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Staff at this small hotel were so helpful in checking details of art gallery exhibitions, concert times and anything we asked - also had useful knowledge of local venues. Nothing was too much trouble. Brilliant.

I had to search for days on the internet to find something close in the city of London that was affordable and not a backpackers or shared bathroom. The City Hotel is centrally located right near Tower Bridge and the first Underground station is Algate East. The front entrance is actually on Brick Lane which is lined with touting people trying to get you to eat in their Indian Restuarant (they were all pretty good for 10 pounds for a 4 course dinner). The room was large enough and had coffee and tea facilities but no fridge or microwave. It was difficult to get the airconditioner cool and we had to open a window which made it fairly loud at night. The decor is average and the toilet was a bit sluggish to flush.We did like the staff and the service which we found was above average. We asked for extra milk (had 4 of those tiny UHT milks for 3 people) and it was delivered straight away - along with extra towells which weren't in the room when we arrived. I would stay here again because of the good service, location and closeness to Underground. We did find that tours would not pick up here, and we had to go to another hotel about 15 minutes walk away which was a nuisance early in the morning in the rain.

I booked a single room for a stay on a Monday evening - somehow I managed to get it for ¿¿39 (thanks to a hotel price comparison site) and booked on a whim, without reading the reviews on here first. So when I did, I began to dread my stay and hoped as a single traveller, I wouldn't get put in a cavernous 4-bed room or be subjected to bedbug bites. Thankfully, my fears were allayed when after checking in, I opened the door to the lovely room 203. Despite not receiving a refurbishment yet, the room was clean and very spacious. I had booked a single and got two twin beds pushed together, plus enough space to swim an elephant, never mind a cat! The bed was super comfortable and the sheets impressively soft and smelted lovely and clean (I did check for bedbugs after a previous reviewer mentioned this - no evidence at all of anything untoward in my room). I had plenty of desk / vanity space, plus a full sized kettle with all the usual coffee / tea making bits, a wonderful large plasma TV with all the freeview channels (and a Guide so you can actually see what's coming up next), and a wardrobe. The air conditioning unit was very keen and soon cooled the room down, though as it was a little noisy I turned it off overnight. The bathroom was, for it's age, spotlessly clean - not a mark on the grouting or tiles. The pressure of the hot water in the shower was constant, and there were even nice Gilchrist & Soames toiletries (soap, shampoo, shower gel, moisturiser and a shower cap) in the cabinet.So overall, all of these features would come as standard in a mid-range London hotel, but for the price I paid and the equivalent standards in EasyHotel, which I nearly booked (¿¿35 for a tiny little box with only a bed in it and a 'pod' for a bathroom), I was extremely impressed. The staff at reception were very helpful too. Well done City Hotel! There was of course some small niggles which hopefully the refurb will iron out. Sound proofing isn't great between floors and I unfortunately had Mr Snorey McSnorerson in the room above. I am a light sleeper though so had packed ear plugs - if you remember to do the same, you'll be fine. The only other problem was the plughole in the bath, which appeared to be severely blocked so my feet got very wrinkly in the shower after it filled up and didn't drain away. However, the in room folder provided a handy form to complete when checking out to highlight any problems to maintenance - a simple idea and something I hadn't seen before, despite my many travels around the world. In summary, if you're looking for a cheap place to stay for the night and you can get one of the special rates, I'd thoroughly recommend this little gem. I shall certainly be staying again if the need arises.

Myself and 3 girlfriends booked a quadruple room as we were looking for a cost effective weekend in London. Just a stones throw away from Aldgate East station and Brick Lane it is in an ideal location for the East End, City, Tower Of London etc. Osborne Street is quite shabby, but don't let this put you off. We arrived early but were able to leave our bags free of charge which was great. The best bit was the size of our room, it was huge with 3 single beds and a double. Aside from a kettle, tea and coffee it also had a fridge and hair dryer and free WiFi. The room was hot on arrival but the air conditioning worked a treat. The bathroom was clean and modern and upon request an iron and ironing board was brought up to the room. This would be an ideal room size for a family. We didn't have breakfast but did have a drink in the bar in the evening during Happy Hour when cocktails were ¿¿5.00 each. Highly recommended especially if you want to be in the heart of the real London.

I would say the rates are really overpriced. I have to admit that the bedroom was really clean and well maintained which are the most important areas for me, but the noise really couldn't be worse. You can hear every single step of the people walking down the corridor, jump each time the corridor doors get closed and be awaken from the mobile phone ringing in the neighbours bedroom. I understand that there is no easy solution for this problem, but something must be done!