Sleep Inn City of London

...Hygiene standards
This Sleep Inn is absolutely spotless. Our room was pristine. The bathroom was all furnished in white and it sparkled. there wasn't even a water mark on the chrome or shower cubicle. In the bedroom there was no dust, windows were clean and there were no marks on any of the linen.The mugs and glasses were clean too. Throughout the hotel all the floors were clean.The coffee shop and restaurant were also spotless and all cutlery ...
...a base in which to sleep like we normally do in cheap hotels this place was nice enough to linger around and we frequently did. I would recommend it and we will use it again- it was a great base in a great location, staffed by great staff with a great price and we couldn’t have asked for much more.  ... more

We have just returned from a brilliant short break in London and we stayed at this super budget hotel. I wanted to comment on it while it’s still fresh in my mind.

It’s a new budget hotel which only opened in March this year. The building was converted to a hotel from an office block and is a very modern, functional structure which also manages to be tasteful and attractive. It has 163 bedrooms

Location
It is located at 24 Prescott Street which is in the tower hill area and is about a 5 minute walk from the Tower tube station, there also a bus stop virtually outside the hotel at which you can catch the no. 15 which goes to Trafalgar square and Piccadilly. Practically on the doorstep are the HMS Belfast, Tower Bridge and the tower of London. Within easy walking distance is St. Paul’s Cathedral , Buckingham Palace, Horse guards, st James Park and the Victoria embankment. The area is fairly quiet in general and you have to travel to get to many of the other attractions but this is easy using public transport as it’s all so near; as well as the tube and the bus you are near to the Docklands Light Railway and Fenchurch Street station

The Lobby
You enter the hotel through doors with double colonnades, the inner pair and apex roof are black and the outer pair is silver metal. It looks quite impressive and the lighting shining g through from inside makes it seem very welcoming. Other than this the hotel doesn’t look anything special from outside- its set on the road with a black wrought iron fence around it. Don’t let this put you off as inside it is another matter.

Checking in
Check in is at or later than 2 pm. We had arranged for the express check in which involves giving card details prior to arrival so when we arrived our welcome pack and key card were waiting for us in an envelope. Everywhere now seems to ask for card details in case of damage but it does make bar bills and room service convenient (too convenient if you don’t keep an eye on your spending perhaps). The staff at reception are semi casual, wearing formal suit/blazer style jackets and white shirts with jeans. This actually fits in well with the feel of the hotel and suits the staff who are very professional but also very friendly and helpful. They actually seemed to enjoy their job and were willing to give information about other places to eat, the hotel restaurants and places to go.

The lobby itself is quite spacious and furnished in cream with dark leather seating and warm wood tables and reception desk. There are several flower arrangements dotted around which look attractive and were looked after well as we didn’t see any dying or off colour blooms which shows good attention to detail. The seating was comfortable and there were plenty of leaflets about where to go even though a large proportion of guests appeared to be business people rather than tourists.

The Bedroom
The room was described as large which in London terms means small! Even so it wasn’t ridiculously so and was very well planned so the space was used to its capacity without seeming cluttered. The appearance was compact rather than small as there was enough space to move around without us being on top of each other. Our room was furnished in a light petrol blue and beige with the same warm wood as the lobby and throughout the rest of the hotel. The colour scheme works very well and is restful and adds to the feeling of space.

In our room we had a double bed which was perfect for us being medium firm inside with a nice soft cushioning on the outside, pillows were good, plump without being hard and the linen was lovely crisp cool cotton. There is a pair of bedside tables but the bedside lights are conveniently on the wall. there is a good sized desk and an occasional table with 2 comfortable chairs of a good height to use them. There is a 20 inch LCD TV on the desk and a useful silver angle poise lamp. In the corner is a small shelf unit which houses the kettle, 2 large mugs and a selection of tea/coffee/sugar/sweeteners and biscuits. These are topped up on a daily basis and they aren’t mean, leaving enough for about 10 drinks. We left a note on the first morning asking if we could just have coffee as we don’t drink tea and we were left 10 coffees and 4 hot chocolates and they did this throughout our stay. The biscuits were really nice ; a good selection and a good make. Under the unit is a small bin. On the walls are several sepia prints which are fairly attractive. There is also a small wardrobe and draw unit which was just large enough

The bathroom.
This was small but very well planned. We opted for the shower rather than bath and had a tremendous walk in power shower with lots of pressure and an endless supply of hot water. The sink was a decent size and the toilet was supplied with ample soft paper. There was a selection of courtesy products including soap, shower cap and gel. There were ample towels and a heated towel rail.

