Hotel Review: The very pleasant Aloft London Excel

In London for a convention at the Excel, it made sense to stay close to the action. The Aloft London Excel is connected to the convention centre, and it is a minute’s walk between the two at most.

Arriving at London City Airport, we took the DLR to Prince Regent, which is also a one minute or so walk to the hotel. It is possible to walk from LCY in about 10-15 minutes, but we had bags so took the longer route.

Check-In

Check-in was a breeze, with friendly desk attendants cheerily informing us that we didn’t need to wear masks in the hotel. In the lobby there is a long bar area as well as a small shop, where you can make purchases of various snacks and drinks. Things like water, cans of beer, coca-cola, crisps and even things like cereal were available for sale.

We headed up to the sixth floor to our room, which was as advertised but very hot. The thermostat was set to 26 degrees – 79F for the Americans – which was toasty to say the least. We turned that down to the lowest setting and set about unpacking, hanging clothes in the wardrobe and so on.

Aloft London Excel Room

As fate would have it, the air conditioning was broken in our room. During the first night we moved to another room on the same floor, which was thankfully far cooler, which made sleep possible. The hotel were apologetic and moved us without any histrionics.

Each side of the bed had a bedside table and individual lamp. Comfort wise the bed was very good, though the pillows were quite terrible. I need something firm and fat under my head, and the soft flat pillows (that admittedly some people prefer) didn’t do it for me. Otherwise, the room was perfect.

Breakfast and the Pool

Daily breakfast is served in the hotel restaurant on the second floor. It comprised of everything you would expect – tea, coffee, two kinds of juice, scrambled eggs, sausages, tomatoes, baked beans, mushrooms, bacon, a selection of danish and continental items. Nobody would go hungry here.

The hotel also features a swimming pool, which needs to be reserved in advance. Regretfully we didn’t get to use it, though I did bring swimmers. Staff advised that we did need to reserve it, however it was hardly being used so just to call down anytime and they would arrange.

Overall Thoughts

Aloft London Excel is very well located for stays that side of London. With the DLR on its doorstep, it does not take long to get into central London. We did get an Uber back from Notting Hill and that cost about £35, so late night returns post-Tube shutdown do not break the bank.

With friendly staff, decent facilities and a very nice breakfast, I had a quite pleasant stay at the hotel. Keep an eye on the hotel price after you book though. Originally it was €717 for three nights but shortly before travel it was being sold for €427, so there are savings to be made if you pay attention.

Have you stayed at the Aloft London Excel before? What did you think of it? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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