Bayswater Hotel Family Review: Compare London Hotels

Families looking for a home base in central London often find themselves comparing hotels in the Bayswater district, drawn by its leafy squares and proximity to Hyde Park. This review compares the Park Avenue Bayswater Inn Hyde Park against nearby family-focused alternatives, using verified policies, room configurations, and guest feedback to help you decide which property best suits your group. Our assessment draws on official hotel websites, established booking platforms, and travel guides, all current as of mid-2025.

Last checked: 2026-07-09

Name: Bayswater Hotel · Locations: Perth, WA & Bayswater, VIC · Founded: Perth location since 1898 · Key feature: Family-friendly pub with outdoor playground

Park Avenue Bayswater Inn Hyde Park: Family rooms and facilities

The Park Avenue Bayswater Inn Hyde Park sits at 8–16 Princes Square in the Westminster Borough, within the Bayswater district (postcode W2 4NT), according to the official operator site Park Avenue Hotels. The building dates from the early 20th century, but the property underwent a recent refurbishment — Trip.com lists an opening or relaunch year of 2023, suggesting the rooms have been updated to modern standards.

The hotel offers dedicated “Family and Quad” rooms, explicitly marketed as suitable for guests seeking additional comfort. The official Bayswater Inn website describes these rooms as refurbished to a high level, with walnut wood fixtures, walls in magnolia or white tones, and large flat-screen televisions. Expedia similarly lists a “family room quadruple bed,” tagging it as “good for family” and confirming that children are welcome, though no rollaway or extra beds are available. That last point — the lack of extra bedding — is a meaningful constraint for families with infants or groups needing separate sleep surfaces.

Child policy and breakfast costs

Trip.com’s child policy states that children can stay in some rooms, but cribs and extra beds cannot be added to any room type. The minimum age for the main guest checking in is 18 years — relevant for extended family groups where a teenager might be the lead booker. Breakfast is offered as a buffet at £15.95 per adult, with charges excluded from the room total and payable at the property, according to Trip.com.

The property provides 24/7 front desk service, with check-in from 15:00 to 24:00 and check-out typically by 11:00. Expedia notes that early check-in and late check-out are subject to availability, each incurring a GBP 10 fee. The hotel is non-smoking throughout and does not allow pets, as confirmed by the operator site.

Guest sentiment from online reviews

With a Booking.com score of approximately 7.2 out of 10 based on over 2,000 reviews, guest satisfaction at the Bayswater Inn is mixed but solid. One Expedia reviewer called it “perfect and great for families,” adding that a small park sits just across from the hotel. A handful of reviews on Expedia and Booking.com specifically mention the family room setup as a highlight. The 7.2 score is acceptable for a central London hotel in this price bracket, though it falls short of the 8+ scores typical of premium chains.

The Bayswater Inn offers a recently refurbished family-quad room, a Hyde Park–adjacent location, and 24-hour front desk service, but its child policy lacks the generous free-stay and free-breakfast programmes found at some nearby competitors.

Alternative family hotels in Bayswater

For travellers who decide the Bayswater Inn doesn’t fully meet their needs, several other properties in the immediate area offer stronger family-specific amenities. The comparison below focuses on verifiable policies, not marketing claims.

Hilton London Hyde Park

The Hilton London Hyde Park, located near the Bayswater district, has one of the most generous child policies among central London hotels. According to the Hilton official site, children up to 18 years stay free when using existing bedding and sharing a room with a paying adult on a room-only rate. Children 12 and under receive a complimentary buffet breakfast — a significant savings for a family of four, where breakfast alone can exceed £60 per day at other hotels. This makes the Hilton a benchmark for what “family-friendly” means in the Bayswater-area hotel market.

If your group includes older teenagers or multiple children who need breakfast, the Hilton’s policy could save you £100–£200 over a long weekend compared to the Bayswater Inn, where breakfast costs £15.95 per adult and child pricing is not clearly posted.

Phoenix Hotel London

The Phoenix Hotel London, also in Bayswater, directly competes on family-room configuration. Its official rooms page lists two dedicated family room types: a “family room for 3” with three single beds (each 90 cm x 190 cm, en-suite with bath or shower), and a “family room for 4” — the hotel’s largest room — with four single beds. Both include amenities like flat-screen TVs and tea-and-coffee facilities.

