The Corner London City Hotel Review

The Corner London City Hotel Review. Over the weekend we spent a couple of days in London visiting the British Museum and the Tower of London. The two attractions have been on our list for a long time. We stayed at The Corner London City Hotel in between. The boys were aged 10 and 6 when we visited, here is how we got on. 

AD – We were invited to review the Corner London City Hotel 

The Corner London City Hotel Review

I liked the look of the 183-bedroom East London hotel online. It ticked a number of different boxes for us. So the question is did it live up to expectations? 

Where is The Corner London City located?

The Corner London City Hotel is located a few minutes walk from the closest tube station – Aldgate East. It’s ideally placed to explore Spitalfields Market and the surrounding area including Brick Lane. Of course, if you’re willing to use the tube nothing is too far away in London. Aldgate East tube station is on the Hammersmith & City line and in zone 1.

On Sunday we visited The Tower of London, which we walked to in around 30 minutes and that’s with the kids. It was a great walk taking us through the city area and seeing some of the iconic office buildings. All of which the boys found fascinating – Gherkin, Cheesegrater and the Walkie-Talkie.

Because the hotel is located towards the outskirts of the city area (you can see a dragon marking the end of the city) near Whitechapel. It means that it has certain facilities which really central hotels do not. Such as car parking. 

Our arrival at The Corner London City Hotel

The hotel is easy to find located just across the small park right on the corner. Hence it’s the name. There’s a new green sign outside which makes it easy to spot. You can use this address to find it 42 Adler Street, London, E1 1EE.

If you are driving into the city the hotel itself is not within the congestion charging zone. However, you do need to be mindful of the fact that much of the surrounding area is. And therefore check your route prior to leaving.

We arrived around 4 o’clock, the room was already ready. The hotel does not have a receptionist but instead, you check in yourself at one of four express check-in computer terminals. I must admit I’m not a fan of checking yourself in, but it was very straightforward and it was quick.

There is also someone around generally around in the bar area so if you need anything during your stay there is always someone to help you. 

Our Large Plush Room at The Corner London City

We stayed in a large plush room which is designed to sleep two adults and two children. The room was adapted to be used by those with a disability. Which meant the integrated en-suite bathroom was huge. It has a large walk-in glass shower with a powerful rain shower, steam-free mirror and complimentary organic toiletries. The towels were incredibly white and fluffy.

The room had a large comfortable bed and a separate sofa bed for the boys. There was a 32-inch flat-screen tv attached at the end of the bed frame. The room also had decorative touches with a large mural behind the bed. Pictures of the local area, as well as a rustic table and desk, vanity unit and clothes stands. There was a large window along one side of the room with floor-to-ceiling curtains. 

Our double bed was huge I would suggest it was even bigger than a king size and was extremely comfortable. The corner city hotel has developed its own hand-made hypoallergenic naturalmat mattress which are made from sustainable materials. This is one of their flagship items and actually, I can see why we had a very good night’s sleep.

My only gripe is that the boy’s sofa bed was probably on the small side they are currently aged ten and six and it was only just about sufficient for them to share. I would argue that it’s probably a single sofa bed and I would like to see some adjustments made to this set-up. Since there is plenty of room to add a set of bunk beds or similar. If they were much older it would not be possible for them to say in the same bed of that size. The rooms are also equipped with European plug sockets and USB sockets in the bedrooms.

The Corner London City restaurant and bar 

During our stay, we had both dinner and breakfast in the hotel. There is a nice bar area located downstairs close to reception. This had various different types of seating including some comfortable sofas and booth-style seating for larger groups. There was also seating at the bar and it was decorated in a very nice modern way with lots of bright colours giving the illusion of space.

There are also several other rooms that back onto the bar including the gallery. The boys particularly liked this as it was where there was a table tennis table set up. This provided the boys with some entertainment during our meal. And meant we could sit and watch them play.

We had a drink first and I would say that bar prices are in keeping with the local area expect to pay £10-£12 for a large glass of wine and £6.80 for a pint of beer. You could either opt for table service or you could order at the bar as well and it was all very efficient and friendly. The bar closed at 1 am but we were not disturbed by it despite being on the first floor.

Dinner Menu

I was surprised to find that they did not offer a kid’s menu in the hotel’s restaurant despite being set up for children. This didn’t affect our eldest who will quite happily eat everything off an adult day menu given the chance. However, it could have caused problems for Harry who is very much a beige-food kid. However, they were happy to provide him with a plate of pasta and did so without question. Although I would like to see a child’s menu if this is a market they would like to target further. 

They had a reasonable selection of starters and main causes catering for vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters. Although when we visited they had three of the starters out of the eight were not available which was a little disappointing but we had bruschetta and all enjoyed it thoroughly.

The main courses were a little bit hit-and-miss the risotto in particular was very claggy and the chicken was overcooked. However, my husband had the sirloin steak and said that it was reasonable. Dessert was a selection of vegan desserts, we both tried cheesecake and chocolate tart with vegan ice cream. It would be nice to see alternatives that cater for non-vegan people. As the cheesecake was very nice but none of us were overly keen on the ice cream. 

