Hotel Review | The Hoxton, Shoreditch

Image courtesy of Ennismore

During the Easter holidays, we had a lovely child-free weekend in London. I used the afternoon tea voucher I’d received for Christmas (post coming soon), and we decided to stay in London for the night – before the reality of returning to work and school set in. We chose The Hoxton, based upon the location and because I’d uploaded several London hotels at work and loved the look of it.

The Hotel

The Hoxton in Shoreditch is the OG Hoxton hotel and was opened in 2006. There’s actually four in the capital (Holborn, Shepherds Bush, and Southwark, btw), as well as 10 others, to date, in cities across Europe and the US. All Hoxton hotels have a similar vibe, bringing the outside in, and with an open-house policy which means that even non-residents enter and linger. The lobbies are very much the central point, where it’s all about relaxing, socialising and even working – there’s a constant buzz.

What I loved: All the hotels have an interesting backstory – for example, the Shoreditch Hoxton was formerly a car park and there’s even a sign on the first floor, near the lift about it

The Location

The Hoxton Shoreditch is on Great Eastern Street, which is just off Commercial streets in the heart of hipster heaven. You’re surrounded by independent shops, bars, and quirky cafés, as well as the street art of Shoreditch. Within a 10-minute walk, you’ll find La La Land (formerly: Dinerama), Junk Yard Golf, Ballie Ballerson, and of course, the curry houses of Brick Lane. We enjoyed walking to Spitalfields Market (around 15 minutes’ away), and there’s plenty to do and see – while it’s super-easy to get into the city, with great transport links.

Arriving by train? We took the C2C from West Horndon to Fenchurch Street and ended up walking from there to the hotel (20 minutes). However, it’s a 15-minute walk from Liverpool Street and the nearest tube station is Old Street (5 minutes).

The Décor

Think Art-Deco glamour, combined with modern playful touches and mismatched fabrics/furnishings. The lobby had exposed brickwork and large squashy sofas – perfect for sitting back and sipping a coffee, smoothie, or wine (or your drink of preference), while the reception desk was out of the way, quite far back and to the left of the entrance.

The Hoxton Grill restaurant had an American diner vibe, with red banquette seating and an all-day menu, while the bar had high tables and bar stools. Colours throughout are quite dark, nowhere more so than the rooms, which have black-tiled bathrooms, dark walls, and parquet flooring in the bedrooms. You’ll find plenty of artworks on the walls.

What I loved: the décor and vibe was representative of the area, but elegant touches (like the lit porthole mirrors in bedrooms) were welcomed

 

The Facilities

• Restaurants
• Bar
• Lobby lounge
• Shop
• Meeting rooms
• Room service
• Free Wi-Fi

The Hoxton has two restaurants: Hoxton Grill on the ground floor and Maya, a new rooftop restaurant, specialising in Mexican cuisine. We had breakfast at the Hoxton Grill, which was nice – there was plenty of choice, including lighter options, should you not wish to have a full English. I had the chia seed bowl which was lush, and we shared a fruit plate. We didn’t eat lunch or dinner, so I can’t comment on that, but the restaurant offers all-day dining. We were unable to get onto the rooftop, which was a shame. There’s also an indoor terrace, which was shut during out stay.

The bar was also decent, although drinks were on the pricy side (£14 for an aperol spritz, for example) and the only seating we could find was directly at the bar (I think this was due to non-residents chilling in the lobby).

The room

We stayed in a Cosy double, which was anything but – it was a really good size and had everything we needed during our stay. As I mentioned earlier, both the room and ensuite were quite dark, but luckily there was plenty of mood lighting to create an ambience.

A small fridge contained a bottle of fresh milk and two cartons of water, while we had Clipper tea bags, regular and decaf coffee bags and a selection of mugs and glasses. The desk had clever storage, containing everything from the TV remote to a bottle opener, and even a small map of the local area. As well as the TV, there was a Roberts Radio and a (rather random) selection of books. A large leather armchair sat in one corner of the room.

Room types: Shoebox, Cosy, Roomy, Concept

Standard amenities: toiletries, hairdryer, tea and coffee making facilities, mini fridge, TV, Roberts Radio, telephone, mini fridge, free Wi-Fi

The verdict

I’d give The Hoxton Shoreditch a solid 8/10. The location was great, and the vibe was warm and buzzy. Marks are lost for the lack of seating for guests (due to non-residents) and the overall value-for-money factor (for context, a round of drinks was £20 and breakfast was in excess of £40). I’d definitely stay at a Hoxton again, though!

Love, Lucy xx