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Continuing our recent run of London hotel reviews, today’s review takes a look at the Hilton London Canary Wharf which sits in a eastern area of the city and in one of London’s two financial centers.
Introduction
Joanna and I used some Marriott Bonvoy points to reserve two seats in the Marriott Bonvoy Suite at London’s O2 arena, so as my UK-based Amex card* had been targeted for a ‘spend £200 with Hilton and get £50 back’ offer, we also decided to book a night at the Hilton London Canary Wharf which is located a short underground (subway) ride from the O2.
This was the second time I have stayed at this property, but as the last visit was back in 2018 and shortly before a planned makeover, I was looking forward to seeing what the property was like 6 years on.
*I’m fortunate enough to hold US and UK issued credit cards.
The admin
- Length of stay: 1 night
- Cost of room booked: £202.83/~$260
- Actual cost of stay: £152.83/~$195 (cost after Amex offer rebate)
- Points cost of the booking: (had I paid with points): 70,000 points
- Elite status at time of stay: Hilton Gold (courtesy of the Platinum® Card from American Express)
- Points earned from the booking: 9,939 (see below)
- Upgrade instruments used: None
- Room booked: King Deluxe room
- Room received: King Executive room
- Upgraded: Yes
Points earned breakdown:
- 2,121 base points
- 2,121 Hilton double points promotion
- 1,697 Hilton Gold 80% bonus
- 4,000 Just One Stay promotion*
*A few days before check-in, Hilton emailed with with a promotion that offered me 4,000 bonus points on my next stay and as existing stays counted towards the promotion, this booking netted me a nice (albeit small) points boost.
Getting there/location
The Hilton London Canary Wharf sits at the top end of the ‘Isle of Dogs’ in London’s east end and within a very short walk of Hilton’s Curio Collection property at Lincoln Plaza.
The property is conveniently located for the Canary Wharf financial district which is just a 6-minute walk away, and with Canary Wharf Underground station also just a 6-minute walk away, you can get from the Hilton to the very heart of London (Westminster/Green Park/Bond Street) in 20-25 minutes.
Despite Canary Wharf being known for its financial roots, the area is busy 7-days a week thanks to the presence of two shopping malls (both are indoors) as well as an ever-increasing number of restaurants, cafes, and bars.
Also, with the O2 arena just one stop away on the Jubilee Line in North Greenwich, the area and the local hotels can get even busier when there’s a big event on.
If you’re arriving from Heathrow and using public transport, the one of the cheapest ways to get to the hotel would be to take the Underground (subway) Piccadilly Line to Green Park, change there to the Jubilee Line, go 7 stops to Canary Wharf, and then walk to the property (~6 minutes).
The quickest way to the property from Heathrow (using public transport) is to take the Elizabeth Line to Whitechapel, change there to a second Elizabeth Line service to Canary Wharf* (1 stop) and to then walk to the property (~10 minutes).
If you’re arriving from Gatwick and using public transport, one of the easier ways to get to the hotel would be to take the Thameslink service to London Bridge station, change there to the Jubilee Line and travel 3 stops to Canary Wharf station from where you’ll have a ~6-minute walk to the hotel.
*At the time of writing, there are no direct Elizabeth Line services between Heathrow and Canary Wharf.
Check-in & the upgrade
Hilton offers the best online check-in service out of any of the major players as it makes the process very easy and you’re even given the opportunity to choose your own room (at most properties).
The day before we were due to arrive, the Hilton Honors app confirmed that mobile check-in was available.
The app offered me the option to choose my own room or to allow the reservations system to choose the room for me …
… and after I chose to pick the room myself, I was quickly guided through the check-in process and informed that I’d be given access to a digital key on the day of check-in once the room was ready.
There are a few more steps than I’ve shown above (you’re also offered the option to upgrade your room with cash and to ‘enhance your stay’ with roses, prosecco, wine, etc…), but this is a remarkably simple way to get checked in while knowing what room you’ll be getting, and I really wish the other major chains offered this.
Anyway …
As you can see from one of the images above, I was only given three floors from which to choose a room and that’s because in the days leading up to check-in, the hotel had upgraded us to a King Executive room (which comes with Executive lounge access) and the Executive rooms are only found on floors 12 to 14.
That’s the second time in two stays that this property has upgraded me to an Executive room and considering I only hold Hilton Gold status (middle-tier), that’s a great hit-rate.
As easy as the check-in process was and as great as it was to get an upgrade, I should mention that the check-in process fell down a little when the digital key that was promised never materialised … and that’s even though we didn’t get to the hotel until well after our anticipated arrival time.
Upon arrival, the check-in area was quite busy …
… but once one particular lady got whatever issue she had sorted out (there was a language barrier), the lines moved reasonably quickly, and we picked up our key cards before proceeding up to the room.
King Executive room
The King Executive rooms can vary in size at this property (they start at around 355 sq ft) but thanks to the fact that the hotel floor plans give you an idea of which rooms are bigger than others, I managed to avoid the smaller rooms and choose one which was a very good size (over 400 sq ft).
