Simon Wittenberg enjoys a family stay at the four-star hotel in the trendy East London district of Shoreditch, which fuses art and design with hospitality to deliver a unique and compelling package to guests.
Standing on the site of a former bank, and The Foundry – once a thriving arts and ale venue that hosted the likes of Pete Doherty and over 2,000 exhibitions in its 12-year history, it was only apt to replace this gallery with a hotel centred around a similar theme.
Commissioned by the PPHE (Park Plaza) group, the project to deliver the multi-million art’otel London Hoxton broke ground in September 2018, with construction completed prior to its formal unveiling in April 2024.
The imposing cylindrical cogwheel exterior form of the building draws inspiration from the development of the computer and the nearby cluster of high-tech companies, known as Silicon Roundabout.
It has equally been dressed with close to 150 decorative twisting black aluminium fins, which scale the façade of this modern 26-storey tower, adding a subtle contrast to the older-style and graffiti-clad architecture which surrounds it.
Situated about a five-minute walk away from Old Street underground station, which has recently undergone a £132 million refurbishment programme to create a modern and welcoming environment for commuters and visitors, art’otel London Hoxton, which falls under the Radisson Hotels banner, became the second art’otel in the capital.
It joined art’otel Battersea, which launched at the beginning of 2023 opposite the iconic power station – a core feature of the London skyline.
Art’otel London Hoxton welcomes guests with dynamic and flamboyant digital artwork by D*Face, also known as Dean Stockton (above), who spearheaded the concept and design of all guest and public areas.
This renowned English multimedia street artist has created a truly immersive experience, that takes in the likes of embracing couples, winking eyes, a ‘wet paint’ animation, and of course, the D*Dog motif – this creative’s iconic companion.
Sleeping and Relaxing
With art’otel London Hoxton housing 30,000 square metres of interior space, this property offers 357 rooms, including 48 suites, split across 14 floors. The classification starts with the 24 square-metre Art Room and extends to the upper echelons of the 100 square-metre three-bedroom suite – large enough to host up to six people.
With a sprog in tow during our stay, we stayed in a nice and spacious Art Studio room on the 20th floor, looking south over the rooftops towards the City of London.
Designed to accommodate two adults and two children, and whilst the King bed takes centre stage, there’s equally a fold-out sofa bed for young ones, which sits next to the floor-to-ceiling windows, which cleverly isolate occupants from any road noise or nightlife down below, thereby making for a good night’s sleep.
The attention to detail is evident in the décor, with walls flanked by D*Face canvases and a colourful cushion sporting a Union Jack on the armchair—a hit with the little one.
With this being a state-of-the-art hotel, and one which is popular with those hailing from France, Germany, and the USA, pretty much everything in the room is controlled via a handheld touchscreen, spanning the lighting to the black-out blinds, which provides several minutes of entertainment for little fingers, when discovering which symbol activates what element of the in-room tech.
Other creature comforts in the room include a red coffee maker – one of the signature colours across this hotel, a minibar fridge, a writing desk, fast Wi-Fi, and sockets accommodating USB cables for smartphones, as well as gadgets from other countries.
Despite not coming with a bath, which may put off some parents, the ensuite bathroom is just as roomy, offering a rain shower that is separated from the sink and WC area via a screen housing half of an abstract picture that reflects cleverly in the bathroom mirror to create a full image of D*Dog.
Shower and soap dispensers come from the eco-conscious KEVIN.MURPHY for in-room ablutions.
Swimming and Entertaining
Kids are very much a part of the creation of a memorable guest experience at art’otel London Hoxton, and when it comes to on-site fitness, waiting on the bed was a pair of mini slippers and a bath robe – a rare sight in hotels these days, and something that is all too often forgotten about.
With our little one ready and dressed head to toe in the grey art’otel-branded attire, the room’s key card gives complementary access to the dimly lit and atmospheric spa area and swimming pool in the basement, with the latter open to children and grown-ups specifically between the hours of 7 am and 9 am, and late afternoon from 4pm to 6pm.
