4* Native Bankside

Few hotels put you closer to gay Soho than Zedwell Piccadilly Circus. Step out of the Trocadero and you’re already in the West End, with Old Compton Street, Chinatown, Leicester Square and the theatres all within a few minutes. The unusual bit comes when you step back inside: the rooms are deliberately windowless, with filtered air, soft lighting and no televisions, all designed around getting a good night’s sleep despite Piccadilly Circus doing its best outside. That concept won’t suit everyone — if waking up and checking the weather through an actual window matters to you, look elsewhere — but it can work brilliantly for a busy London weekend. There’s also a large gym, available for an additional fee. GayMapper tip: almost absurdly convenient for Soho, and particularly good if you want a quiet cocoon after a very unquiet night.

If your idea of queer London leans more Dalston than Soho, Staycity Aparthotels London Dalston puts you right in the middle of it. Dalston Superstore is just along Kingsland High Street, The Divine is nearby and the surrounding streets have an enormous choice of independent bars, restaurants and late-night food. The apartments are particularly useful if you’re staying for more than a weekend, with proper kitchens, dining space and enough room to feel less like you’re living out of a suitcase. There’s also a gym and 24-hour reception. Dalston Kingsland station is around three minutes away, while Dalston Junction gives you another Overground option, so central London is easy to reach even though you’re staying firmly in the East End. GayMapper tip: a great choice if you want London’s more alternative LGBTQ+ scene on the doorstep and are perfectly happy swapping Piccadilly Circus for Kingsland High Street.

Staybridge Suites London - Vauxhall is particularly useful if you’re staying for more than a weekend and would rather have something approaching a small apartment than another London hotel room. Every suite has a proper kitchen, breakfast is included and there’s even a free guest laundry, which makes longer stays considerably easier. The hotel sits on a quiet street beside Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, around five minutes from Vauxhall station, so Victoria, Oxford Circus and the rest of central London are only a few Tube stops away. For LGBTQ+ travellers, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern is practically a neighbour, while other Vauxhall venues and the Thames are easily walkable. Westminster is close enough to reach on foot when the weather behaves. GayMapper tip: a very practical choice if you want Vauxhall nightlife nearby, more space than a standard hotel room and the freedom to make breakfast at 2pm without anyone judging you.

You could spend a London weekend at The Z Hotel Trafalgar and barely trouble the Tube. Charing Cross is moments away, Covent Garden and Leicester Square are around the corner, Soho is an easy walk and Heaven is practically in the neighbourhood. As with all Z Hotels, the bargain comes with a compromise: rooms are very compact and some have no windows. They’re cleverly designed, though, with good beds, proper showers and everything you actually need for a short city break. The location is especially good if your London plans mix theatre, sightseeing and nights out rather than revolving entirely around Soho. GayMapper tip: excellent for a short stay when you intend to spend very little waking time in the room — London does rather more interesting things outside it anyway.

The Soho Hotel is about as close as you can get to staying right in London’s gay heartland without actually sleeping above a bar. It hides down a quiet mews between Dean Street and Wardour Street, with Old Compton Street only moments away. That makes nights out wonderfully uncomplicated, but it’s the hotel itself that keeps this as our favourite splurge. Kit Kemp’s colourful interiors give every room real personality, Refuel is a genuinely good restaurant and cocktail bar, and the two private screening rooms are a very Soho touch. You’ve also got theatres, restaurants, Chinatown, Oxford Street and several Tube stations within an easy walk, so very little about a weekend here requires planning. GayMapper tip: expensive, absolutely — but if you want a special London stay and gay Soho right outside, it’s difficult to think of a better combination.

St Giles London is all about location. Tottenham Court Road is practically outside, Oxford Street is around the corner and you can be on Old Compton Street in Soho within a few minutes on foot. That makes it wonderfully easy for an LGBTQ+ weekend: drinks, dinner, theatre and most of the West End are walkable, while the Elizabeth, Central and Northern lines give you excellent connections when you want to venture further. The hotel is big, busy and fairly straightforward, and room quality can vary — this isn’t somewhere you book for hushed boutique luxury. But in a part of London where hotel prices can get slightly ridiculous, the combination of price and location can be hard to argue with. GayMapper tip: one of the simplest choices if being able to walk home from Soho matters considerably more than having the fanciest room in town.