Holiday Inn Express London-Royal Docks, Docklands by IHG

The staff were really friendly. The lad who checked us in kept up a bit of conversation while getting everything sorted, which was nice and made us feel welcome from the start. We were staying for a concert at the o2, and Canning Town is only five minutes away on foot, followed by one tube stop to the venue. The room was clean apart from an odd carpet stain, which didn’t affect our stay. The beds were very comfortable, and I slept well after the concert.

We appreciated the note left on the table, and the shower pressure was lovely. My partner would have stayed in there another 15 minutes if we hadn’t been in a rush. Breakfast was OK, with hot and cold foods. This stay was a bit disappointing. In Room 330, the bed was too soft and my partner woke with back pain. There were red marks at the front of the toilet seat, and a bulb was hanging from the ceiling, which seemed odd. The £20 parking charge wasn’t clear during booking, so being hit with that extra cost on arrival was a bad surprise, especially in this economy.

The area is really nice and makes a great base for exploring. We stayed overnight with the family for the monster trucks at the o2, and the location worked well, with both the cable car and trains nearby. The staff were friendly, and our room was clean and nice. Breakfast was good, and the kids loved the pancake machine. I didn’t sleep that well, but that was down to me, not the hotel.

We loved the friendly, helpful staff and the drinks voucher. Breakfast was the same each day, but still had a good variety. The rooms were clean, though a bit small. There’s plenty nearby in London, including a McDonald’s, Lidl and Sainsbury’s within walking distance. There was lots of disabled parking, and we’d definitely stay again.