Hart Shoreditch London, Curio Collection by Hilton



This hotel opened about a month ago and I had a stay here a few days ago. It was a fairly brief one, I checked in late and was out by 07:30 hrs the next morning, so regrettably I didn't get a chance to check things like the gym. Nevertheless it is an upscale hotel, and would be an alternative for those looking at Bankside or Conran.

I enjoyed my stay here and had a good night's sleep. It was some way off the usual Hilton cookie-cutter approach. I have a few comments about the room, but I would be happy to stay here again, and indeed would expect to be doing so before too long. The location will work for some people, but not for others. Currently the room rates are reasonable for London given the relatively upmarket feel but I can see them heading upwards if the place becomes popular. I would say this hotel is ideally suited for leisure travellers, couples perhaps, happy to be in an unusual corner of London, in an upscale hotel which has its own character.

History
This hotel is new, taken from a renovated Victorian warehouse building on Great Eastern Street. It is named after the first known occupant of the property, Michael Hart, who in the late 19th century had a wholesale cabinet making business on the site. [This is all I could find out, any more information would be good to hear].

Location
The hotel is at the join of Shoreditch and Hoxton, nearest tube station is Old Street on the Bank branch of the Northern line, and National Rail line from Welwyn to Moorgate. This location is so hip it aches. There are plenty of cafés, restaurants, bars. pubs and clubs within a few minutes of the hotel. The tube station is an 8 minute walk away, using Leonard Street. At Old Street you would use subway exit 2, except it's currently being rebuilt so temporarily exit 3 should be used instead. There are also bus services nearer to the hotel, notably the 55 which goes to Oxford Circus.

Places like Moorgate, Barbican, Brick Lane and Liverpool Street are within a 15 minute walk. This area is by any definition deeply historic, and walking around throws up many interesting buildings, but it's nowhere near the more classical tourist attractions of London. The nearest perhaps being St. Paul's Cathedral, which is 30 minutes walk away (1.3 miles/ 2 km). The area is generally considered safe at night.
Google Maps:
https://g.page/HartShoreditchLondonCurio?share
Postcode: EC2A 3HU

Rooms
The hotel has 126 rooms and markets the following room categories

• Queen Guest Room
• Queen Deluxe Room
• Twin Deluxe Room
• King Deluxe Room
• King Superior Room
• King Superior Corner Room
• King Junior Suite
• King Family Room (connects with to a Twin Deluxe)
• King Skylight Suite
• King one bedroom suite.

My room



I originally booked a Queen Guest Room, I was upgraded to a King Deluxe Room on the evening before arrival and I selected a room on the App. However I was further upgraded to a King Superior Corner Room on arrival without any prompting from me. (Room 508) so quite an upgrade.




This is one of just 4 bedrooms with a bath-tub as well as a shower, a roll-top no less, the other rooms would be a shower only.



The toiletries are supplied in large containers rather than one-time use mini-bottles.



A few aspects of the room I wasn't too keen on. The desk and table wasn't really ideal for a business traveller, it seems more for leisure traveller. The bathroom extractor fan was very noisy and I couldn't find a way to switch it off, luckily closing the bathroom door was sufficient to keep the noise level down. Still, I have a quiet and comfortable night's sleep. There windows do not open.

Restaurant
The hotel's restaurant is called Baroun and has a Turkish-Levantine theme. It is marketed as a standalone restaurant. so most people using it won't be staying at the hotel. It serves brekfast, lunch and supper 7 days a week. Starters are around £10, main meals £15-£26.



Bar
There is a Turkish theme to this too, the bar is called Tavla, it offers Turkish snacks and flatbreads but has the usual international selection of drinks. It's not a big place, and I'm sure intended for mainly for hotel guests, but the seating looked particularly comfortable.



There is a vinyl mix deck right by the bar, though it wasn't in use on the night I was there. Open midday to midnight.



Next to the hotel is a Listed Victorian pub, The Griffin, which retains a lot of its original fittings and features.

Breakfast
See PDF attached for the full January 2020 menu.
As a Diamond I was interested in the free breakfast offered in the Barboun restaurant. It's entirely a la carte, there is no buffet offered. Diamonds and presumably Golds can chose one item from the bakery section of the menu (top left) and one item from the Kitchen section, top right. You are also offered a hot drink and a juice. Presumably the other items can be selected for a supplement. As you can see it's essentially a Turkish - Levantine inspired menu. I went for the Simit and fried eggs on toasted sourdough and worked well for me. Both were served promptly. A zero value receipt needs to be signed before departure.





Hotel's Website
https://curiocollection3.hilton.com/...DQQ/index.html
Phone: +44 203 995 3655

Barboun Restaurant
https://www.barboun.com/