Leman Locke, Aldgate — Hotel in London

Before arriving at Leman Locke, I had checked-in online to make it a quick process. Give my booking number, grab the key and just go to my room.

It took a few minutes for the staff to figure out that I had checked-in online already, then i got the introduction & key. Maybe it's the way the process is or 'system'. Not blaming the staff directly but I've had smoother experiences elsewhere (just being honest).

I've used Airbnb many many times. This was my first time booking it with Leman Locke. The pictures that were shown/advertised. weren't exactly what we were expecting. the furniture sure, the same. but the room layout was completely different to the pictures.

Maybe I'm just picky or another Karen or something.. But the pictures did not match the room we were in. We fell in love with what we saw in the pictures. Perhaps we may have missed out on the detail where we will probably get put in a different room? compared to the picture? IDK, it just doesn't sit right with me. I've attached a picture to show the difference I guess what we got given was "good enough"..

Sofa came with a few stains on it.

The pictures on the airbnb website aswell as the TV in our room suggested that we could dial on the "rotary phone" provided but our room never came with one. So we had to result to adding the mobile number & actually whatsapp'ing the reception.

usb socket under the TV doesn’t work, as I pulled my cable out, The whole thing came out.

personally have never been in a hotel or airbnb where the heated towel rack didn't work properly. There were 2 bars which were meant to be heated, only 1 of them was working which resulted in a cold towel anyway.

The room overall, was clean however on top of the fixated square shower head. It was very damn dusty. I always check these things... Either it's clean or not.

I'm a gym freak, a powerlifter. The gym which I believe is located in the basement, where Its situated with no windows is so damn CREEPY. I couldn't stop thinking about not looking behind me.. The vibe, the atmosphere its like the last person who used this gym just vanished... I wouldn't be surprised if a goblin came out of nowhere and chased me to the lift!

The gym itself is very small which is fine, has afew dumbbells, has bar but no plates. which makes the bar actually useless. Fancy water rowing machine, running machine, couple yoga/exercise balls. 2 adjustable benches. while the Suspension Straps that were attached to the ceiling, i noticed a sound when i was using it. Any longer I would have smacked my face on the floor. You guys should sort out the equipment not just cleaning the room & filling the cleaning rota on the wall to the right when you walk in picture of the suspension strap hazard is attached

Not forgetting to mention that the staff had to DIG for the gym disclosure form, which tells me no one uses the gym but the form should always be there ready! Y'all should never assume people won't use it. Maybe get a folder with all the forms in it. IDK

The restaurant menu was very limited. But the greatest thing is the location. You'll have so many places to eat at.

The cafe downstairs next the lifts, it took afew minutes for the staff behind the counter to acknowledge us. So we just left and went pret in the morning. nothing against the staff there. We understand what its like. Just being honest.

Overall, Me & my girlfriend enjoyed the experience. But we was actually very disappointed in the room that was given to us.

Simply because it was not the same room as advertised! The suspension straps in the gym really almost got me with my girl as a witness.

Just my honest review. We would love to come back & stay at Leman Locke, Aldgate again.

Bang for value? I'd say "it's good enough". Location is 5 stars. Staff very friendly & nice. I expected more for a "Designer Studio Apartment" dont give us a downgrade from what we saw in the pictures. That's how it felt :(

Michael (I don't sugar coat anything) 26-28 march 2023

Love the staff energy though, makes me want to work here but I can't commit...

we were super excited to come back, after we stayed at Leman Locke in May 2018. It was wonderful ! There was no doubt that this is the only place to stay at in London for us ! When we arrived on the 08th of Apil at 2.30 pm we were greeted with a contruction site , the Shaman was under renovations. That was the first super bummer, since we loved the place when we stayed there, and really looked forward. We had early check in at 2 om, but the room wasnt even ready and Cynthia told us that there was Maintenance in the room (never a good sign) So we were offered a drink (she had to get cups from Buckel Studios though) and had to waot 20 mins. We came to Room 1801 then. Already the floor in front of the room was very dingy and full of old spots and dirt. The room looked on another contruction site on the back of the building with no sun whatshoever. The table was full with marks from drinking glasses and bottles, so I cleaned it, still they could be seen, apparently they are very old. There was no sign of the welcome pack that we had the first time which contained a personal welcome note. I wanted to change room, but according to reception that was not possible, since the hotel was fully booked (at 3pm ? All the check ins where there already ? Hard to believe...) and also not possible on any other day.

