Downtown
“Downtown” is not a thing abroad.
Americans, please stop saying that you stayed “downtown” when you travel abroad because downtown and uptown and sidetown and whatevertown are not concepts that exist abroad. You sound foolish and uneducated when you say you “stayed downtown” so just stop it already.
And if you just can’t help yourself from wanting to use the term downtown, then sub “city centre” for downtown. Examples: “We stayed in city centre” or “We stayed in the city centre”. Either works.
For the next learning in my Expat Learnings mini series, go here. Alternatively, go here to read this mini-series from the beginning.
Yawning gets you everywhere 
But where do you go for uptown bangs then?
In the UK, you don’t go anywhere for uptown bangs because bangs are called fringe.
So if I’m describing where I stayed to an American, I should say city centre so they don’t understand what I’m saying?
You should specify the specific area you stayed in (i.e. Covent Garden) to blow their socks off with your in-depth knowledge of the locale and then you should share my infinite wisdom outlined in this blog post because sharing is caring.