I have now stayed at the Hyatt Place London City East three times and until something changes, it will be my go-to location every time I am in the city. The Hyatt Place London City East is still a fairly new hotel and it looks and feels fresh. Perhaps the first thing that you should consider is that it is easily accessible from Heathrow Airport or St. Pancras Station if you are flying or taking the train in or out of London. With the advent of the London Underground’s new Elizabeth Line, both of these transit hubs are a 50- or 20-minute tube ride and 10-minute walk from the hotel. The Hyatt Place is comfortable, new and located centrally enough for sightseeing or business in London.
Rooms at the Hyatt Place London City East
All three times that I have stayed at this hotel, I have been upgraded to a room with a terrace. The most recent time, it took a little more finagling. The representative at the front desk muttered under her breath that she was trying to upgrade me when we checked in and was tapping away on her computer. Earlier, I had checked the app and knew that there was a room on a high floor with a terrace available so I told her that we would love to have a room with a window or door that opened as we like sleeping in very cold conditions. She mentioned the room with the terrace but it seemed like she was trying to talk us out of it as well. She mentioned that the rooftop bar was on the same floor (9th floor) and asked if we wanted a room on a lower floor but we assured her that we’d brought our earplugs and that everything should be fine. Funnily enough, we were nowhere near the bar and didn’t hear a peep. It was silent as the grave. She also asked if we wanted a late checkout but we let her know that we would be heading for the airport early and that we wouldn’t need one. The previous stay, the hotel had allowed us to check in early as well.
As mentioned before, we are cold sleepers and being able to open the terrace door to let some fresh air in before bed is huge. While there is an individually controlled AC unit which we set down at 19 C (the lowest setting), it didn’t seem to do much other than circulate some air which was definitely better than having a flat, stuffy environment. My suspicion is that like many air conditioning units in European hotels, they are effectively discontinued during the winter months.
The beds are comfortable and the two pillows offered cover the spectrum – one is hard and the other is soft. The rooms come with a very fluffy bathrobe and a pair of disposable slippers and the designer toiletries have a lovely scent.
If you stay at the hotel on a sunny day, the terrace is plenty big for lounging and comes with two chairs, a table and a sun lounge. The view is gorgeous at night and during the day as well and would make a great place for a sundowner if you feel like bringing your own booze. To that end, there is a refrigerator in the room and a Tesco Express right down the street as well.
Facilities at the Hyatt Place London City East
The hotel boasts a fitness center and rooftop bar as well as a restaurant on the basement level. However, I haven’t had much time to poke around at any of these options as I have always treated the hotel as a place to stay before or after arriving or leaving from Heathrow. Why stay at an airport hotel when you can go into the city for a walk around the Tour of London with a coffee in the morning or have a pie and a pint for dinner?
The layout of the hotel is a bit strange. You enter on the ground floor, where there is a sitting area by the door (and a friendly nighttime security guard which tells you a little bit about the neighborhood) as well as the elevators up to the room. But to check in, you will need to take the stairs or the elevator down to the basement floor, where the reception is located. Chalk up the funky layout to the pricy London real estate, I suppose.
The Whitechapel neighborhood around the Hyatt Place London City East
As a Hyatt Explorist, my booking has never come with breakfast included. However, there is a Starbucks mere steps away from the front door (it’s actually in the same building as the hotel) and this has been a plus. My wife caught sight of it and accused me of booking the hotel just because of its proximity to my favorite chain coffee shop. If you are truly unable to function without caffeine, there are unbranded Nespresso pods in the room.
One thing you will soon notice about the Whitechapel neighborhood is its prominent Bengali character. From the second you step off the tube, you see Bengali on the subway sign welcoming you to Whitechapel. The neighborhood is slightly grungy, especially walking from the Elizabeth line Whitechapel stop to the hotel, but going the other way toward Aldgate is not as bad, and at no point did I feel unsafe. On the walk to the hotel, there are restaurants selling biryani and jalebi on your right side and open air stalls selling bottle gourds, cherimoya and baskets of green chilis on the left side. I haven’t had a chance to check out any of the street eats, but hope to return soon and come back with a rundown of the areas best eats.
In November, we checked out the nearby and legendary Tayyab’s for lunch. We had the grilled lamb chops, as well as a chicken curry and chana masala. While the lamb chops were great, everything else was fair, including the mango lassi, which was much too sweet and tasted artificial. Perhaps my experience was also colored by the fact that I sat next to the kitchen and there was a mouse poison trap in plane view behind one of the cabinets. I suppose it’s good that they’re trying to get rid of the rodents, at least?
If you are more of a traditionalist, there are plenty of pubs within walking distance where you can have a pint and a bite. We tried the Hoop and Grapes most recently, which has a table service section at the back. My pint(s) of London Pride were delicious, but the Steak and Ale pies left something to be desired. Who has the best address for pies in the city? Color me crazy, but the best pies I have had in recent memory have been gas station steak pies in Australia!
The bottom line
As long as the Hyatt Place London City East stays fresh and clean, I will return. This most recent stay, we paid just GBP 123 ($162). While it is more expensive during the higher season, its still often hundreds of pounds less than the laughably expensive hotels in London. With a multitude of underground stops near by, it is well connected and there is plenty to walk to as well.
I have another stay booked in May and am a little bit worried that the air conditioning won’t be up to the challenge, but we will cross that (London) bridge when we come to it!
