4* Park Plaza Riverbank

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.

Central Station is one of those increasingly rare London places where the accommodation and the gay venue are essentially the same experience. The rooms sit above the long-running LGBTQ+ bar in King’s Cross, with drag, karaoke and other events downstairs and the decidedly more adventurous Underground Club in the basement. The rooms themselves are simple and traditional rather than boutique-hotel polished, with a mix of private and shared bathrooms, so it’s worth checking exactly what you’re booking. What you do get is character, a friendly atmosphere and one of London’s best-connected transport hubs less than ten minutes away. King’s Cross and St Pancras put six Tube lines, national trains and Eurostar within easy reach, while Soho is around 15 minutes away by Tube. GayMapper tip: choose Central Station if you like the idea of staying somewhere genuinely connected to London’s gay scene — and don’t mind a little more personality than polish.

Native Bankside is a good reminder that staying centrally in London doesn’t have to mean squeezing into a tiny hotel room. The apartments occupy a restored Victorian tea warehouse near the Thames, with exposed brick, arched windows and considerably more character than most serviced apartments. Each unit gives you kitchen facilities and proper living space, which is especially useful for longer stays. Borough Market, Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe are all nearby, with London Bridge, Southwark and Blackfriars stations within walking distance. Soho and Vauxhall both require a short journey, but Bankside has more than enough restaurants, bars and riverside life to make evenings closer to home worthwhile too. GayMapper tip: particularly good for longer stays or couples who want the freedom of an apartment without giving up hotel-style service and a genuinely central location.

Generator London works particularly well for solo travellers and groups who want somewhere sociable without paying full London hotel prices. The large bar and communal spaces make meeting people easy, while you can choose between dorms and private rooms depending on how committed you are to hostel life. Its Bloomsbury location is useful too. Russell Square and King’s Cross are both nearby, the British Museum is walkable and the Piccadilly Line gets you straight into Soho when you’re ready for a night out. The surrounding streets are much calmer than the West End, which can be rather welcome when you eventually come home. GayMapper tip: a strong budget option if you’d rather spend your money in London than on your bedroom — especially if you’re travelling alone and appreciate somewhere naturally sociable.

If you like a hotel with a story, Great Scotland Yard Hotel has rather more material to work with than most. It occupies the former headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, tucked down a quiet Westminster street between Trafalgar Square and Whitehall. That location is superb for central London: Covent Garden, the South Bank, Westminster and Soho are all walkable, while Heaven is particularly close around Charing Cross. The historic theme continues inside without turning the place into a police museum. Dining includes the fire-led Ekstedt at The Yard, while the hidden Síbín speakeasy and 40 Elephants bar give you unusually interesting options for a drink without leaving the hotel. GayMapper tip: a strong luxury choice if you want London history, excellent food and a central location that works equally well for sightseeing and nights out.

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.