A British single room is a room for one person with a single bed, which in an assessed hotel must be at least 3ft wide, or 190 cm by 90 cm. It is a different product from "single occupancy", which means one person in a double room and is priced close to the double rate. Real singles still exist in London, mostly in guest houses, hostels, university halls in summer and a few budget chains, and finding one is the main way a solo traveller avoids paying for a bed for two.
British hotels price the room, not the person. That is why travelling alone costs more per head than travelling as a couple, and why the word on the booking page matters so much. This page is about the rooms built or sold for one: what each kind is, where to look for it, the words that describe it, and when a double for sole use is the better buy after all.
The other words on a British booking form, such as twin, double and en suite, are defined in our guide to British room types, which also explains the single supplement. Our guide to solo travel in London covers the rest of a trip on your own, from safety to evenings out.
Rooms for one person, at a glance
- Single bed, minimum
- 190 cm by 90 cm (6ft 3in by 3ft) in VisitEngland's hotel standards
- A 4ft bed
- 122 cm wide. VisitEngland says these are "to be designated as singles", not doubles
- Five-star hotels
- Beds for single occupancy must be wider than 90 cm, so a 3ft single is below the standard
- Single occupancy
- One guest in a double room, at most of the double price
- Where real singles are
- Guest houses and B&Bs, hostel private rooms, university halls (late June to early September), a few budget chains
- Example
- Z Hotels lists a Z Single, 8 m² with one single bed, from £60, at its City, Piccadilly and Soho hotels (November 2026)
The 3ft bed, and what a single room really is
VisitEngland's quality standards for hotels set the minimum single bed at 190 cm by 90 cm, which the standards also write as 6ft 3in by 3ft. Britons still talk about beds in feet, so "a 3ft single" is the normal phrase. A 3ft bed is enough for one adult of average build to sleep comfortably; it is narrow for a tall or broad person, and it is not meant for two.
A single room is built around that bed. It is usually the smallest room type in the building, often on the top floor or at the back, sometimes in what was once a box room in a converted house. Expect a single bed, a small wardrobe or rail, a shelf or tiny desk, and either a compact shower room or a basin with a shared bathroom along the corridor. The window is often small and may face a light well.
That sounds bleak, and it is the honest description. What you get in return is a room priced for one, in a neighbourhood that would cost much more in a double. For someone who spends the day out and comes back only to sleep, the trade is often a good one. Our page on what a London hotel room is actually like describes the standard room these are cut down from.
The six things sold to one person
Booking sites mix these together under "1 adult". They are different products at different prices, and it pays to know which one you are looking at.
| What it is called | What you actually get | Usually found at |
|---|---|---|
| Single room | One 3ft bed in a small room built for one | Guest houses, older independent hotels, some budget chains |
| Single, shared bathroom | The same, with the toilet and shower down the corridor | Guest houses and B&Bs. Not at VisitEngland-assessed hotels, where every bedroom must be en suite |
| Small double, compact double, cosy double | A double-sized room, sometimes with a 4ft bed, sold to one or two | Chains and boutique hotels |
| Double for single occupancy, or sole use | An ordinary double room with one guest | Almost every hotel |
| Hostel private single | A private room with one bed, in a hostel | Larger modern hostels |
| University hall single | A student bedroom with a single bed, let in summer | University residences, late June to early September |
The words "cosy", "snug", "compact" and "petite" are marketing words with no agreed meaning. Sometimes they describe a true single; more often they describe the smallest double in the building, sold at a lower rate. The only way to know is to read the bed line, which on most booking pages says "1 single bed" or "1 double bed", and the room size in square metres if it is given.
A 4ft "small double" is the solo traveller's best buy. VisitEngland's standards say a bed 122 cm wide is to be designated as a single, because it is too narrow for two adults. For one person, that is a generous bed in a room priced below a full double. If a listing says "small double" and gives the width as 120 or 122 cm, it is effectively a large single.
Where the real singles still are
Guest houses and bed and breakfasts. Converted Victorian and Georgian houses are the traditional home of the British single room, and London's guest houses in areas such as Bloomsbury, Paddington and Earl's Court still have them. Many are small and some share a bathroom. Our guide to London's bed and breakfasts explains how they differ from hotels, including the breakfast.
Budget chains, selectively. Most chain hotels in London are built to a standard double or king room and sell it to one or two at much the same price. A few chains keep a single room type. Z Hotels is the clearest published example: in November 2026 its website listed a Z Single, 8 m² with one single bed, from £60, at three London hotels. The Z City hotel in the City of London held a food hygiene rating of 5 at its last inspection in May 2026, on the Food Standards Agency register. Our guide to British hotel chains compares the main brands room by room.
Hostels. Many London hostels sell private rooms as well as dorm beds, and the larger modern ones include rooms for one. They come with a hostel's shared kitchen and lounge, which suits some solo travellers very well. Our guide to hostels in London covers the dorm-or-private decision and the age rules.
University halls in summer. From late June to early September London's universities let student rooms to the public, almost all of them singles. Our page on university rooms in the summer holidays has the dates and prices for the current season.
Pods and capsules. Pod rooms are tiny private rooms, often windowless, sold mainly to one person. They are not cheap per square metre, but they can be cheap per night in Zone 1. Our guide to pod and capsule hotels explains what the floor area means in practice.