For families with older children who prefer separate beds, Phoenix’s configuration offers a clear advantage over the Bayswater Inn’s quad-room layout, which typically uses a double bed plus a sofa bed or bunks. The trade-off is that Phoenix’s rooms are single-bed oriented, which may feel less cosy for younger children accustomed to sharing a larger bed with a parent.

Royal Lancaster London and Thistle London Hyde Park Kensington Gardens

Hotels.com lists both Royal Lancaster London and Thistle London Hyde Park Kensington Gardens among the “best family hotels” near Bayswater. The Thistle property is noted for offering cribs and children’s meals, according to Hotels.com. These properties are generally in a higher price band than the Bayswater Inn, but they offer more comprehensive child-focused services — an important trade-off for families who prioritise convenience over cost.

Princes Square Hotel

The Princes Square Hotel markets itself explicitly as a “family-friendly hotel” in Bayswater, according to its TripAdvisor listing. Located on the same square as the Bayswater Inn, it shares the area’s proximity to Hyde Park. However, its official website does not provide the same level of detail on room configurations or child policies as the Phoenix or Hilton sites, making direct comparison harder.

The Bayswater Inn and Princes Square Hotel both offer central Hyde Park access with less explicit family policy support, while the Hilton and Royal Lancaster provide stronger child policies at a higher nightly rate. Phoenix sits in the middle, with excellent room configuration for older children but no standout free-stay or breakfast programme.

Comparison table: Family hotels in Bayswater

Best for each traveller type

Different family configurations and priorities call for different hotel choices. Below is a breakdown of which Bayswater-area property fits best for four common traveller segments, based on the verified policies and room data.

Families with children

For families with two children who can share a quad room, the Park Avenue Bayswater Inn offers a workable, refurbished space at a mid-range price point. The proximity to the Diana Memorial Playground — less than 10 minutes on foot — is a major draw for families with younger children. However, the lack of free breakfast and the “no extra beds” policy mean that families with a baby or a fifth member will struggle. The Hilton London Hyde Park or Royal Lancaster London are better for those who want guaranteed crib availability and free kids’ meals.

Locals seeking a pub

This article focuses on family accommodation rather than hospitality venues, but the Bayswater area is well served by traditional pubs. None of the hotels reviewed here operate their own destination pub, but the neighbourhood’s dining scene includes several family-friendly gastropubs within a 10-minute walk.

Budget travellers

The Park Avenue Bayswater Inn and Phoenix Hotel both sit in the mid-range price tier for central London. The Bayswater Inn’s 173 rooms provide more availability — useful for last-minute bookings — while Phoenix’s single-bed family rooms offer configuration value for groups of three or four adults travelling together. Community forum discussions on Rick Steves’ Travel Forum and Reddit’s r/chubbytravel often point budget-conscious families toward chain hotels like Premier Inn near Paddington Basin for predictable room layouts and pricing.

Staying further from Hyde Park (e.g., at Paddington) means trading park proximity for lower rates and chain consistency — a meaningful trade-off for large families on a strict budget.

Foodies

None of the Bayswater hotels reviewed here operate signature restaurants that draw diners from across London. The Bayswater Inn offers a restaurant and a fitness centre according to Signature Hotels, and breakfast is available as a buffet at £15.95 per adult. For dedicated food-focused travellers, the Bayswater area itself offers a diverse lineup of independent restaurants along Queensway and Westbourne Grove — but the hotels themselves are not culinary destinations.

Our pick: Park Avenue Bayswater Inn Hyde Park (for the right family)

Location and getting there

The Park Avenue Bayswater Inn Hyde Park is situated at 8–16 Princes Square, Bayswater, London W2 4NT, in the Westminster Borough. The hotel is less than a 5-minute walk from Hyde Park, according to the Bayswater Inn official site, and lies within 10 minutes on foot of Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, and the Diana Memorial Playground — all major family-oriented attractions.

Transport links are strong: Bayswater Tube station (Circle and District lines) is approximately 8 minutes on foot, while Queensway station (Central line) is roughly 12 minutes away. Paddington Station, with direct Heathrow Express and Elizabeth line services, is about a 20-minute walk or a short taxi ride. For families arriving at Heathrow, the Heathrow Express to Paddington followed by a short walk or bus is the most straightforward route.

Families comparing options in the area might also consider the Phoenix Hotel London for its quiet location near Hyde Park.

Frequently asked questions

Sources cited

This article draws on the following sources for verification of claims. All URLs were accessed in June 2025.