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[LON] hub by Premier Inn London Tower Bridge

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  • [LON] hub by Premier Inn London Tower Bridge

    I stayed at this hotel during my trip to London in March 2016 (TR here) and I really want to recommend this hotel to you guys! Granted that this is not your Westin or Hyatt, but the service I received was even better than some of the chain hotels out there, and I did had a wonderful stay there.


    Hotel entrance

    This is a hip hotel and the use of technology is evident throughout. Check in was self-served and done over a tablet (No cash transaction). The instructions were easy to follow and I got my room keys within minutes of stepping into the hotel.

    There is a huge LCD wall in the lobby which displays the map of London. The map itself is connected to Google Map so you can search for whatever place you want to visit, and the directions will be shown on the wall. How cool is that?

    Room

    Note the deep storage space under the bed.

    The room was small but functional. I felt that the bed was slightly smaller than a Queen, but was sufficient for two person. There was no wardrobe/closet, but there were storage spaces under the bed and a clothes rack for 3 hangers.


    No wardrobe. Just some hangers to hang your coat.

    The use of technology extended into the room. There was a control panel on the headboard that controls all the lights and air conditioning in the room. Apparently, I could download an app in my phone (iOS/Android) that connects to the control panel. However, the app didn't work for me during my stay so I can't comment on how useful the app is. Also, there was a huge flat screen TV which could be connected to your smart phone for screen mirroring (I used it a lot to review my photos during my stay).


    Headboard with control panel


    Standing shower

    Service
    Although most of the processes in the hotel were highly automated, there was always staff in the lobby if I needed any assistance. The staff were extremely warm and helpful during my stay. I arrived the hotel at 8 pm and was attended to by a lady, Fire (Yes, that's her name). Knowing that it was my first time in London, she went all out to ensure that I get a room with a window. She wanted me to have a room with the view of the Shard but all the rooms were booked. So she ended up giving me a room with a view of the courtyard and she felt bad about it (Note: This was done on her own initiative. She didn't have to apologized as I did not even ask for a room with a view in the first place!). For the rest of my stay, Fire was always enthusiastic and eager to help. She recognizes all her guests and chats with anyone that passes through the lobby. This girl is a true gem and someone from the hotel should give this girl a medal (Although the other staff I met throughout my stay were friendly enough).

    If, and only if, I had to be picky, the only downside of this hotel is that they do not provide late check out service. The day before my departure, I checked with the receptionist to see if I could check out at 4 pm as my flight doesn't leave till 8 pm. I was prepared to pay extra for it, but was told that they do not provide such service because there won't be anyone to clean up our room after that hour. I found that reasoning a little weird because during my stay, the maid only came to make up my room at 5 pm although I asked for my room to be made up at 8 am. Anyway, that was not a big issue as they allowed me to deposit my bags at the reception after check-out. Just something you might want to note if your flight departs at night.

    Location:
    The hotel is about 7 mins walk from Tower Hill underground station (District and Circle Line). To get there from London Heathrow, take the Piccadilly Line from the airport and change at Hammersmith station to the District Line. There are other stations which you can transfer to the District Line, but I recommend changing at this station as it has lifts and also because it is less crowded than say South Kensington or Earl's Court (Good if you have many luggage).

    If you are coming from London Gatwick, take the Thameslink (National Rail) to London Blackfriars and change to the District Line.

    In conclusion, unless you are a technophobe, I don't see why you won't like this hotel.
    We put labels on people and fight wars over them. If we truly want harmony, we have to get past the labels.

  • #2
    The rooms look pretty good, and the location looks great for a leisure trip. Thanks for posting, Nykelaz!

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    • #3
      Based on this TR (& comments on TripAdvisor) I just booked a night at a "hub" in Edinburgh next to the Royal Mile........ GBP36/night and only open a couple of months. A short walk from Waverly Station it's right in the centre of the city so should be an excellent option for the price.

      This will be my "airport" type hotel prior to catching an early morning flight to Heathrow and onward to BKK and SIN. If details turn out any different to the London one, I'll let you know in a couple of months.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by scooby5 View Post
        Based on this TR (& comments on TripAdvisor) I just booked a night at a "hub" in Edinburgh next to the Royal Mile........ GBP36/night and only open a couple of months. A short walk from Waverly Station it's right in the centre of the city so should be an excellent option for the price.

        This will be my "airport" type hotel prior to catching an early morning flight to Heathrow and onward to BKK and SIN. If details turn out any different to the London one, I'll let you know in a couple of months.
        I wanted to try the one at Edinburgh too! But I found a better rate at airbnb so I gave it a miss. Let me know how's the one at Edinburgh!
        We put labels on people and fight wars over them. If we truly want harmony, we have to get past the labels.

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        • #5
          Right, so just back from "hub" in Edinburgh and it looks exactly the same and, as with your stay, the APP didn't do anything during the stay except allow me to book a breakfast, which I didn't with a 5:45am departure. The explore and map function didn't work and there was nothing at all with regards controlling the room or TV.

          Anyway, we arrived at noon and the check-in pedestal was automatically showing no check-ins till 2pm but staff was friendly and took our bags. Later I pretty much managed my own check-in but the girl helped my parents at the second pedestal and all went well. There is free tea and coffee around the clock so that was great.

          A/C was nice and powerful (yes, I know it's Scotland but strangely the room was warm.... or rather too warm for me). I was on the top floor with no real view but at least good natural light.

          There was a notice in the elevator apologising for the previous night's fire alarm, but shortly after we got back from dinner it went off for a second night so there seems to be some teething troubles. The fire brigade turned up really quickly and let us back in after 10-15min. They could have been parked around the corner awaiting the call but luckily it wasn't raining either.

          A 5-10min from Waverly Station, near the Scotsman Hotel costing more than 5x the price, there isn't anything to complain about......noting that the Royal Highland Show was also (unknown when we booked) on near the airport and with a strong tourist number in the city, the price was excellent. Walking past a nearby ibis, their walk-in rate was GBP149 so I'm more than happy. Given that Highland Show was on near the airport I was also pleased with myself for taking the decision to stay overnight instead of trying to reach the airport directly, at least I had more control over timing and with train strikes as well, my biggest problem with the trip back was BA to LHR.

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