hotels

The Hoxton Hotel

Technicolour mayhem, wonderful staff and surprisingly homely, the urban retreat comes at a very welcome east end price

Sinclair Beecham, the founder of Pret a Manger, might have created a perfect hotel, where comfort is not compromised and guests get value for their money. The owner himself describes the concept as ‘luxury where it matters and budget where it counts’.

Located in Shoreditch, The Hoxton Hotel’s vibe represents open-minded spirit; it does not take itself too seriously. At the same time the comfort is guaranteed and every detail has been thought of, and such caring notes as ‘Boring sign No 5: we spent £445 installing a safe in your wardrobe to protect your valuables. Please use it. We can’t accept liability for lost valuables. Mr A Lock, Head of Security’, prove the point.

Indeed Beecham’s brainchild embraces functionality and style. Instead of expensive minibars with chocolates and water in price of gold, each of the classy 205 double bedrooms includes a little fridge that can be filled with your own favourites.

The hotel won’t charge extra for water, nor milk for your tea or coffee, nor a morning snack - yoghurt, fresh orange juice and a banana, which is hung on room’s door handle at any time from 6am onwards. A good night sleep is assured with fabulous linen and sumptuous duck down duvets, and the ‘fresh and clean’ feeling comes from Aveda bathroom products. The rooms are also equipped with flat screen TVs and free Wi-Fi.

Word ‘free’ definitely dominates in the Hoxton Hotel but the cash machine, located in the reception, is an exception. However, a sign next to it explains the hotel had a choice: a cash machine that you pay for or no cash machine at all. The note also includes directions to the nearest free cash point.

When feeling homesick or in need to communicate with the outer world, feel free to take advantage of the great phone rates. A chat within the country costs 3p per minute but a call to America – 5p per minute. To ensure your business runs smoothly during trips, there are six various size meeting rooms available for £45 per person, which include sandwich lunch, free drinks and snacks, stationery and even free printing and faxing facilities. So called day offices are also available from £19 per day with all necessary equipment and even free local telephone calls and your own private bathroom.

When the rooms make you feel claustrophobic walk down to the lobby to warm up by the fire place and sink in Sherlock Holmes style chairs with a glass of whiskey or wine.

The Hoxton Grille restaurant’s prices equal any other popular high-street diner. Make use of the restaurant’s current offer, when dining before 7pm. Just quote “Magnificent 7” when you book your table and get 50% discount off the food portion of your bill.

And there is more! The Hox allows its guests visiting local gym Market Sports for only £5 per day. Only 400 meters away, the gym includes Indoor Pool, Sauna and Steam Rooms and offers Intimate beginners Hatha yoga classes for just £10 per lesson.

On top of all that the Hoxton supports art. Shoreditch is well known for its creative community and trendy exhibitions, thus guests are welcomed to take advantage of free foldable maps of the area and lists of clubs, pubs, bars and galleries with independent reviews.

The hotel also showcases art work created by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Michael Methven, Benedicte Radcliffe, Katty Mcmurra and Ben Allen. One might think that such thoughtful package probably costs a fortune but the best thing about the Hoxton Hotel is its honest price policy. The average room rate is £59 – £199; the earlier you book, the better deal you get. The management also promotes special deals every three months offering rooms for as little as £1.

• 81 Great Eastern Street, London, EC2 - Tel: 0207 550 1000•
www.hoxtonhotels.com

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