The Hoxton Southwark

The hotel is stylish, hip and beautifully decorated, and the rooms were clean. Service was what I expected from a high-tier venue. My main issue was the room size for the price: there wasn’t enough space to open even one piece of luggage in a room meant for two guests.

I had a really good stay and didn’t regret booking here. The room was cozy, the air conditioning was much appreciated, and it suited one person well. The Hoxton Hotel is a cute boutique place with two restaurants, Seabird on the rooftop and Albie. I walked to London Bridge and Borough Market, as well as the London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, and Chinatown. A few staff members were only so-so, though others were extremely polite, engaging, and ready to help. Maybe that’s cultural. Great location and a good place to stay.

We found the room clean, comfortable, and surprisingly quiet, and Asher, one of the managers, was especially kind and attentive. The rest of the staff were quick to help too. The location worked well for sightseeing and museums, but was much calmer than areas like Piccadilly Circus. Albie on the ground floor had an amazing Field of Greens juice that I still miss. Seeing a mouse in the restaurant was unsettling and disappointing, even if I understand that can happen in an older city like London. There’s no gym, but all our walking meant that wasn’t a dealbreaker. One awkward detail for anyone over 5'2" using a hair dryer: there’s no bathroom outlet, and most outlets in the room are near the floor. The one higher up isn’t by a mirror, and the supplied dryer’s coiled cord makes it really hard to use a mirror.

Seeing a mouse near the bar while we were having our first drinks left us stunned. My wife stayed calm, but we were both disgusted and couldn’t finish our drinks, so we asked for the bill. The manager brought it and charged us, saying casually that there were lots of mice in the area and it was “normal.” We’d booked a room at this luxury hotel, which costs £400–£500 a night, to celebrate my wife’s birthday and spend some quality time together at the bar. After telling the waiter quietly about the mouse behind the bar, we went upstairs shocked and repulsed, and barely slept. They ruined the birthday and didn’t give us a proper apology or explanation. I’ll never go back, and I’m glad we didn’t eat dinner there.