The arithmetic of travelling alone
The cost gap between solo and shared travel is almost all in the room. Transport, museums and meals are priced per person; the room is priced per room. Consider a simple illustration, with prices we have made up for the purpose: a hotel that charges £150 for a double and £95 for its single.
- A couple in the double pays £75 each per night.
- One person in the single pays £95.
- One person in the double, at a single occupancy rate of, say, £135, pays £135.
Over four nights, the single saves £160 against single occupancy of the double, and costs £80 more than half a shared room. That is the realistic aim for a solo traveller: not to match a couple's price, but to stop paying for the second half of a bed.
The single occupancy rate is often only a little below the double rate, and sometimes the same. The guidance on displaying hotel prices says the price list should show any surcharge for single occupancy of a double, so a rate quoted for two that turns out to apply to one should not be a surprise at check-in. If it is, our page on hotel extras and hidden costs explains what may and may not be added.
Breakfast and the other per-person charges
Breakfast is where a solo traveller can quietly overpay. Some hotels sell a "bed and breakfast" rate per room that includes breakfast for two people, and a lone guest on that rate is paying for a breakfast nobody eats. Where a hotel offers both, compare the room-only rate plus one breakfast bought separately with the breakfast-included rate. For one person, room only is often cheaper.
Guest houses work the other way round. Many quote per person rather than per room, with breakfast included, which is the one place in London where travelling alone is priced fairly by design. Read whether the figure is per person or per room before you compare it with a hotel.
Breakfast also solves the meal many solo travellers find hardest. If eating alone in the evening is the part you dread, our guide to eating alone in London has the counter seats, the easy hours and the pubs that work for one.
Booking a single without being sent a double
Most mistakes happen at the search stage, because a search for one guest returns every room that one guest could use. A few habits avoid them.
- Search with one guest, then read the room name and bed line on every result. A search for one adult shows doubles as well as singles, often first.
- Check the bathroom. "Shared bathroom", "private bathroom" (which can mean a private one outside your door) and "en suite" are three different things.
- Look for a size. Where a listing gives the floor area in square metres, compare it with the 8 m² of the Z Single above.
- Ask for the floor and the window if they matter to you. In converted houses, singles are often on the top floor and often face the back.
- Keep the confirmation. It is your evidence if the room on arrival is not the one you paid for; our page on checking in to a London hotel covers what to do at the desk.
The single at the back is usually the quiet one. Because single rooms are often fitted into leftover space at the rear or top of a building, they can escape the street noise that the larger front rooms get. If a light sleeper is offered a choice between a single at the back and a double at the front, the single may be the better night. Our guide to quiet hotels and street noise explains how to ask.
When single occupancy of a double is the better choice
A true single is not always right. Choose a double for sole use when:
- You are staying more than a few nights. Eight square metres is fine for two nights and wearing by the sixth, especially with a large suitcase.
- You need step-free access. Singles in converted houses are often reached by stairs only; accessible rooms are usually doubles.
- You are tall. A 190 cm bed is the minimum length, and a single is rarely longer.
- The price gap is small. Off-peak, single occupancy of a double in a budget chain can cost little more than a single in a guest house nearby. Our guide to budget hotels in London shows where the cheap doubles are.
Location counts for more on your own than as a pair, because there is nobody to share a taxi home. A room on a well-lit route from a station with late trains is worth a few pounds a night more than a cheaper one down a dark side street. The City of London, where the Z City hotel is, is a good example of the trade: quiet at night and at weekends, close to several Tube lines, and short of open restaurants on a Sunday.
Frequently asked questions
How big is a single bed in a British hotel?
At least 190 cm long and 90 cm wide, which is 6ft 3in by 3ft, under VisitEngland's hotel quality standards. The same standards class a 4ft bed, 122 cm across, as a single. Five-star hotels must give a single guest a bed wider than 90 cm.
What does single occupancy mean when booking a hotel?
One person staying in a room built for two, usually a double. You get the whole double room and its bed, and you pay most of the double price for it. It is not a single room.
Do London hotels still have single rooms?
Some do. Guest houses and older independent hotels are the most likely to have them, along with hostel private rooms, university halls in summer and a few budget chains. Z Hotels, for example, listed a single room type at three London hotels in November 2026.
Is a small double big enough for one person?
Usually, yes, and it is often the best value for a solo traveller. Many small doubles have a 4ft bed, 122 cm wide, which VisitEngland's standards treat as a single because it is too narrow for two adults. For one person it is a wide bed in a room priced below a full double.
Is a single room with a shared bathroom normal in London?
In guest houses and bed and breakfasts, yes, and it is usually the cheapest room in the house. In a hotel assessed by VisitEngland it is not allowed: the standards require every bedroom to have its own bathroom with a WC and a shower.
Sources
- VisitEngland Assessment Services - Quality standards for hotel accommodation, bed size and access (checked November 2026)
- VisitEngland Assessment Services - Hotel scheme (checked November 2026)
- Business Companion (Chartered Trading Standards Institute) - Displaying prices in hotels (checked November 2026)
- Food Standards Agency - Food hygiene ratings, Temple 24, Z City Hotel, EC4Y 1AA (checked November 2026)