Room Facilities
The 20 inch LCD TV with remote control had access to with terrestrial, satellite and hotel TV programs. There was also an angle poise lamp, a hairdryer, air conditioning/heating, telephone, iron, ironing board and wireless broadband internet although this costs £5.00 per hour. You get a free newspaper and alarm calls if you want them.

Breakfast
This is served from 07:00 until 09:30 and is included in the price. It is buffet style with hot and cold items. There a wide selection of fruit juices and cereals plus a selection of bakery items such as croissants. The hot selection has everything you need to make a full English breakfast; bacon, sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, beans and eggs- fried, boiled and scrambled. There is a snazzy conveyor belt toast contraption with a good selection of breads, jams and marmalade. The coffee is very good but we didn’t drink tea.
The breakfast area is in the basement and can get quite busy and full as it isn’t all that big but you can move into the conference room if you want to.

The Restaurant, bar and coffee bar.
The Continental-style coffee shop is in the lobby and serves coffee and other hot and cold drinks. The bar is 24 hour and serves a selection of wines, spirits and draught beers plus a range of light meals and snacks such as Paninis, Sandwiches and Ciabattas. It also has Sky Sports TV .The restaurant is in the same room breakfast is served so is quite small. We ate there the first evening and the food was good and the service was excellent. It cost about £50 without wine for the 2 of us and we both had steak with peppercorn sauce which was very good followed by a cheesecake type dessert. The staff are happy to advise you were else to eat and are quite candid about prices and quality so are very helpful. Dinner is served from 19:00 until 21:30
There are other places to eat and drink a very close to the hotel and these include;
Cafe Spice Namaste, Empress of India Red Chillies Brown Bar Pickwicks Wetherspoon so you have plenty of choice without going far.

Hygiene standards
This Sleep Inn is absolutely spotless. Our room was pristine. The bathroom was all furnished in white and it sparkled. there wasn't even a water mark on the chrome or shower cubicle. In the bedroom there was no dust, windows were clean and there were no marks on any of the linen.The mugs and glasses were clean too. Throughout the hotel all the floors were clean.The coffee shop and restaurant were also spotless and all cutlery gleamed as did the glasses. I may not have eaten off the floor but i could easily have eaten off the furniture as everything was so clean. The hotel has only been open a few months admitedly and everything still appeared new but the standard of care was quite obvious. The people who work here do take pride in their work I think and it shows.

Concierge and other Facilities
There is a computer for guests use in the lobby, plus wireless access points for your own in the lobby and bar as well as bedrooms. You can also arrange a safety deposit box. There is access to a copying machine and fax also laundry and dry cleaning but these incur a charge. There are 3 elevators and disabled facilities and adapted rooms although we didn’t see them. You can also store your luggage so it doesn’t take up space in your room.

Parking
There is some disabled parking and a drop off/pick up point outside the hotel and some parking a short walk away but I didn’t pay much attention to the details as we didn’t take the car.

Checking Out
Was quick and needs to be done before 12 noon which is quite civilised. A fully itemised bill is provided showing any charges or extras incurred. Ours was totally accurate.

My opinion.
We completely enjoyed our stay here and found the staff to be helpful, professional, friendly and polite. The hotel was absolutely spotless including the individual rooms, bathroom and all public areas. It was quiet at night so you could get a good nights sleep. The windows were double glazed but didn’t open so you had to rely on the air conditioning to freshen the room. The fire exits were all clearly marked and accessible, none were blocked and the fire/ emergency instructions on the door were clear and easy to follow. The key card needs to be inserted into the slot in the room or the lights don’t stay on for long this caught us out a couple of times when we forgot. We haven’t really got any complaints or moans. As this is classed as a budget hotel and cost us £53 a night it was much better than we were expecting. Instead of just using the hotel as a base in which to sleep like we normally do in cheap hotels this place was nice enough to linger around and we frequently did. I would recommend it and we will use it again- it was a great base in a great location, staffed by great staff with a great price and we couldn’t have asked for much more. 

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