Aloft London Excel

When there’s nothing on at the Excel, this is an amazing value hotel for what it offers. The pool has very cool lighting, and the gym is well equipped. Breakfast has plenty to choose from, and there’s a 24hr shop in the lobby for a late snack. It’s a really nice, modern place for staying close to the Excel centre. The rooms have been renovated recently and are lovely, clean, light, and spacious, with very comfortable beds.

We got a room for just over £160 a night, and it was spacious, clean, and surprisingly good value. The king-size bed was comfortable, there were two bathrooms, and having a dog bed and bowls made travelling with our two dogs much easier. We also booked breakfast included. It was a classic English breakfast selection and tasted decent. We like Aloft as a Marriott brand because it’s pet-friendly, and this hotel really was. Staff were incredibly welcoming to our dogs, and they even provided small dog toys. My husband and I appreciated that a lot. The hotel is near ExCeL London and directly connected to the exhibition centre, which is convenient for an event. It felt a bit far from the city centre for us, and getting a uber wasn’t always easy. It’s very close to London City Airport, though we couldn’t hear any airplane noise. Great value, especially if you’re travelling with pets or going to ExCeL.

Mr Kay at the check-in counter was excellent. I arrived early, but he got me set up with a room, which was a big help after a 14 hour flight from Singapore. The rooms are very clean and a pretty good size. Highly recommended for events at the Excel London.

The rooms were clean, and the staff were helpful enough. A few things were annoying: the shower door opens into the shower, making it tight and awkward, and the only trash can in the room was a tiny one in the bathroom. The restaurant food was okay, but the coffee was terrible, really terrible. Try one of the food stands in excel next door.