I have a confession: I sort of have a mild-yet-quickly-growing obsession with design hotels.
Truth be told, I’ve always had a thing for ambiance. I’m the kind of girl, annoying though she may be, who would rather eat a meal in a pretty restaurant than a dumpy place, no matter how good the dumpy place’s food is. Don’t get me wrong–under the right circumstances, a dumpy place with amazing food is just what the doctor ordered.
But more often than not? I’m all about the ambiance. Thoughtful decor. Clever design. Whether it’s a restaurant, a bar, or a hotel–I crave a little “wow” factor.
You know, the kind of place that you’d imagine wouldn’t be all that hard to find in a big city like London.
And as it turns out, it isn’t! Much to my snooty delight, boutique and design hotels abound in the Big Smoke.
Enter: the Hoxton, Holborn.
For a few glorious nights during my week in the city, I had the profound pleasure of staying in this beautiful boutique hotel that also happens to be extremely centrally located.
One block from Holborn station. Five minutes from Old Street station. Surrounded on all sides by great dining options, shopping, and entertainment. It even has its own on-site restaurant, a coffee shop, and a chicken shop.
Yeah, a chicken shop. Like a high-end KFC of sorts. Just. Imagine. The. Smell.
The rooms, I will admit, are a tad on the small side. But the funky, retro details totally make up for it. The desk was fully stocked with essentials, including a detailed guide of things to do in the neighborhood, cool steal-worthy stationary, and the all-important wine glasses and corkscrew. They even found a clever space to squeeze in a teeny tiny refrigerator to store some complimentary drinking water and cold milk for your morning coffee (under the bedside table, in case you were wondering).
And did I mention the beautiful bathroom complete with rainfall shower and fancy toiletries?
Actually, when I think back to my decision to book the Hoxton Holborn in the first place, the thing that really sold me was the included breakfast, which was delivered to your room at whatever hour you wished. I couldn’t help but let out a genuine “Awwww!” when I realized they were actually delivered in bagged form, hung neatly next to your door in the morning, no obnoxious knocking necessary. You simply opened your door whenever you rolled out of bed and snatched it off the hook before anyone saw you in the hallway half naked.
Sadly, I never got to experience the beautifully browned chicken of the appropriately named Chicken Shop (no joke) although I did sample the goods at both Holborn Grind, the coffee shop, and Hubbard & Bell, the hotel’s restaurant. I can safely say they both passed my rigorous standards testing.
Related: Where to Eat in London
Hubbard & Bell provides room service, which proved absolutely essential on my last night in London before a painfully early travel day. The burgers were fabulous, and they also offer salads, pasta, seafood and meats, a Sunday feast, and brunch.
I booked my stay at the Hoxton, Holborn using one of my favorite travel apps of all time, HotelTonight. I’ve sung this app’s praises before–that one time I found myself stuck in Florida for a night with nothing booked upon landing at the airport–and was excited to use it again.
The selection of hotels is small but high in quality, and the prices are steals you pretty much can’t find anywhere else. The app was created for connecting us procrastinating travelers with great last-minute hotel deals, and you can now use it to book a room up to a full week in advance. The only drawback is that all reservations are non-refundable, so you’d better be sure you’re booking the room you want!
So far, I’m two for two! I can’t wait to see what pretty little thing I come up with the next time.
And if you’re new to HotelTonight, you can save $25 on your first booking using my personal code LDAVIS410!
Do you care about ambiance in a hotel? What’s the deciding factor for you?
