Getting there: I arrived at London Heathrow after the mammoth journey straight through from Auckland, but the journey to Art’Otel was stress-free. I jumped on the Heathrow Express, a fast train that takes 15 minutes to Paddington station, then walked a couple of minutes to a bus stop to catch the 205 headed to Bow Church in East London. The bus ride took about 40 minutes, but I find buses easier to use when lugging heavy suitcases – not all Tube stations in London have lifts or escalators so you often have to carry your luggage up and down big flights of stairs. The bus dropped me on Great Eastern St, right next to the hotel’s entrance.
The reception desk at The Art’Otel London Hoxton.
First impressions: The 26-storey tower of the Art’Otel has a prominent position on the corner of a busy intersection and its cylindrical design is an impressive sight, resembling the Leaning Tower of Pisa, albeit without the lean.
Walking to the main entrance, the first thing I noticed was a Banksy artwork. The infamous street artist’s Giant Rat (2004) has been preserved on a wall over the hotel’s porte-cochère, along with Television Through a Window (2004) on the other side.
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This sets the tone for the hotel’s style. Another street artist, D*Face, contributed much of the artwork and murals around the building. Arriving in the lower lobby and taking the escalator to reception on the first floor is an immersive experience – D*Face’s A Brush With Love mural has been animated and plays on digital screens on three walls surrounding the escalators.
Arriving at reception, a porter took my bags and offered me a glass of prosecco… my kind of greeting.
Art works by D*Face are found throughout the Art’Otel London Hoxton.
Rooms: There are 357 guest rooms, including 48 suites, across 17 floors. My Art Room Plus on the seventh floor had captivating city views from its floor-to-ceiling windows. The 28sq m size makes it large enough for two people, with plenty of storage space and amenities for a comfortable stay. A huge wall-mounted TV is flanked by D*Face artworks, and there’s a desk if you need to catch up on work during your stay. The bed was low to the ground but very comfortable, if a little on the firm side, with soft white linen and plump pillows (there’s a pillow and bedding menu if you want to change things up).
A small tablet has all the hotel information you need, including an AI City Guide that will create a suggested itinerary for you, based on your interests. It came up with some excellent suggestions for me, including many off-the-beaten-track sites I have never visited before, despite multiple trips to London.
Bathroom: A huge walk-in shower also featured D*Face’s work, with a cool eye print. Toiletries were a special collaboration between Kevin Murphy and Art’Otel – wall-mounted and refillable to reduce plastic waste. There was limited storage space, so nowhere to put away your own toiletry or makeup bags, but enough room around the sink to keep them handy.
The Brush Grand Cafe and Bar at The Art’Otel London Hoxton.
Food & drink: The room’s mini-fridge is stocked with drinks, both soft and alcoholic, but they all come at a cost and are placed on sensors, so are automatically charged to your bill if you remove them. This means you can’t buy your own supplies and keep them in the fridge.
An Illy coffee machine, kettle and teabags, biscuits and cartons of water were provided free of charge.
The Brush Grand Café is on the ground floor where you can add breakfast to your room rate for GBP22, or dine in for lunch and dinner. I enjoyed an excellent meal there on the last night of my stay, with the European-influenced menu offering lots of choice, from nibbles and small plates, to flatbreads to well-proportioned main meals. Cocktails were expertly mixed, and the wine list was varied without being too overwhelming. Staff were attentive and professional.
There’s a bar on the first floor, which has regular live music and DJs, and another bar on the hotel’s 25th floor is due to open in April – it’ll offer some of the best city views of any bar in the area.
The gym on the 26th floor of the Art’Otel London Hoxton has views across the city.
Facilities: Wi-fi is free and fast, and in-room TVs have built-in streaming functionality so you can cast your own entertainment from your personal devices.
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There’s a heated 12m indoor pool on the basement level, with sauna and steam room. Make a booking for a 30-minute slot using your in-room tablet. Note that the lighting is incredibly dim down there, so you might struggle to find the correct changing room as signage isn’t immediately obvious. The basement is also home to a spa offering wellness treatments like massages and facials, which you can book using the tablet.
A spacious gym on the 26th floor has modern Technogym equipment and an epic 180-degree view across the city. On a fine day, you’ll be able to see out to the London Eye, the Shard, Canary Wharf and more.
If you’d prefer to get out and about for your exercise, you can book complimentary bike hire for two hours at a time.
There’s also a gallery and shop for D*Face souvenirs.
In the neighbourhood: The hotel is brilliantly situated for getting around the city, close to bus stops, and Old St and Liverpool St stations. London is fabulously walkable, and Regent’s Canal is about a 10-minute walk away. From there, you can make your way east or west along the canal path and find cafes, bars and local parks and green spaces.
For food shopping, there’s a Sainsbury’s Local across the road, as well as a bounty of bars, cafes and restaurants for eating out.
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Family friendly: Art Studios include a sofa bed as well as king bed, perfect for three adults, or two adults and two children.
Accessibility: There are 18 accessible rooms available, and each floor is accessible by lift.
Rooms have wider doorways and lowered furniture, and bathrooms have shower chairs, pull cords and grab rails.
The restaurant and gym are wheelchair-accessible too.
Sustainability: The building was designed with sustainability as a priority, with clever features like external fins and shelves that help to reduce cooling loads and carbon emissions. Ninety-nine per cent of all materials used for the build were recyclable and environmentally friendly.
Contact: artotellondonhoxton.com
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