Breakfast at The Corner London City Hotel

To be honest we were a bit worried about breakfast after the experience we had at dinner. However, we need not have worried as the continental breakfasts was very good. The food was very nice very tasty and cooked freshly. It was self-service meaning you could help yourself to whatever you would like. 

There was a wide selection of various breakfast options too including a full English, cold meats and cheese a selection of cereals, yoghurt, pastries, fruit and to the boy’s delight a pancake-making machine. I think if we had not eaten in the restaurant the night before I would have thought very highly of the food generally and perhaps we caught the restaurant on a bad night?

The only slight concern with breakfast is that they do not offer a bookable timeslot, so it is a free for all. This is fine if the hotel is not busy however it feels like there are more rooms than there are seats in the restaurant and bar area. So if you pick a popular time to turn up for breakfast and the hotel is full and this could prove to be difficult. The only additional charges are for breakfast which costs £12.50 per person so I can only assume that they are banking on a percentage of their clients not requiring breakfast. However, I would encourage you to take breakfast because in our opinion it is worth the extra money.

Hotel facilities 

Car Parking is a valuable additional benefit. The self parking cannot be booked in advance instead operating on a first come first serve basis. However, this would be useful if you are planning on visiting London as part of a wider road trip or travel itinerary.

Free tea and coffee! The Hotel offers complimentary tea and coffee both on the floors outside the rooms and also with a coffee station in the bar area. This was extremely popular and I can see why it would be good if more hotels have this setup. Although the machines are a little hit and miss the coffee that they did produce was good and the boys particularly likes the hot chocolate. Being able to hang out with free hot drinks and enjoy the lounge area is definitely one of the big positives of this The Corner London City Hotel. 

Free wi-fi – There is free wifi throughout the hotel

Things for the children – there is a little toy nook as you come into the reception area. Which has been set up a bit like a lounge with several sofas and chairs. At the back, there is a shelf with games including Lego, dominoes, card games, monopoly, books and plenty to keep the children entertained. Including colouring materials and crafty bits. The boys made a beeline for this when we were having a drink in the bar and it was nice to be able to watch them play while we relaxed with a drink.

The other big thing is the table tennis table which is set up in the evenings. At breakfast time it does become additional seating for breakfast much to the kid’s disappointment. However, on the basis that they need the tables, I completely understand why this is the case. During the evening the boys made most of the table playing with the free paddles and ping-pong balls and also made friends with another child who was staying in the hotel.

Meeting rooms – There are several different meeting room options and a co-working space making it a popular choice for business travelers.

The Corner London City Hotel – B Corp status

What really stands out is that the hotel has B-CORP status. Something that we should all consider as it is set up on a more sustainable basis. The certification means that it is focused on both its impact on society and the planet as a whole. As well as the sustainable development of the property.

The hotel is the first to have got the B-CORP certification and London’s greenest hotel. It has put in place a number of things to enable it to do this. The hotel would work for anybody that is looking to travel sustainably and has an eco-bias in the travel choices that they make. Some of the things The Corner London City Hotel are:

• Water-saving technology for less water consumption. Which is 41% less than other hotels, that’s 4 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
• Their electrical consumption is 8% less than the industry average
• Sustainably source design in every room
• Recycling bins in every room
• Solar panels on the roof
• Limiting food waste and plastic bottles
• Electric car charging points

 

Things to do in the local area

As mentioned the hotel is a few minutes’ walk from aldgate tube stations where you can pick up the Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. Taking you to the heart of London. It is located quite close to both Spitalfields Market and Brick Lane.

Brick Lane – is one of East London’s best-known spots. Winding its way between Whitechapel and Shoreditch. It is full of cool shops, buzzing markets and, of course, those famous curry houses. If you are not eating at the hotel then I would suggest getting a local Indian dish in Brick Lane.

Spitalfields Market is one of our favourite markets in London, with its hip selection of bars shops and restaurants. As well as some stalls selling clothing, jewellery, craft bits and unusual gifts. It has been established for a long time and definitely worth a visit if you are local. It is only a 15-minute walk from the hotel and you would go through Brick Lane to get to it.

The hotel is also within walking distance of the medieval castle Tower of London. Which is one of the biggest attractions in the city. Of course, nothing is that far away when there is a tube station five minutes walk from the hotel. 

Conclusions – The Corner London City Hotel

We had a very nice stay at The Corner Hotel and although there could be some improvements to make it more family-friendly. Such a kid’s menu and a better sleeping solution for the boys. It would not stop us from staying there again.

Prices vary depending on availability and the time of the week. For an overnight stay for two adults and two children on a Saturday night with breakfast the going rate is £263. Which makes it very competitive when compared to other hotels in London. For the best rates book directly with the hotel.

Have you stayed at the corner to corner hotel city London please let me know your about your experiences in the comments below?

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