I've only stayed at The Bankside and really just slept there and didn't take advantage of any of the facilities so I can't comment about those aspects of it but I very much enjoyed my stay in February.

It's very new and modern, great design, very very clean and great bed and bathroom amenities. The front desk staff were fantastic and very friendly and helpful, always greeting me by name. The room was quiet and spacious and I had the 2nd lowest category IIRC. They did housekeeping every other day while I was there and they compensated me without asking with complimentary alcoholic drinks at their bar which I unfortunately forgot all about until I was on the plane ride home. Speaking of the bar, it was highly recommended to me by a bartender at Lyaness which is just down the street and is one of the top cocktail bars in the world, so that's definitely a good sign.

Which leads me to location, there's not much to do right around the hotel itself however I didn't really find it much of a negative, there are several Tube stations within a 5 minute walk of the entrance to the hotel and a couple of bus stops and you can get anywhere in London pretty quickly.

I'm also going to be staying at the Montcalm East this summer so I can report back on that in a few months. The reason I choose Montcalm over The Bankside for this upcoming trip was price, I only have Silver status, so free nights aren't a consideration. The Bankside was in the $500 per night range at the end of July while Montcalm East was only in the mid $200s. Another reason is location although like I said Bankside wasn't much of a negative, Montcalm East is in Shoreditch and there's much more nightlife right outside the hotel, just a completely different experience from the South Bank.

Only stay in Canary Wharf if you're there for business, it's too far removed from everything else in London.