Review of Qbic Hotel, London, UK
The original review was posted on Trip Advisor (23 April 2017).
My rating: 4/5.
We were staying in Qbic London for four nights. I was close to Aldgate East tube station, but our arrival and departure from the hotel had been with Uber. The station did not have an elevator, so going with two large and cumbersome suitcases to the hotel would have been challenging.
The room we booked was Smart (i.e., small), and it was smaller than expected. Maneuvering over two large suitcases was difficult. We didn’t like the picture over our bed. It was like someone was watching us. The lighting position and TV were great. The cabling and water bottle position on the side of the bed was awkward (a slight but annoying misplacement of bottle tray right next to cable switch).
The coffee machine on our floor was damaged, so we had to get down to the lower level to make our coffee and hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was horrible, too watery.
There was a leak in the toilet, but it was repaired the next day when we complained. The shower was excellent, but the shower gel left a silky feeling afterward, which some may not like.
For an additional price, breakfast at the restaurant was tasty and with good service.
Although we had booked some three months ahead, we didn’t get any discount because we had used a flexible option (should have another incentive for the effort at least). Management had confirmed via email before our arrival that the hotel bill could be claimed for a VAT refund at the airport. The front desk didn’t give the bill nor remind us about the VAT refund during our leave, so we missed our chance. May visit again in the future but be extremely careful with the planning.
Date of stay: April 2017.
Room tip: More than one large suitcase would challenge maneuverability in the standard/small room.
Trip type: Traveled with friends.