The Belvedere

A short 5 – 7 min walk from Paddington station made it convenient for part of our London stay. This is on a street full of hotels/​bed & breakfast establishments so there are always visitors/​tourists walking the street. We also saw individuals playing ping pong across the street in the park.
Visiting in September, it was still unusually warm and humid so we had the windows open. Be sure to request a room on the non-​street side as it can get noisy at night.
Bed was ok as it served its purpose of being a place to rest each night before heading out to see more of this great city.
We had a room on the 3^rd floor where the stairs become very steep and can be challenging if you are out of shape or carrying luggage. The bathroom is small and we had to keep its door open to allow air to circulate.
Breakfast was a traditional English breakfast served in the basement. It can get crowded if you show up after 7:30AM so be prepared or arrive before the crowd.
Cons: No elevator/​lift, No Air conditioning

Breakfast and staff were far above average. The room, carpets, furnishings, etc. were old and tired and tatty. No A/​C and no lift. An upper-​level room can be 60 – 80 steeeep stairs. Bed mattress was ok.

Find a room at the airport or by the Piccadilly train station? My return flight to Philly leaves early tomorrow.
Being isolated in some modern chain hotel near Heathrow is too depressing. Set my search filter for proximity to Piccadilly and price. I find this place on charming Norfolk Square.
It does well on both counts compared to other neighborhoods. However, compared to a few of the other 8 – 10 hotels around Norfolk Square it might not be such a great deal. Several of the others have signs posted in their front windows with better rates. From the outside they all appear to be identical, but prices vary wildly.
My single, is typically tiny for bargain 2 star hotels. Clean «en-​suite» includes bath room and breakfast (which I will miss).
Possible Cons:
— no lift (elevator)
— no Aircon
— no WIFI in rooms.
— lower rooms are probably noisy all night from subway traffic below.
I chose the 4^th floor for the added exercise.