3* Zedwell Piccadilly

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Resident Soho is almost absurdly well placed for an LGBTQ+ weekend in London. It’s tucked down Carlisle Street by Soho Square, so Old Compton Street and the surrounding gay bars are only a few minutes away, yet the hotel itself feels surprisingly calm once you’re back inside. There’s no restaurant or scene-y hotel bar competing for your attention here; instead, the focus is on comfortable rooms, friendly service and little mini-kitchens with a fridge, microwave and Nespresso machine. That’s particularly handy if you’re staying for several nights or simply don’t fancy paying Soho prices every time you want a drink or snack. Tottenham Court Road is around five minutes away, giving you the Elizabeth, Central and Northern lines, while theatres, Chinatown, Oxford Street and Covent Garden are all comfortably walkable. GayMapper tip: probably the sweet spot if you want proper four-star comfort right in gay Soho without jumping all the way to five-star Soho Hotel prices.