The chromecast on both TVs didnt work which we told reception the next day. There was nothing to be done that day since Maintenance has already left. We were offered a Voucher for Breaktfast which we took. But had to be in the Buckle Studios. On Sunday the Chromecast was working but then the TV in de Bedroom couldnt play the normal channels. Maintenenace had to come again. The towel rack in the bathroom was loose. When I stepped in the shower, tuned out I did not fit under the shower head. I am 184 cm tall and the shower head only 180 cm. Imagine my posture to wash my hair, or better dont imagine....

When we went to Breakfast to Buckle Studios on the 11th at 08.30 am there were no other guests, but a very unmotivated young man at reception who was superunhappy to make breakfast and had only one porridge left (we wanted both a porridge, but that wasnt an option) We took also a Muffin to go for later and in the afternoon when we made tea, turned out it wasnt even baked properly, only the top. The bottom was liquid. On the last evening we wanted to have Dinner in Alter only to find out that it was ALSO under construction now !!

So, all in all: we paid a whopping 1.400,-€ for five nights and that was not the service we paid for. Also I have been working 20 years in Hotels , one of them beeing an Aparthotel at Costa del Sol with 553 Apartments. So I have a lot if pacience and knowledge. But also I know when things are not ok. Unfortunately I cannot recommend Leman Locke to any friends or familiy and wont be back either. After I send an E-Mail to the hotel about our stay they said they would get back several times and never anything ever happend. Very dissapointing Update: I tried to gove the Hotel the Opportunity to check what happened and have send them serveral Mails, where I always ever only got the message back that they would reach out. Which they then only did after I have put it...

Nice hotel. More of a 1bd 1ba apt than a traditional hotel room. Really small bathroom sink (pictured). I stayed in room 407. The shower is a no-step shower (is that what you call it?). When I used it, it flooded the bathroom. Water everywhere. Under the toilet. Under the sink. The drain wasn't clogged, the incline of the floor just was not designed properly. It wasn't until after I showered that I understood why there is a squeegee in the bathroom (pictured).

The bathroom outlet has both American and European voltage (pictured next to sink), so you can bring your electric clippers, no need for a voltage converter. I wish I knew this beforehand.

The gym was ok. 1 treadmill, 1 rowing machine. 2 benches. Free weights from 5 up to 50. 1 cable crossover machine with pull-up bars. 1 Olympic bar (no plates, however). Small room - (maybe 15' x 24'). 2 TVs. Sorry, no pictures (broke my own travel rule here). When I used it, there were two other people in the room and I did not feel comfortable taking pictures in what felt like such close quarters.

The bedroom had a bed a tv and a shelving system. Small nightstand with a rotary phone on it. I wished that the room had a chair or two for you to throw stuff on, I moved one of the two chairs from the dining room table into the room.

One tv in the living room. Only viewable by one person sitting on the small couch. Lighting in the apt is not great and with the exception of the floor lamp and the kitchen counter lights, none of the switches are intuitively designed.

Food at the hotel left a lot to be desired. I had a very regrettable breakfast. Never got dinner bc the menu sounded awful. I was hoping the whole thing about "London having terrible food" was an urban legend. My experience over the past week (with the exception of one meal at a Turkish restaurant near the hotel in white chapel) proved that the saying isn't baseless.

The room has a sizeable fridge (double mini-fridge size) with a small freezer that can hold a carton of ice cream. Pots, pans, cutlery, plates, cups & bowls. Dishwasher, washer/dryer. Oven! Came in handy after I noticed the unsalted almonds I got were also raw. Oven dial is in C, so...9C/5 + 32, my American friends.

No wash cloth in the bathroom, only a hand towel, body towel and a floor towel (I do not understand how people wash themselves without washcloths). The floor towel got soaked when I showered. The flood (described above) did not seep over into the bedroom.

The elevators do not have an up/down button...only a call button. Seems presumptuous. I guess the floors you push once inside indicate where the elevator will go.

White Chapel works as a location if you're looking for access. The train is less than a block away and there are lots of buses. There are lots of places...