You've just priced out a week in London and noticed something odd: two nights are dramatically more expensive than the rest. Maybe it's a Saturday in Shoreditch, a concert night near Wembley, or midweek rates in the City that sit far above what you saw for Sunday and Monday. That naturally raises the question: is it cheaper to move hotels in London, or should you book one place for the whole stay?

In reality, you are not just choosing between “stay put” and “move once”. You are choosing how to structure your week across three things: total cost, what availability opens up, and whether you want one familiar base or two different neighbourhoods. Sometimes a single midweek switch can fit that week better; other times, a one-hotel stay suits your dates and travel style perfectly well.

This guide compares both options at a week level, using real London pricing patterns. It is not about hopping between hotels every night. It is about a straightforward comparison between Option A (one hotel all week) and Option B (one midweek switch between two hotels), so you can decide which structure makes more sense for your trip.

TL;DR: Why might moving hotels be cheaper?
Is it cheaper to move hotels in London or stay all week? It depends on how your dates line up. If one or two nights are much more expensive because of events, location or timing, a single midweek switch can sometimes reduce your total cost and open up better-value rooms and areas. If nightly prices are similar across your week, the choice is less about saving money and more about whether you prefer one base or the experience of two neighbourhoods in one trip.

What you are really choosing between

Think of the decision like this:

Option A: One hotel all week – one check-in, one checkout, one neighbourhood. Easy to understand, especially if you are travelling with children or lots of luggage.
Option B: One midweek switch (split stay) – one extra check-in somewhere else, in exchange for a week that follows how London actually prices out, more flexibility on availability, and the chance to experience two areas instead of one.

Both structures can work. The key is whether your week has clear “spike” nights or areas, and how much you value variety and flexibility versus keeping everything in one place.

How a London week actually prices out

London's hotel market is busy even before you add events into the mix. London visitor nights recovery shows demand rising from about 146 million visitor nights in 2019 to 154 million in 2024, with domestic trips up by a third. At the same time, tight London room supply means the city now has only about 286,000 visitor-accommodation rooms, just 6.2% more than 2019, while short-term rental supply has been shrinking rapidly since late 2024 under tighter regulation.

Strong demand and modest supply growth mean pricing varies sharply by night of the week, district and whether a big event lands on your dates. Robust midweek City demand shows that City of London hotels benefit from strong midweek business, supporting higher pricing even when weekend leisure demand is softer. Whitbread midweek versus weekend confirms that UK midweek hotel demand has been robust, while the timing of public holidays has affected weekend demand in some leisure locations.

Sunday–Thursday and zone 2–3 pricing guidance from The Guardian reports that Sunday to Thursday stays usually cost less than weekends in leisure areas, Sunday city nights are often cheapest, and London zones 2–3 are far cheaper than inner districts. The upshot is simple: in London, a week is rarely “one price” every night, and where you sleep within the city matters as much as when.

Average UK stay length data from VisitBritain notes that inbound visitors now stay an average of 7.4 nights, close to pre-pandemic norms. That means many trips cover both weekend and midweek nights, and often overlap with at least one busy pattern in the calendar.

Where one or two nights distort the whole week

On top of the base pattern, specific nights can sit well above others. Taylor Swift August spike data from STR shows that August 2024 London occupancy averaged 83.9%, peaking at 94.0% with an average daily rate of £239.01 on 17 August, the night of a Wembley show. Wimbledon and Oasis spikes tell a similar story: STR reports July 2025 Wimbledon finals pushing London occupancy to 94.7% (ADR £276.72), while the second Oasis night reached 91.6% occupancy with ADR £239.33.

London Marathon weekend behaviour, using SiteMinder data, shows London Marathon weekend bookings made an average 83 days ahead, with stays around two nights as more travellers frame trips around events. These event nights are not just a little higher than usual; they often sit at the very top of the month in both occupancy and price.

Here is an illustrative example of how this can shape a week. Imagine a six-night stay where two nights fall on a big stadium run near Wembley. Those two nights might be significantly more expensive in hotels close to the venue than earlier or later in your week, or in other zones further from the action. Spending those nights in one area and the calmer nights in another can mean your total outlay for the week ends up lower than if you stayed in the high-demand postcode throughout. The point is not the exact numbers, but how one or two nights can tilt the whole structure of a single-hotel stay.

Option A: one hotel all week

Option A leans into simplicity. You book one hotel, check in once, settle into a single neighbourhood and never think about where your bags are going next. If your nightly prices are relatively even across the week, that can be a good choice.

This approach works particularly well when:

Your search results show similar prices on most nights, with no obvious spikes tied to events or Saturdays.
You are travelling with children or lots of luggage and value having one base.
You are visiting in a calmer period and are not too concerned about exploring more than one area this time.

The trade-off is when prices are not even. If one or two nights are clear exceptions, for example a Saturday in a very central postcode or a concert night near a stadium, a one-hotel week means absorbing those peak nights in the same place as everything else.

Option B: one midweek switch (split stay)

Option B accepts that London does not price itself in a straight line and uses that to your advantage. You still have one continuous trip, but you split it across two hotels in a way that fits the week better.

