Holiday Inn Express Limehouse

My father and I booked a twin room at Holiday Inn Express Limehouse for a two-night stay (7–9 July 2026), including bed and breakfast and paid in full. Due to travelling later than expected, we arrived just after midnight (around 12:00 a.m. on 8 July). Despite having paid for the room in advance, we were told that our room had been reallocated and was no longer available. At no point during the day had anyone from the hotel contacted me to ask whether we were still planning to arrive. A simple phone call could have prevented the entire situation. The night staff tried to find us another hotel but were unsuccessful. In the end, I had to wake a friend at around 2:30 a.m. to ask if she could accommodate both my father and me. We eventually arrived at her house around 3:00 a.m., three hours after first arriving at the hotel. Had we not had friends in London, we would have been left stranded in the middle of the night with nowhere to stay. The next morning I had to be at a work event in Canary Wharf by 9:00 a.m., and both my father and I had plans later that day which were completely overshadowed by exhaustion after getting so little sleep. Although we were able to stay at the hotel for the second night of our booking, the only compensation offered was a few chocolate bars and a can of water. In my opinion, this was nowhere near an appropriate response to a hotel failing to provide accommodation that had already been paid for. What disappointed me most was the attitude of the management. Rather than accepting responsibility, I was told that because I had booked through BookStayGo, the issue was "nothing to do with" the hotel and that I needed to contact the booking website. I do not believe that is an acceptable response when a hotel cannot provide a room that it has accepted a reservation for. Even more concerning, when we returned for our second night's stay, there were several other families, including children, in reception waiting to be relocated after experiencing similar problems. This contradicted what we had been told the previous night—that this was a one-off incident. When we checked out, a receptionist also mentioned that these situations can happen due to staff shortages, which raises even more questions about how the hotel is being managed. To date, I have still not received a refund for the first night's accommodation, despite paying in full before arrival for two nights and only receiving one. My experience was one of the worst I have ever had at a hotel. The lack of communication, failure to honour a prepaid booking, refusal to accept responsibility, and inadequate customer service made what should have been an enjoyable trip extremely stressful. I would strongly advise anyone considering staying here to think carefully. If you arrive later than expected, even with a fully paid booking, my experience suggests there is no guarantee your room will still be available. I certainly won't be staying here again, and I cannot recommend this hotel based on how my father and I were treated. If I could give 0 stars I would.

Terrible stay. Bathroom ceiling peeling and look like it had been like that for a long time. Rude staff. About 80 percent of the food in restaurant in the evening had run out despite no notice of things not being in stock. Housekeeping staff walking in the room while family is still in bed with no tops on and have DND on the door and claim they do not understand. Requested a late c/o until 12 on day of departure and housekeeping still knocking on the door and opened at 9.30 and 10.20am. Fire alarm going off at 6.50am due to incompetent people using the toaster as per told by the member of staff that had just did the night shift. Contacted guest relations and still waiting for someone from the hotel to contact back. By far the worse express I have stayed at and will definitely not be back ever.

Shout out to Oscar downstairs for the great service and friendly conversations! Came for the Metallica concert with my partner and mother in law, we had an incredible stay. Everything we needed was provided for. The breakfast selection was great and the atmosphere was comforting and friendly.