The Z Hotel Covent Garden: an affordable hotel in the heart of London

I first heard about Z hotels after bookmarking Monica from The Travel Hack’s 10 best cheap hotels in London list last summer. I live a 30 minute train ride outside of London, but I love a little overnight in the city, and it’s always really handy to know an affordable hotel in the heart of London to turn to when you need a night away. The new Z Hotel Covent Garden is located right in the centre of all the action and 30 seconds from the famous piazza, bars, shops and restaurants. It took me about three minutes to walk there from Leicester Square Tube (anyone else not keen on those Covent Garden lifts?), and I found the Z Hotel Covent Garden tucked away just off Bedford Street.

The Z Hotel Covent Garden, tucked away just off Bedford Street

There to meet me was the very lovely owner of Z Hotels, Bev King. Bev’s story is inspiring. After a career in hospitality, working his way up to Chief Operating Operator at Thistle Hotels, Bev and his partners opened the first Z Hotel in Soho in November 2011. The Z Hotel Covent Garden is number 11 and there are more planned (Holborn and Trafalgar Square are currently under construction). All of the Z hotels are in central city locations (as well as London, you’ll find Z Hotels in Bath, Glasgow and Liverpool) and all feature the legendary Z Hotels attention to detail.

Wait, affordable and luxurious? How can this be?

Bev and his team don’t cut corners. The rooms might be compact (who needs all that extra space in a hotel room? You’re there to explore) but the materials used are great quality, from the alcantara sourced for the headboards and the seriously decent shower in the bathroom/wet room, to the beds handmade in the UK complete with 100% wool, naturally non-allergenic duvets. Everything is controlled by the press of a button on a small control panel (OMG those blinds that come down automatically like Amanda’s house in The Holiday).

When they say no hidden extras they really mean it

As with any luxury hotel (just on a smaller scale), you’ll find water (in a reusable glass bottle), toiletries (in clever foil pouches - see what I mean about the attention to detail?), and decent coffee and tea making facilities in the room, but Z hotels go further, with fast free WiFi, a ton of free channels on the 49″ flat screen TVs and some great perks too.

Somebody mention perks?

There’s complimentary wine and cheese for guests every evening from 5pm - 8pm (I know!), very lovely, friendly staff who know the surrounding area and are around 24 hours a day should you need anything, plus there’s a members scheme offering discounts on the room rates for returning guests.

There’s also a seriously cool Z Café

Room rates are room only, but for £9.50 you can add breakfast in the lovely, bright Z Café, including coffees, teas and fruit juices, fresh pastries, various breads (plus a decent toaster and various butters, jams, Nutella etc), cold meats, cheeses, loads of different fruit, cereals, granola and delicious freshly baked bacon rolls.

What are the tricks for getting the best rate?

Although room rates are offered as ‘from £70’, I told Bev that I’d clicked on a couple of days next week and the room rates were more like £170. However, he had some brilliant - and quite surprising - insider tips for getting the best rate at Z Covent Garden: Sunday nights are always good ones to try, and Bev also recommended trying Bank Holidays and school holidays too (which I assumed would be more expensive, but I guess maybe it’s more a business hotel?). I had a quick search, and there are definitely some bargains to be had. For example, over the Easter weekend, Sunday 20th April is £80 for a Z inside queen room for two people, and an inside double on a random Sunday in August (11th) came up at just £65.

Are there different rooms?

Yes, and the difference is reflected in the price. There are some inside rooms (obviously without windows), some larger rooms, a few single rooms, and some family rooms too with a very clever double bunkbed arrangement. There are also some accessible rooms available.

The verdict

Loved it. Whether you’re going to the theatre, heading into London for work, or just want to explore (we’re actually thinking we might come up for the day, do a bit of shopping, watch a movie and have dinner) the Z Hotel Covent Garden is a simple, stylish, affordable way to spend the night in London.

Massive thanks to the team at Z Hotel Covent Garden for having me.