford Holiday Inn

• The rooms are clean, well appointed, and bright with good space if you need to work.
• The staff are friendly.

Desserts at Bentford Holiday Inn

• The hotel’s restaurant offers nice food. (Try the Indian dinners and the buffet roast on Sundays.)
• There is free wi-fi in the lobby.  (You have to pay from the rooms.)
• There’s an excellent award-winning Irish pub next door called O’Brien’s.  Click here for O’Brien’s pub.

Bathroom - Brentford Holiday Inn

• The bathrooms are good with wonderful showers.  (I always feel a bit grubby after a long haul flight!)

I stayed at the Brentford Holiday Inn in February 2010 and again in June 2010, and I thought I should add a few comments on the restaurant as it was not quite as good in June as in February.

The Sunday roast remained a good deal at GBP 12.95, but the beef was dry and over-cooked.  The chef was unapologetic about this, but the manager took great pains to find another piece of beef and to make sure we were satisfied. The deal for the Sunday roast includes starters from a buffet, the main course, and an excellent selection of desserts.  (See the picture above.)

The Indian dinner is good value at GBP 12.95 with a good buffet of Indian dishes.  Starters are brought to your table.  Many of the people who work at this hotel are from India, and the Indian food is authentic and good.

I have not tried the breakfast (GBP 9.95) as I prefer to go to the nearby Morrisons supermarket that has excellent croissants (GBP 1.25 for a bag of six), which I eat in my room with coffee.  (Coffee facilities are provided, but it is much better if you can bring your own Bodum.)