Trendy and tech-savvy citizenM has opened its eighth hotel within squawking distance of the Tower of London and its resident ravens. The 370-room citizenM Tower of London hotel is the second London hotel from the Dutch company, and the central location should appeal to business and leisure travelers equally.
Amsterdam-based design firm Concrete took full advantage of the locale by capping the citizenM Tower of London with two-story, floor-to-ceiling windows and a wraparound terrace with 360-degree views of the city from the hotel’s Tower Hill location. But while the vistas are dramatic, the exterior design strives to fit in with its historic neighbors, and the lobby seems downright homey — reminiscent of an Ikea-furnished apartment stuffed with books and throw pillows and adorned with crickets bats and a stuffed boar’s head. Rates are pretty welcoming, too: rooms start at just 109 pounds per night — a post-Brexit friendly $149.
Travel Agent thinks the combination of value, flair, and locale will be just right for Millennials and other travelers who want to see London’s top attractions without risking a stay in debtor’s prison.
Like all citizenM hotels (in addition to London Bankside, the others are in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, New York, Paris and Glasgow), clients check in at self-service kiosks, airline-style, in the center of the hotel lobby. Entered via a distinctive red-glass foyer, the lobby is anything but a pass-through space: most non-room activity is focused here, including dining (coffeeM for hot drinks and pastries, canteenM for sushi, salads, and on-the-go food) to shopping (collectionM has everything from travel accessories to fine artwork for sale).
Guest rooms have big beds and bigger windows, plus Rain Dance showers, on-demand movies and streamable video, and iPad controlled lights and clocks. The societyM meeting rooms share the upper two floors with the cloudM bar, where session-break distractions include unobstructed vistas of the London skyline, the Tower of London, and Tower Bridge.
Visit www.citizenm.com.