Reception and staff were kind but unenthusiastic. I was told flatly my room wasn't ready even though I was attempting to check in only 30 mins before check in time & had written expressing my hope for an early check in & willingness to pay for it (they offer this on their website). They sent me to the restaurant, which came to seem like a ploy, as I only wanted a drink and a snack & the waitstaff while kind questioned my choice, & kept encouraging me to order more & to come back that night, the following morning & the next night. The food was truly delicious, but I didn't want more than I wanted. The duplex room was interesting (the hotel is a converted town hall) & spacious, but the strange German-language lighting & climate control system was frustrating & the room was stuffy & hot. I slept poorly. The hotel is 20 min walk from Canary Wharf, but this walk is up & down a highly elevated pedestrian bridge & through a big construction site. A couple of blocks in the other direction there are council housing buildings with many boarded up windows, a pretty grim and depressing area when you're hoping for a carefree getaway. The gym had only three cardio machines & free weights, but no towels, no sanitizer, & no water. The one appetizer I had in the South Indian restaurant was very, very good, & unlike anything I'd had before (I love Indian cuisine); if I were staying longer and the hotel weren't in a kind of depressing location I would have gone back, but have no plans to now.
