Why Can't I Find a Hotel That Fits Us? Finding 2 Beds in 1 Room in London.

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The Dilemma of Finding 2 Beds in 1 Room in London

Planning a family trip to London often means budgeting around £200–£300 per night (roughly $250–$380 USD) for mid-range comfort in desirable areas like Kensington, Covent Garden, or near major attractions. At this price point, you're eyeing solid 3- to 4-star options which covers the far majority of travelers. Yet, despite that budget range, the same frustration persists: many listings promise space for 3–4 people but deliver a king or double bed plus a sofa bed (or pull-out) for the extras. Finding rooms with two actual beds—like twin beds, two queens, or doubles—remains surprisingly tricky across all budgets. And, don't even ask for 2 king beds in one room. You may as well hunt for Unicorns in the Candy Cane Forest. You're in two room territory at that point. Which can also prove tricky if you want them to connect.

Even the popular "aparthotel" can be a trap. It will say the one - bedroom apartment sleeps "4" but the 3rd and 4th are in the living area on.... you guessed it, a sofa bed.

If you are looking for a room with twin beds, you may be surprised that the twin beds are still touching each other. It's basically a double bed made up with 2 sets of linens. It can be awkward if you aren't super close to your travel companion. You're still close enough to snore in each other's faces.

This is often the surprise of a room with Twin Beds. Yes, twin beds in theory, but in practice, you and your friend are basically in the same bed.

This 2-bed issue is more pronounced in the mid-range bracket around $300/night, where space constraints in historic or densely built properties limit configurations. You can buy your way out of most conundrums like this, but most of us can't afford the family suite at The Ritz. Family rooms might advertise for four, but the second "bed" is frequently a less comfortable sofa bed, which can lead to restless nights, especially for older kids or adults. Travelers on forums and review sites frequently lament this, noting that even when filtering for "two beds", the fine print often reveals the compromise. I WILL say that because of this, sofa beds are more bed-like than you would find at your local Holiday Inn Express. Because they know that's the "second bed" in a room, you are less likely to have a thin mattress with a metal bar in your lower back all night. But, still, it's not going to be as comfortable as the bed next to it.

The Connecting Room Idea Doesn't Always Work Either

You can't find a room with TWO beds, so you start looking for hotels with connecting rooms, figuring you'll put the kids in a different room and just leave the door open. Easy Peasy- that's TWO rooms and TWO bathrooms. Mom is already enjoying the space in her head. Not so fast..... Many hotels will say "Connecting Rooms Available", but few will promise you'll get one. I have literally told a hotel that I hope they enjoy a 5- and 7-year-old wandering around on another floor trying to find their parents. The answer was STILL, "We'll do our best, but we can't guarantee connecting rooms." It's absolutely crazy to say you have them but not guarantee them. I have found a few hotels that will and those are my go-tos for families wanting connecting rooms.

Connecting Rooms are a great idea, if you can get someone to guarantee them.

The American Contrast: Two Beds as the Norm

In contrast, U.S. mid-range hotels (similar price range) from brands like Hilton, Marriott, or Holiday Inn routinely offer rooms with two queen beds as standard for families or groups. This setup allows four people to sleep comfortably on real mattresses, without fold-outs. It's a design choice rooted in American travel culture—family road trips, group vacations, and larger room footprints make dual-bed rooms practical and expected. Often the rooms are huge with plenty of space for suitcases and even kids who might opt to sleep on the floor (I had one), vs. hotels in London where you have to step over your suitcase to get to the toilet in the middle of the night.

This is what we have come to expect a lot of places in the US

This is what "2 Beds" looks like in a lot of London hotels

Why the Difference?

The core reasons remain space scarcity in London (historic buildings, high land costs), different traveler profiles (more couples/business than large families), and bed size standards (UK doubles are smaller). Mid-range hotels optimize for efficiency: sofa beds allow daytime seating and nighttime flexibility in compact rooms, while U.S. properties prioritize versatility with larger layouts. Every inch of space matters in London and across Europe vs America where hotels spring up next to hotels and all seem to have large parking lots to boot.

Why a Professional Like Send Me to London Can Save You the Headache

Here's where expertise shines: searching for that elusive two-bed room yourself can eat hours—comparing listings, reading endless reviews, emailing hotels for confirmations, only to discover the "family room" is sofa-bed reliant after booking and you start preparing the kids for that reality.

As a specialized London travel agent, I already know the landscape intimately. I have looked for these exact room requests dozens of times. I just did it last week for London and Paris. Today I spent 5 hours looking for a room with 2 beds in a particular neighborhood near a particular tube station with particular room needs at a high travel season for a mid-range budget. It was a lot of "must haves" even for someone who knows how and where to look.

But, I will say that sometimes, budget, timing and location constraints mean you just have to give in and go with what you can get. Your kids will survive the sofa bed. I get a lot of people telling me they won't accept that option but don't have the budget to get out of that option. Sometimes, it's just the reality and, I promise, your kids will survive. Mine did. BECAUSE that's sometimes THE option, the hotels often have a better sofa bed than you think they will.

It's a little different when you're looking at putting your 65-year-old mother in that bed. She's past the age where she can sleep anywhere. You'll want a bed for her.

Need help finding the place for you? Reach out and I can help you. Even if you don't need itinerary planning but just want to get rid of the headache of finding a hotel room, I can do that for you. My only requirement is that if I find something that works for you, that you book it with me. That way my time is compensated through commission from the hotel. Don't worry, though, I can often at least meet or very often beat the same prices at the hotel's own website. So, it's not like you'll have to pay double to use a travel expert to find you something.

If time and sanity matter, leaning on a London specialist like Send Me to London often proves the smartest move to find a great hotel that fits your needs in London!

Hotels for Summer are booking NOW and I PROMISE you that you want air conditioning in your hotel room (ignore locals who mock you for asking about it - they complain about the heat when it comes because they don't have it). And, you also want to avoid below ground or "basement" rooms. These are things I help my clients with because you don't know what you don't know and then you find out the hard way.