Kayak.com is a search engine where you can tailor your hotel search by price, quality level and distance from city center. The entries also provide user reviews. Take these for what they are worth. One bad review or one glowing review might mean very little. Look for patterns. I eliminated any hotel that didn't achieve a rating of at least five on the 10-point scale. Click on the link for each of the following hotels to get addresses and contact information.
London
In this city, easily among the world's most expensive, the experimental search turned up five properties under $100, with at least two stars, and within three miles of the city center. All five are rated as two-star quality.
Hampstead Britannia came in at $62. Kayak says the distance is three miles from the center of London.
Hamilton House Hotel was $79 at the time of search, and it's listed as 2.3 miles from center.
Norfolk Towers Hotel registered at $83 during the search, 2.8 miles from center.
Beverley House Hotel had a price of $88, and a distance of 2.9 miles from center.
10 Manchester Street qualified with a $95 price tag, 2.8 miles from the center of London.
Paris
Many people consider the French capital a very expensive city, and in many ways they are correct. But seasoned budget travelers also know it is easy to find a clean, well-located hotel room here at a reasonable price. My Kayak search turned up 47 hotel properties with at least two stars and a price under $100/night within three miles of the city center. I won't list all of them, but you can do a similar search and note the results.
The lowest-price three-star property was Pavilion de Paris. It turned up at $66 USD, and is listed as two miles from the city center.
The cheapest two-star hotel in my search that fit all the criteria was Kyriad Brancion Paris at $60, also two miles from the city center.
So if you're looking for a Paris hotel room, there are plenty of choices. For recommendations that go beyond price and location, check out these 10 budget recommendations from France for Visitors.
Do you think the experiment played out in pricey Manhattan? Click "next" and find out!
