The welcome
I travel to the hotel on the Docklands Light Railway, and get off at Prince Regent station; it’s lucky that I consulted the hotel’s website first, because the hotel itself isn’t visible until the last minute and I’ve got a big suitcase. I take my luggage up in the lift, walk over the railway footbridge and skirt the edge of the ExCel centre, before arriving at the funkily designed hotel within a couple of minutes. Inside, the staff are upbeat and helpful.
The neighbourhood
The hotel is connected to the Abu Dhabi-owned ExCel London exhibition centre, on Royal Victoria Dock in London’s Docklands, 11 kilometres from the centre of London. The area has been revitalised in the past 10 years, with new apartments, shops and restaurants, and the Emirates Air Line, a cable car that takes visitors over the river from the docks to The O2 venue at North Greenwich. It’s also close to City Airport and Canary Wharf. The huge expanses of water and relatively fresh air are an exciting change from other parts of London.
The room
My room, one of 252 in total, is a king room at the end of the corridor on the top (8th) floor at the front of the hotel. It’s very close to City Airport and I’m worried that I will be disturbed by the noise of planes landing and taking off, but the room is very well soundproofed and night flights are banned. The compact bathroom, especially the toilet and shower area (there’s no bath), remind me slightly of an aircraft, but the room itself is generously sized, and I love the way the dressing area, with tea- and coffee-making facilities, is separated from the main bedroom, which is itself designed in a way that insulates it from any corridor disturbances. Unfortunately, the windows can’t be opened, but the blackout blinds are good and the TV is simple to operate.
The service
Not overly effusive; staff didn’t decline any request, although I’m rather abruptly asked to leave the restaurant, Fede, after 10pm because there are no other guests and the staff want to go home. Earlier in the evening, when the restaurant was busy, it took a while to get served.
The scene
Child-free while I was there, the hotel seems mainly to cater to single business guests and tourists, either couples from abroad or small families from elsewhere in the UK. Surprisingly, there was an attractive swimming pool and sauna, though you had to walk through the lobby to get to it. The ground floor features an attractive, large bar-lounge called Wxyz, which was quiet when I visited, but often hosts live gigs.
The food
Dinner in Fede was a salad containing figs and goat’s cheese (£6 [Dh34]), which was less exciting than it sounds, pan-fried sea bass with vegetables (£15 [Dh84] ), which was fresh and tasty. The buffet breakfast was average; I was surprised the coffee and juice weren’t better.
Loved
The design and location.
Hated
Being ejected from the restaurant.
The verdict
Probably the best of a group of new three- and four-star hotels in this area. Rates vary a lot according to demand, so be flexible on dates and book ahead for a great stay at a fraction of the price you’d pay in central London.
The bottom line
Double rooms at Aloft London Excel (www.aloftlondonexcel.com; 0044 203 203 0700) cost from £85 (Dh476) per night, including taxes.
rbehan@thenational.ae
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