Yotel London City

For what we paid, the stay felt more like a budget hostel than a four-star hotel. I don’t understand the rating, because the price and 4-star label promise something much nicer than we got. We were there four nights, and the room was small with almost no privacy. The toilet and shower were essentially in the room, with no proper separation. You could see whoever was on the toilet from the rest of the room when the light was on, and the toilet was so cramped your knees hit the door when you sat down. Sharing the room made that lack of privacy a real problem. There were other irritating room issues too. A blue light in the mirror stayed on 24/7 and couldn’t be turned off. The toilet kept running unless we noticed and dealt with it ourselves, which shouldn’t be necessary in a hotel like this. Housekeeping was unreliable. They didn’t vacuum once during our four days, and they skipped cleaning altogether one day, Sunday. At these rates, especially for a place calling itself four stars, I expected the room to be serviced properly every day.

The espresso martinis were shockingly good, though I didn’t try the food. We stayed three nights in a quiet area near a popular train station, which made getting around London easy. The room was TINY, with a bed you had to raise just to walk past and reach the bathroom. The bathroom was TINY too, with oddly see-through walls, and the sink was outside it. It did the job for this trip, but I don’t think I’d stay again.

The room was small, but thoughtfully designed, and worked well for sleeping or a short relaxing break. It wasn’t really somewhere to hang out for long. Everything was clean and modern, and the bed was comfortable. The staff were kind and helpful. After checkout, they helped us get something we’d forgotten in the room, and we could leave our luggage for free for the day. I’d recommend the hotel and will definitely return.

The location is great for seeing St Bartholomew-the-Great, St John’s Gate and St John’s Square, Priory of the Knights Hospitaller. I love history. The room was small but nice, with everything needed for a basic, convenient stay. It was clean and tidy, which matters a lot to me. I expected a kettle, though there wasn’t one. The shower was excellent, with strong water pressure that washed away the tiredness from the trip.