citizenM Tower of London hotel

Introduction

For those of you not already familiar with the Citizen M concept let me provide a very quick overview; the hotel provides the absolute basic requirements for a comfortable city sleep base. A compact room which comprises of a king-size bed, bathroom with powerful shower and wash facilities, storage (even under the bed!) and a personalised mood pad to sync with your own mobile gadgets. The space is not designed as a retreat in which while away the hours and escape the buzz of modern life but simply a funky base from which you can explore city living. And I LOVED it.

The onus is very much on the communal areas which were extremely cleverly designed in terms of layout, interiors and a superb exclusively curated art collection. There is even an art guidebook so you can review at your own leisure and even upon departure of the hotel.

Ross has visited a number of citizenM hotels – read his citizenM reviews here.

Location

CitizenM Tower of London is located right next to the Tower Hill tube station, right next to Tower Bridge, this is perfectly situated for guests to explore the central parts of the city and also live like a local in places such as Bermondsey Street and Borough Market.

My initial reaction to being so close to a tube station was that it would be a horrible hive of pedestrian traffic but this was not the case at all. The accessibility to a tube certainly worked in our favour.

Check-In

Self-service check-in was quick and easy at the terminals in the centre of the hotel. However, staff were on hand to help if you did have any questions. Our reservation confirmation stated check-in was 2 pm however we arrived early and a room was available so we checked in earlier than the specified time.

The Room

As noted the room was small but perfectly formed and included everything we needed. Space-saving luggage stores were cleverly stowed under the big (and super comfy!!) bed. Plenty of power sockets (with UK, US and European variants), hair dryer, full-length mirror, desk / vanity unity, fridge – with bottled water, bathroom with powerful shower and AM & PM shower products. If you need additional bathroom ‘stuff’ then kits which include shower caps, dental hygiene products, shaving and shoe polish are available upon request.

We were offered an exterior view but as there are still some minor building works outside we opted for an internal courtyard view which was pretty cool, especially in the dark. The soundproofing of the room was excellent. We were in the first room in our corridor and not once did we hear any passing guests. The blackout blind which was controlled by the mood pad also did exactly what it was designed to do.

MoodPad

This is the central control unit from which you can design the ambience of the room (if you’re in the room long enough to take advantage of it!) lighting, temperature, blinds, TV, and alarm clock can all be personalised and integrated into this little device.

Communal Areas

As I noted earlier these were definitely the areas that gave the hotel the wow factor. The living room and canteen are both located on the ground floor but a clear demarcation between the two is made through the ingenious use of a chain mail wall / curtain that provides a subtle division between the two spaces yet still gives the open plan set up.

The vast collection of contemporary art, creative acknowledgements to the local area and the stylish pieces of Swiss furniture make the areas highly functional, comfortable and most definitely hipster stylish.

Being in this space instantly makes you buzz. Although thaws hotels are designed for city explorers and business travellers I could have spent all my time just sipping coffee and watching the execs and travellers alike busying about their business here.

Cloud M

It would have been rude not to try a tipple or two in the bar on the 7th floor which offered great views across the Thames and was as equally as ‘hipster’ as the living room and canteen seven floors beneath us.

SocietyM

There are also business meeting facilities on the 7th floor offering AV equipment and Nespresso machines too. Again all kitted out with stylish furniture and white boards.

Breakfast

Breakfast was included in our rate and the description on the confirmation email didn’t do it justice. There was a super selection of hot and cold buffet options; from eggs, bacon, sausages, to pastries, artisan breads and cheeses, fruits, cereals and plenty of coffee…..freshly brewed, personalised and served with a big friendly smile! No milk or sugar needed.

Final Thoughts

The citizen M core value is ‘smart thinking’ and I think they live up to this exceptionally well. It’s clear that everything about this hotel has been given great consideration and smartly (thought out – both in aesthetics and from an efficiencies point of view.

Would I return? Absolutely, although if I was staying in London more than one night I’d probably look for something with a gym or pool as they are available in the Citizen M price range.