At 1.2 metres in depth and bathed in blue ambient lighting that reflects off the elegant mirrored ceiling, the pool offers plenty of room for families to play and enjoy quality time alongside those who wish to put in a few short lengths.
Before a new restaurant opens on the 25th floor later this year – set to offer a 360-degree panoramic vista, The Brush East London Grand Café is the main on-site eatery for all-day dining, and comes with its own outdoor terrace looking out onto the street and passers-by. This is also a venue that is basked in the gradually decreasing sunlight, as the evening sets in, before small table lamps take over as the principal source of illumination.
With a reasonably priced menu inspired by flavours of the local area, there is a good variety of fish, meat, and vegetarian dishes, plus a comprehensive selection of wines, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages.
At The Brush East London Grand Café, ingredients are also tailored to suit the dietary requirements of guests, where possible.
Once again catering to younger visitors, there is plenty to satisfy the palate of little ones, with a dedicated three-course children’s à la carte alongside drawing implements, where kids can be kept entertained colouring in a picture of art’otel’s fictional cartoon character, Frida.
There are firm favourites to satisfy smaller appetites, such as chicken nuggets, and mac and cheese, as well as battered fish goujons and chips (£12) that our little one duly tucked into as we waited for our starters to arrive.
I headed for the Goldstein smoked salmon on some dense rye bread (£13), whilst my other half enjoyed a tasty and filling flatbread complete with pieces of aubergine and pine nuts (also £13), presented on a wooden board.
After a short pause, the mains arrived – a delightful roasted piece of soft Atlantic halibut (£32), topped with tartare sauce, capers and small morsels of tempura batter (a similar appearance to Rice Krispies), and sat on a bed of pureed minted peas.
With a portion of chips to go alongside this dish, it was exquisite. My wife chose the 250g Charolais rib-eye steak with braised shallots and watercress (£32), plus a side of green beans and garlic (£6).
For those looking to share, or have a more substantial appetite, The Brush does offer guests a whole seabass on the bone, and an entire roast chicken, so there really is something to satisfy the full spectrum of hunger.
With the dessert fridge being on show at this eatery, housing the likes of an apple tarte, and a chocolate gâteau, having an after-dinner sweet becomes even more tempting.
With my wife and child opting for a refreshing sorbet (£3 per scoop) alongside a frothy babycino, I took the opportunity to sample the raspberry mille-feuille (£7), comprised of light wafer-like biscuit layers interspersed with cream and fresh fruit. It was truly magnificent and filled the last available corners of space in my stomach without giving the feeling of having overindulged.
With our little one greeted once again by the very personable chef from the night before, breakfast is served back at The Brush from 7 am and, if not included in the room rate, this is charged at an additional £28 per person, where choices are made from the à la carte – just like dinner.
Once again, there is a dedicated menu for kids, with waffles, pancakes, and fresh fruit available to start the day, but the team here at Brush nevertheless went “off-menu” to satisfy a craving for an omelette, highlighting their desire to make sure that everyone, no matter how young or old, leaves this restaurant completely happy.
Adults can savour the likes of fresh pastries, chia pudding with coconut milk, and shakshuka and toast, which are all superb.
In summary…
A card left by the guest experience manager in the room, read “Let’s Make Memories”, and art’otel London Hoxton did exactly this during our stay.
They have got great hospitality down to a fine art, and when combined with the well-appointed facilities at this property, plus a team of staff who do their utmost to ensure that you have the best possible time, this makes it worthy of drawing up plans to put a date in the diary to visit.
Whether it’s for an overnight stay or a longer leisure break, Art’otel London Hoxton certainly has it covered…
art’otel London Hoxton – Where and How?
art’otel London Hoxton is located at 1-3 Rivington St, London EC2A 3DT, United Kingdom.
For more information or to make a reservation, visit https://artotellondonhoxton.com.
Rooms at art’otel London Hoxton start at an introductory rate of £329 per night for the Best Flexible Rate.
See highlights of our visit on the Luxurious Magazine Instagram page.
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