In fact, if you look at the room descriptions on the property’s website, it looks like I was able to select a variation on the ‘King Deluxe Room with sofa bed’ that also comes with Executive lounge access.
This is the view you have as you open the door to one of these rooms:
The bathroom is to the right of the entrance to the room and the sleeping area is directly ahead.
On the right side of the room is where you’ll find a king-size bed (US King) and a large armchair (which is also a sofa bed large enough for one person).
Beside the sofa bed is the room’s only window which, in this instance, looks south over a building site and towards a large apartment complex.
The Docklands Light Railways runs underneath this window (albeit quite a few storeys down), but as it was suspended for repair works during this visit, I can’t comment on how much or how little noise from the rail line makes its way into the room.
Moving on…
Opposite the bed is a large mirror and a large flat screen TV perched upon a cabinet that houses a drinks fridge and the tea/coffee making facilities.
The drinks fridge contained two cans of complimentary water and, thankfully, nothing else – I much prefer an empty fridge into which I can put whatever it is that I wish to chill rather than a fridge full of vastly overpriced drinks and snacks that I don’t need.
In one corner of the room sits a good-size desk with access to two UK-style AC power outlets, two USB-A ports, and one US-style AC power outlet.
The one small drawback to this desk is that because it has a glass top, you’ll need a mousepad (or mousepad substitute) if you like to work with an optical mouse.
Continuing with the theme of power outlets … only one side of the bed has access to any kind of power.
Both sides have access to switches that control the room lights, but you can only charge your devices on one side of the bed.
This is a pet peeve of mine as I don’t understand how a modern-day hotel (this isn’t exactly a historic building) can’t offer power on both sides of the bed … especially considering this property has had a makeover in the not-too-distant past.
Still, never mind … let’s move on.
The room’s closets are to the left of the door to the room (as you enter) and look like this:
These closets will offer more than enough hanging space for most people, but the room could do with a few more drawers (the only drawers in the room are the single drawers on either side of the bed).
Opposite the closets is the bathroom which looks like this:
As you enter, the sink is directly ahead …
… there’s a full-size bath on the left …
… and a separate shower cubicle on the right.
The toiletries come in full size bottles and are provided by Crabtree and Evelyn.
Hats off to the Hilton London Canary Wharf as this is a very good bathroom.
There’s a good amount of space, it’s light and bright, the water pressure is good, the water controls are straightforward, you don’t have to negotiate the sides of a bath if all you want is a shower. There’s nothing to dislike here.
In fact, overall, there isn’t much to dislike in the room at all.
Yes, it could do with a few more drawers and power on both sides of the bed would make life a little less annoying, but this is still a very good room.
It’s a great size (thank you floor plan!), the bed is huge and comfortable, the desk is a nice place to get some work done (as long as you don’t need to use an optical mouse), the presence of a small sofa bed means that the room will house a couple + child with ease, and, as I’ve already mentioned, the bathroom is great.
There really isn’t much more you can realistically hope for from a room at a mid-range property like this one and it’s actually a better room than you’ll find at a number of other London properties that consider themselves superior to this one.
The Executive lounge
The executive lounge is located on the top floor of the hotel (14th) and is open to Hilton Diamond elites and guests staying in a room with Executive lounge access.
The lounge offers a variety of seating options including armchairs, sofas, dining table + chairs, and even bar stool and tables.
There’s a small annex off to one side that acts as a small ‘business center’ …
… but unless you specifically need to be near the printer or use the PC that’s provided, the rest of the lounge offers a nicer atmosphere in which to work and, thanks to well positioned outlets, it also somewhere you can work when your devices are running low on power.
The views from the lounge are mostly of the neighboring buildings and the docks that are scattered around this part of London …
… and on a very clear day you can sometimes catch a glimpse of one of the towers of Tower Bridge way in the distance.
During the day, the lounge offers guests a few basic snacks as well as some non alcoholic drinks ant tea/coffee/hot chocolate making facilities.
Between 18:00 and 20:00, the lounge offers canapes, hot and cold snacks, a few salad options, and an alcoholic drink selection.
On this visit, this is what I saw on offer:
Cold items:
- A cheeseboard
- Crackers
- A selection of cold cuts
- Sun dried tomatoes
- Cucumber sticks
- Pepper sticks
- Carrot sticks
- Cherry tomatoes
- Mixed pitted olives
- Hummus
- Tzatziki
- Small individual salad bowls
- Smoked salmon canapes
- Vegetarian canapes
Hot items:
- Onion bhajis
- Lamb koftas
- Dips for both of the above
The drinks selection was reasonably basic with a choice of Jack Daniels, Absolut Vodka, Beefeater Gin, and Ballantines foe anyone looking for spirits.
There was a red wine, a white wine and a Prosecco on offer but only the Prosecco was drinkable.
And only two beers were available and one of those was non alcoholic (Budweiser and Peroni 0.0).
The food selection was pretty good for a mid-tier hotel in London and vastly better than the utter garbage served up in a lot of US ‘executive lounges’, but the drinks selection was disappointing.
