ibis London Excel Docklands — Hotel in London

The reception area of this hotel was lacking and seemed unprofessional. We were checked in via a laptop and phone. There didn't seem to be an actual reception desk and the staff were standing around in random places. Felt a bit slapdash. The check in process was fast though. There seemed to be no central point to contact staff if you needed them.

The room was small but very clean and cozy. Unfortunately we didn't have much of a view despite requesting one (well, we had a "view" of a vent and some rather dull artwork with blue baubles that wasn't even lit at night). The artwork in the centre could be greatly improved with some lighting and perhaps a bit of planting! The bed was the comfiest hotel bed I've ever slept in and it was hard to leave it in the morning! Since there was only one hard plastic chair in the room we also sat and relaxed on the beds and they were just as comfy then. I didn't like that the only mirror in the room was by the door with no shelf or table nearby, so drying and styling my hair was a bit of a palaver! At least the Premier Inn provide you with a shelf to put the hairdryer and brushes on! There should be a mirror by the desk area so it can be used as a dressing table, or at the very least put a shelf next to the mirror in the room so you can put things on it and not have to juggle a brush and a hot hairdryer. We thought that the bathroom in the room was akin to an aeroplane toilet, but it was clean and functional and the shower was easy to use and got hot quickly. We found it a bit weird that we had to step up into the bathroom but I guess it was to stop the carpet getting wet if someone ran the shower without closing the screen. I admit to tripping a couple of times though. The only issue we had was that the bathroom door didn't close all the way, but we're close as a family so thankfully that wasn't a problem.

We didn't use the restaurant so can't comment on it. The restaurant looked tired and dark, especially compared with the Novotel next door, so we didn't bother. The staff didn't seem particularly welcoming in that area either so we were unsure if they were serving anything at various times of day. There needs to be much clearer signage as to whether or not the bar service is available as there were no staff members there to ask. We would have had bar snacks on one of the days but we left and went elsewhere. Also, where were the menus? We had to scratch around for one.

The staff here were all friendly and I really appreciated the effort that staff member Eszther made with her Doctor Who outfit! Very appropriate for London MCM and shows that the staff gave something of a hoot about the convention. It's nice to see you making an effort as many local businesses don't!

We have stayed at other hotels near the ExCel through the years and honestly this place wasn't bad. The Novotel next door has larger and nicer rooms but the staff there aren't...

Location is largely well-located and very easy to find. Prime location for events at the Excel center, perhaps only second to the nearby Yacht Hotel (though most likely a fair bit cheaper) and the hotel next door. Extra discount for signing up and booking directly is also a nice touch. Surprisingly the cheapest hotel for our weekend, despite how close it was to the event.

Original booking was a twin for myself and one friend, another booked a double. We ended up with 3 doubles between the three of us due to overbooking of twin rooms. I felt this was above and beyond as the two of us that were supposed to be sharing a room could've quite easily been thrown into a double room instead

Staff/Service: Helpful and friendly. Elevators were a tad small, one didn't appear to be working throughout most of the stay. This meant after a busy weekend, the day after an event, the elevators are basically a no-go as you'll likely be waiting for an elevator with enough space for a long time.

Cleanliness: Mostly good. One member of our party was met with a brewed cup of tea along with a used a teabag, and some used milk packets.

Space: Room sizes seemed to differ. Disabled rooms feel the smallest, although appear spacious enough for disabled people (though I can't properly judge that as I'm not disabled).

Decor: Alright. It's not something I really took much notice of. Though the chalk-like drawings of a stand behind the TVs seemed like and odd choice.

Furniture: What was there was pretty good. Beds were nice and comfortable, seats were good to. However, the rooms lack some things I'd consider basic necessities. Primarily alarm clocks and a fridge. The kettles also had unusually short cords meaning the kettle had to be used extremely close to the socket you plugged it into.

Bedding: Good. Always packed in tight.

Noise: Largely good. You did get some street noise and plane noise (understandable given the proximity to London City Airport). Some noise from other guests in the halls did leak in. But overall, nothing concerning.

Location: Highly dependent on what you're doing. Pretty well placed for events at the Excel centre. Again, perhaps only bested by the nearby Yacht Hotel and the hotel next door.

Price: It was the cheapest in the area, so relatively speaking, it was great. But still quite pricey in the grand scheme of things. A small discount can be used by booking directly (via All Accor)...

My parents stayed a weekend at this lovely hotel to attend an event at Excel. They absolutely loved the hotel, the staff members / reception who were very helpful in pointing them towards the right directions all the time due to their broken English. Thank you, lovely ladies indeed.

Room wise, they absolutely loved their room and felt at home. The hotel, in general, was spot on, beautifully cleaned, and organised . It's definitely worth the money, plus it's close to all amenities!!

As a customer, the only downside I have to add to this review ( the reason why I rate 0 on service ) is about the reservation team manager named Sassan, whom I spoke with over the phone.

Apparently, there was a problem with the payment on their reservation. Instead of taking things steady, step by step, and speaking calmy and respectfully to the client , he decided to argue over the phone and cut me off several times, when I tried to explain and state my parents opinion on the matter, he then became very upset ( they had a different point and did not agree with what he was saying). He took it very personally - as a direct attack. I asked him not to speak to me the way he was speaking , and told him that if he wasn't happy to speak with me that I was happy for him to pass the case to a different colleague to diffuse the situation- which he did NOT do . Things obviously escalated to a point that I had to apologise and hang up the phone because I will not lose my precious time arguing over the phone with a stranger, specially someone that stands on a management level position, someone that should be giving the Hotel a good imagine and captivate the client to return back again and again. - Something that he did NOT do at all. I really hope that the management above this person investigates this matter seriously and listens to all the recordings as this is utterly disappointing and gives the hotel a bad image in regards to customer service.

Although everything else was spot on, this negative experience with this reservation staff member, did reflect a bad experience to my parents and us as a family , and due to this my parents nor the rest of our friends and family won't be returning or booking...