Times advice on split bookings recommends splitting bookings to cut costs, for example taking cheaper weekend nights in business districts and midweek nights in rural or coastal hotels. In London that might mean:

Staying Sunday to Thursday in a central business area, where Sunday can be very good value, then moving to a different zone for Friday and Saturday if those nights spike near your first hotel.
Staying further from a venue on quieter nights, then moving closer for an event night or two, instead of paying event-driven prices for the whole stay.
Choosing one neighbourhood for food, nightlife or work and another for museums, parks or a different pace later in the same week.

In practice, one midweek switch can:

Help you avoid paying the very highest nightly rates in one area for your entire week.
Open up rooms or room types that are not available for all nights in a single booking.
Give you two neighbourhoods in one trip, which many travellers enjoy regardless of price.

The key is that you are not moving constantly. You are making one planned change that follows the shape of your week, not chasing tiny fluctuations from night to night.

A simple decision framework: is one switch right for you?

To decide whether a one-change split stay is worth considering for your dates, ask yourself:

1. Are one or two nights clearly more expensive than the rest?
If you can see specific nights priced far above the others, especially around events or Saturdays, that is a strong sign that restructuring might help.

2. Is there an obvious reason for those spikes?
Check if there is a concert, tournament, Marathon weekend, school holiday or bank holiday sitting on your dates. If so, you may be able to move those nights to a different area or shift your arrival or departure slightly.

3. Could a different but still convenient area work for some nights?
Guidance on Sunday–Thursday and zone 2–3 pricing suggests that zones 2–3 are often far cheaper than zone 1 while still being well connected. Sometimes a few stops on the Tube is all it takes.

4. How do you feel about one move with your luggage?
If you're travelling light, or can use left luggage at a London station, or are happy to use hotel luggage storage, one move is usually manageable. Many London hotels will store bags for you before check-in or after checkout, so you can drop luggage and explore while you wait for the room.

If you mostly answer “yes”, exploring a one-change split stay is likely to be worthwhile. If your nightly prices are flat and you are more interested in having one base this time, a one-hotel week can still be a good fit, and you can always try a split stay on a future trip when your dates are spikier.

How Hotel Splitter helps you compare

Hotel Splitter is designed for exactly this kind of comparison. You search London for your full date range and set how open you are to changing hotels. The tool then shows:

Full-week one-hotel options.
One-change split-stay options that follow how your week actually prices out.

You see each option as a single package price in £, not a long list of nightly rates, so it is easy to compare structures side by side. The system suggests at most one or two moves, not nightly hopping. The point is to make it painless to see if a split stay offers a better fit or better value for your dates than a single-hotel week.

If you want to dive deeper into how all of this works, these guides help build the full picture:

One hotel or two in London? – a decision guide for when to switch and when to stay put.
Flexible Fit: why whole-week prices rarely align – how weekday, weekend and event patterns shape your week.
Dynamic hotel pricing explained – what sits behind the nightly price shifts you see.
Left Luggage in London – station and airport options that make switch day lighter.

FAQs: cheaper to move hotels or stay?

Is it usually cheaper to move hotels in London?
Sometimes it can be. If one or two nights are dramatically more expensive than the rest of your week, a one-switch split stay can reduce your total cost or open up better-value rooms and areas. When nightly prices are fairly similar, the difference is often small on the money side and the choice becomes more about whether you want one base or two neighbourhoods.

How many times should I realistically switch?
Once is usually enough. This comparison is about one hotel all week versus one midweek change between two hotels. Moving more often tends to add effort without proportionate upside for most travellers.

Does it still make sense for short trips (2–3 nights)?
For very short stays, a single hotel is usually more sensible. A split stay becomes more attractive as your trip gets closer to a week, especially if your dates cross both quieter nights and obvious spikes.

How much practical effort does one switch add?
For most people it is manageable. If you pack with one move in mind, use left luggage on switch day, or take advantage of hotel luggage storage, the change is usually a short Tube ride and a second check-in, not a lost day. Many mid-range London hotels will store your bags for a few hours before check-in or after checkout, so you can drop luggage at hotel two in the morning and come back later when your room is ready. For some travellers, the combination of avoiding peak nights and exploring a second area makes that effort worthwhile.

Can I use left luggage when changing hotels?
Yes. Major London stations (King's Cross, Paddington, Victoria, Waterloo) and airports (Heathrow, Gatwick) all have left-luggage facilities. You can check out in the morning, store your bags, explore the city and collect them later before checking into your next hotel.

Is this more about experience or money?
Both play a role. If your week has one or two clear outlier nights, moving once can help on cost and availability. If pricing is steady, the benefit is more about experiencing two different areas and fine-tuning the feel of your week rather than chasing savings.

Ready to choose one hotel or one change?

If your nightly prices look spiky, for example two expensive event nights surrounded by calmer dates, a one-change split stay is worth exploring. You are not chasing tiny differences; you are reshaping the week so that the busiest nights sit where they make most sense for you, while also getting a second neighbourhood in the mix. For more context on when this works well, see Split-Stay 101: London – when and why to switch or shoulder weeks in London for calmer windows.

If your week looks relatively even and you prefer the rhythm of one base, one hotel is still a valid choice. Either way, the important step is to look at how your week actually prices out and then decide which structure – one hotel or one change – fits how you like to travel. 🗺️

Compare one-hotel and one-change London weeks to see which option suits your dates.

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Last updated: 04 Dec 2025.