Hotels near the 02 Arena

QUESTION: My sister has bought tickets to see my favourite group, the Backstreet Boys, at the 02 Arena in London during my visit to her in May. As she lives in Brighton, I would like to reciprocate by booking a hotel room for us close to the venue, preferably in the Docklands area. Can you recommend a decent hotel with secure parking for around 100 pounds sterling per night? – Andy Willets

ANSWER: You can get a perfectly good room at the Hotel Ibis London Docklands for around 65 BPS per night. Outdoor enclosed parking costs GBP 3.50 per day. The hotel is less than 10 minutes walk from the Canary Wharf shopping complex and, if you don't want to drive, you can get to the 02 Dome by tube or Docklands Light Rail. The hotel has a cafe style restaurant and a bar offering a 24-hour snack service. If you can't get a room there, you can try the Express by Holiday Inn London Royal Docks. It offers clean, modern rooms and ample on-site parking. Only a few minutes away from Canary Wharf, it is close to the Canning Town tube and bus station. Room rates vary, but you should not have
to pay more than 120GBP. If you check discount hotel websites on the Internet, you may be able to get a room at a four or five star hotel in the area at an excellent rate, depending on whether there are any conferences nearby. I found a room during May at the five-star Crowne Plaza Docklands for a special weekend rate of 101 GBP.