The spirits were average (at best), the wines were terrible, and it would be nice to have something other than Budweiser to drink in a city where good lagers, ales, and stouts are everywhere (although I must admit that Peroni 0.0 is a very good choice if you’re looking for a non-alcoholic beer).
Overall, and leaving aside the poor drinks selection in the evenings, this is a perfectly acceptable mid-tier lounge.
Outside of the evening feeding frenzy, it’s a quiet, bright space to relax or to get some work done if you want to get out of your room, and while the snacks available during the day aren’t exactly plentiful or varied, the coffee from the machine is passable and the cookies (biscuits) on the side are pretty good.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served in the hotel’s restaurant on the ground floor (that’s the first floor if you’re American) – Cinnamon.
Monday through Friday breakfast is served between 06:30 and 10:00, while on weekends and public holidays it’s served between 07:00 and 11:00.
Hilton Honors Diamond and Gold elites (+ one guest staying in the same room) get a full complimentary breakfast at the Hilton London Canary Wharf so there’s no need to worry about ridiculous food vouchers here.
As you’d expect, breakfast here is a buffet and you’ll find all the usual offerings across a selection of hot and cold items.
The quality of the hot offerings was average with the bacon a standout high and the fried eggs a standout low. The cold option were a lot better with a good fruit selection, high quality organic yoghurts, some nice bread, and plenty of pastries, croissants and bagels.
Two things stood out for me.
The first thing was that guests were being offered a Bucks Fizz (Mimosa) before they were taken to their tables. Not something that we wanted but it was a nice touch for those who did.
The second thing that stood out was the quality of the juices on offer.
There were four types of juice on offer (+ water) and the two that I tried (apple and pink grapefruit) were both delicious and very much appreciated.
Overall, this is a pretty good breakfast offering and while I wasn’t a big fan of some of the hot items that I tried, the continental selection was very good, and I liked everything from that range that I tried.
At this point, I can’t help but compare what I was offered here (as a mid-tier elite) to what the 5* London Marriott Grosvenor Square offers its top-tier elites for breakfast, and it just highlights even more just how abysmal that Marriott offering is (see this review if you want to know why).
Other dining & bars
The Cinnamon Restaurant highlighted in the section above is the hotels only restaurant and as well as breakfast, it offers lunch and dinner (it closes at 22:00).
As usual, we didn’t have lunch or dinner in the hotel so I can’t comment on how good or bad the food is, but with an ever-growing number of good restaurants in the Canary Wharf area, I’d encourage visitors to look outside of the hotel when it comes to choosing dining options.
TFM Tips: Hawksmoor (a ~10 minute walk away) would be a good choice for steak lovers and Royal China (a ~15 minute walk away) would be a good choice of anyone looking for good Chinese food (their Dim Sum selection is excellent).
The hotel bar is called TwoRuba Bar and is open at the following times:
- Monday to Thursday + Sunday: 11:00 to 00:00
- Friday to Saturday: 11:00 to 01:00
The bar seating area and the lobby seating area are mostly one and the same …
… but there is a small second area (called the Snug) which is separated from the lobby.
These wasn’t time for a pre-dinner drink at the hotel bar on this trip, but I can state with some confidence that a tonic mixer won’t cost you £5/~$6.50 here (yes, that’s another dig at the London Marriott Grosvenor Square).
Gym/fitness centre
The hotel gym is on the second level of the hotel and while not particularly big, it still manages to offer enough equipment and space to give all but the most demanding of guests a good work out.
The only slightly disappointing aspect of this gym is the fact that even though it has an above ground location, it doesn’t offer any natural light.
Pricing
Prices for entry-level rooms at the Hilton London Canary Wharf range from ~£150/~$190 on cheaper dates to ~£300/$385 (including taxes) on the more expensive dates, but more often than not, the prices tend to sit much closer to the bottom of that range than the top.
From a points perspective …
On most dates the cost of an standard award night at the Hilton London Canary wharf sits between 60,000 and 70,000 points, but you’ll occasionally find dates where the points costs are lower.
Given that the cash pricing at this property is usually relatively low, this isn’t somewhere where you are likely to find a great points deal.
Final thoughts
I like this property. It’s not flashy, exotic, or high-end and you’re not going to impress anyone with your stay here, but this is a very good mid-range hotel option for anyone visiting London.
Canary Wharf’s quick links to central London mean that you’re never very far away from everything the city has to offer, and because it’s not a ‘city center property’ the Hilton London Canary Wharf doesn’t charge some of the truly ridiculous room rates that you’ll find a few miles to the west.
I’ve always thought that Canary Wharf is a great place for a visitor to base themselves when they visit London (goor transport + good prices = a win) so when you add to that the fact that the staff at the Hilton are friendly, the fact that the rooms are almost all of a very good size (even the entry-level rooms), and the fact that even Gold elites get treated well here, the Hilton London Canary Wharf looks like a very good option for anyone looking for a mid-tier property in London.
Would I return? Definitely. Not for a luxury stay or a special occasion (it’s not that type of hotel), but it will definitely be on my list of options the next time I need a good, well-priced stay in London.
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