Hotels ★★★

The classic lodging option—How British hotels work and how to book the best hotels at the lowest rates

Traditional British hotels tend to be simpler and have fewer bells and whistles than Americans ones. Free HBO is considered a God-given right in the cheapest American motel. In the U.K., few hotels below the moderate level will even have TVs, let alone satellite channels such as CNN, the BBC, and Sky.

The Brits just have different standards and expectations when it comes to lodgings. Their hotels tend to focus on cleanliness and friendliness over amenities. They're old-fashioned, somewhat worn around the edges, with laughably tiny rooms and furniture that's either mismatched or aging ’60s functional units—but they're great deals.