9 Best Hotels in East London, London

The design throughout this trendy East London lodging is contemporary—but not so modern as to be absurd; in keeping with a claim to combine a country-lodge lifestyle with true urban living, a fire crackles in the lobby. The chic but casual restaurant is packed with friendly youth; the comfortable guest rooms have Frette linens and down comforters; the bar is popular with local office workers; and the Hoxton Grill combines American steak-house style with French bistro chic. You'll be hard-pressed to find another hotel of this quality, near the center of town, for the price.

Swanky and upscale, the design at the Andaz (East London's first-ever five-star hotel) cleverly symbolizes its geographical position between the East End and the City, blending pinstripes and framed graffiti art with added touches of opulence throughout—guest rooms are colorfully decorated with designer furniture and intensely comfortable beds. The hotel provides an enjoyable check-in ritual too—guests are offered a glass of Prosecco on arrival—as well as a daily 6 pm canapé and wine hour in the sumptuous foyer. There has been a hotel on this site since 1884 when the Great Eastern Hotel was built adjacent to Liverpool Street Station at the height of the railway era. Ask any of the reception staff about the hotel's history, and they'll mention the hidden Masonic Temple discovered during the refurbishment (where Lady Gaga later staged a photoshoot). If you walk down to the on-site restaurants instead of taking the elevator, you'll get another taste of the past by spotting the once-grand ceilings and wide stairwells. From the stunning light green Rake's Bar to the striking red walls of Lady Abercorn's, each bar and dining area offers a change in color palette, decor, and menu. From all-day dining at the Brasserie to fine Japanese dinners at Miyako, you could easily spend an entire visit eating your way around this place. And as each restaurant has a door leading directly to the street, they're always frequented by locals, many of whom possibly don't even realize they're in a hotel, adding to the lively atmosphere.

A contrast to the wildly expensive business hotels that proliferate in this part of the East End, right on the edge of The City, The Corner is a modern and surprisingly affordable option in a trendy area of town. Sleek and cheerful public spaces have a self-consciously irreverent edge, with wry "thoughts for the day" placed around the hotel by staff. Mismatched pieces of furniture have been recycled from industrial materials, and guest rooms are decorated in bold, outlandish color schemes. What could easily get stale stays nicely to the side of playfulness. 

The first London outpost of the fashionable French hotel brand, the rooms and public areas here have the feel of an upmarket design hotel—think marble-top tables, bold fabrics, and atmospheric designed lighting—but at a fraction of the cost.

Formerly the supercool Curtain hotel, the Mondrian takeover has only raised the hipness stakes here, thanks to a glossy but subtle refurbishment that sees the industrial look of the place toned down to offer a more elegant feel. Book direct for all-day access to the rooftop pool, which is otherwise limited to 7 am to 11 am. 

Nobu's first European hotel combines ravishing design (think soothing Japonism-inspired patterns and palettes alongside bold statements of industrial chic) with slick service, in a backstreet location in the heart of Shoreditch.

An Art Deco town hall, abandoned in the early 1980s and turned into a chic hotel 30 years later, is now a lively and stylish place, with the best of the building's elegant original features intact. In keeping with the Town Hall Hotel's hip image, the excellent Da Terra restaurant serves South American food with an Italian twist. Guest rooms are bright and airy, and bathrooms are visions of white and chrome, but some sacrifice too much in the name of design, with only a curtain separating them from the bedroom.