The Hoxton, Holborn Hotel Review
I’ve stayed in plenty different hotels in London, in various places over the years, but a recent visit to The Hoxton in Holborn was up there as one of the most enjoyable. Previously I’ve mainly been visiting for work, so I’d just go for something not too expensive, and within easy reach of whatever venue I was down there for. This trip was for pleasure, so I knew I wanted to try one of the hotels that had been on my list for a while. We booked up for The Hoxton, Holborn and here’s what I thought of it.
We were visiting London to support The Wedding Taylor, (she wrote this blog on the NC500 around Scotland for me not long ago!) at the Wedding Awards, so we had a few different criteria to meet when it came to hotel choice. The Hoxton Holborn ticked all the boxes for what we needed.
The Holborn Location
So obviously as the name suggests we went for The Hoxton, Holborn, rather than one of the other two Hoxton hotels in London – Shoreditch and Southwark. We wanted something easily reached from Kings Cross, both in terms of getting there and leaving the bags, and for returning so it wasn’t going to take a huge chunk out of our time.
We also wanted to be within easy reach of plenty to see and do on our first day, and a short Uber ride for the event in the evening. Me and Hannah wouldn’t be doing the tube in heels so Uber was the obvious choice.
Holborn is a central London neighbourhood, and The Hoxton is just a 2 minute walk from Holborn tube station. This was perfect, as the Central and Piccadily line both went there from Kings Cross in just a few stops. Minimal hassle with all our bags – it’s the worst bit of visiting London.
You will also find Covent Garden, the West End theatre district, Oxford Street and Neals Yard close by, within walking distance if you want to take the scenic routes, or very short tube journeys away. We arrived in London just after lunch, and spent the first afternoon wandering Regent Street shops, Carnaby, getting some food and visiting the bars around Kingly Court, before we needed to go back and get ready.
I wish we had a bit more time on the second day to go to Covent Garden as I always enjoy pottering around there, but we went for a brunch instead at Duck & Waffle. Location wise it was great, and I would definitely stay there again in future.
A Hoxton Welcome
One of the best things about the booking process for The Hoxton is their Flexi Time policy, which allows you to specify an early check in, and late check out time at no extra charge. They include this option as part of the booking process, so you don’t need to contact them separately or pay extra for it.
This was such a convenience and one you might not realise is so good, until you’re stuck with all your bags or have to pack up early and leave them somewhere. It made the check out morning so much less stressful, and early check in meant we could get straight in our rooms and refresh after the long train journey before heading out. Ideal if you have plans!
The staff were really nice at check in, and just take a holding deposit for the room, as well as talking you through the mini bar and hotel facilities.
The Hoxton Rooms
The Hoxton do rooms a bit differently, although all of them follow the same general style of wood floor and industrial features that reflect the buildings history as an old telephone exchange. Rather than your usual standard Double, Single, Twin, Family, they go by the names and descriptions of size and what you might need them for.
I loved this about the hotel, as it gave you a good idea of what to go for. For example the ‘Shoebox’ was said to be perfect for one night stays, solo travellers, basically if you’re there for work and just need somewhere to sleep.
The Cosy was the standard double size, perfect for couples, and the Cosy Up was slightly bigger with a brighter window. We went for the Cosy, as although we did need space to get ready, they came with a decent size bathroom, floor space and huge back lit mirror – me and Hannah loved the mirrors!
Our advanced rate with free cancellation for this was £200 which I think was pretty reasonable in central London. It was a lot nicer than some hotels that I’ve paid more for!
Other rooms included the Roomy and the Biggy, which as you’d guess have more space, room for travel cots or kids beds to be added. If you were visiting for more than a night or two, or plan to do a lot of shopping you might consider them.
Most of the rooms are dog friendly too which is great, and all come with a mini bar fridge, hairdryer, desk space, coffee making facilities, full toiletries in the bathroom and plenty plugs for all the electrics you could need. They were very well done, and didn’t have the old, drafty or basic feel you get in some London hotels.
I had no complaints at all about the room, it was exactly what we needed, comfortable and modern, and I didn’t hear a single thing through the night despite being so central.
The Hoxton, Holborn Bars & Restaurants
One of the first things I spotted when we got there and were checking in was the lobby. You can’t miss it as you have to walk through it to get to the reception desks, but it was full of young professionals working on their laptops, having coffee or meetings.
It was probably like this before the pandemic, as it was obviously designed to be a really social area, but I reckon the whole increase in flexibility and working remotely has contributed to how popular the space was. It was also a young professional crowd, there weren’t many older business people there – I’m trying to be tactful with how I say this so I don’t cause anyone offence, but it was a really vibrant cool spot. I’d love to do a days work there!
At one end of the lobby there was a coffee bar, serving all the usual suspects – coffee, tea, iced coffee, cappuccinos, such a good idea to have a dedicated bar for it.
At the far end of the lobby is the main bar, serving up drinks all day and well into the night. You can choose to sit on one of the lounge sofas with low tables, or up at the bar itself. It was busy almost all of the time, the bar itself more so in the evening.
Kieran and I had a lovely drink up there before we went out as we were ready early. I really missed that during the last two years so it was really nice to be able to do it again without needing to plan it all out and make bookings. The service was great, and they had a fully stocked bar with everything you could imagine.
The restaurant called Rondo is just off to the side, and that was pretty busy with plenty of people visiting from outside of the hotel too. It’s described as bistro style, and it definitely seemed to have a buzzing, good atmosphere about it. I like to eat out when visiting places but if you were on your own or didn’t fancy going far it would be a great spot.
The only thing it didn’t have that I think Kieran would have liked was a gym, but they do offer discounted passes to gyms nearby if you ask at reception.
Overall I really loved our stay here, it reminded me of other unique hotels I’ve stayed in such as a couple in Amsterdam and The Time in New York. If you’re visiting with a partner or some friends it would be perfect. Although they do offer rooms that cater for families I have to be honest and say I didn’t see any kids there, but that’s not to say they couldn’t stay.
I would absolutely book to stay at the Hoxton, Holborn again, as I loved it. Convenience in London is a huge factor for me and having the tube so close, and being so near to key central areas was ideal. Usually you end up paying for those things and sacrificing a nicer place but the whole thing was great – room quality, atmosphere, a good bar and a great location.
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