The Hoxton, Shoreditch

The original Hoxton opened on Great Eastern Street in 2006 and effectively created a new category of London hotel: design led but deliberately affordable, built for people who wanted a good looking room without paying a five star bill for the privilege.

Rooms lean towards mid century and contemporary furnishing, with rainfall showers, mini fridges and free wifi as standard, though the entry level rooms are genuinely small, closer to a compact city hotel than a boutique suite, and guests should check the room category carefully before booking rather than assuming every room matches the marketing photography.

The Hoxton Grill, run in partnership with Soho House Group, serves American style food from breakfast through dinner and functions as much as a local meeting spot for freelancers and small meetings as a straightforward hotel restaurant.

Being a six minute walk from Old Street station and close to Brick Lane’s curry houses is a genuine plus for anyone wanting to explore East London on foot, though it also means street noise on weekend nights, and some guest reviews mention maintenance issues in older rooms that have not entirely kept pace with the hotel’s continued popularity and heavy footfall.

It remains the template the rest of the Hoxton chain copies across other cities, and the Shoreditch original is still the version with the most character, even where the fittings show their age compared with newer sister properties.

The hotel’s public areas, including the lobby lounge, are deliberately designed to work as a shared workspace and social hub rather than a purely private guest area, and it is common to see as many laptop workers and local freelancers passing through as overnight visitors. That open door policy contributes to the atmosphere the brand is known for, but it also means the ground floor can feel crowded and noisy at busy times of day, which is worth factoring in for guests wanting a quiet spot to work or relax between meetings. Weekend rates fluctuate considerably depending on demand from nearby gig venues and clubs, so travellers with flexible dates can often find noticeably better value by shifting a stay by even a single night.