Hotel Review of Britannia The International Hotel London, Canary Wharf

Location: A

When I first booked a hotel in Canary Wharf, I admittedly had done no research on the area and had just booked the hotel because it was so close to where I needed to be for a couple of days. Judging by the layout of the area on Google Maps and the name “Wharf” I envisioned some industrial setting with murky brown water and heavy smog. Instead, I discovered that Canary Wharf is actually a clean, modern, major business center of London with big time banks posted up in giant skyscrapers and a couple of nice malls to boast. Canary Wharf isn’t going to give you that historic English feel you can find in other parts of Central London but it is nice and offers nice conveniences like plenty of shopping and dining at places like Nandos, which I’m always down for.

The hotel is right in the middle of this area and it’s a short (3 minute walk) from the Canary Wharf Underground station, which is very convenient. Because the hotel is so close and Canary Wharf is a nice pocket of London, I give the location of this hotel an A.

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Service: A+

I didn’t have too much interaction with the staff members. They did offer room service which was connected with their pizzeria but I didn’t try it. However, everyone at the front desk was very helpful and friendly. The concierge bag check-in was also free, which was a nice little surprise.

Facilities: B

The hotel looks a bit outdated even from the outside, especially juxtaposed to so many brand new skyscrapers rising up in every direction. The inside isn’t much better but it’s still nice. Outdated, but still nice and clean.

Rooms: A

My room on the 11th floor was surprisingly spacious for London standards. The bed was a bit firm but still comfortable and could have easily slept two people. The furniture/wallpaper/curtains could’ve definitely used some renovating but I’m not going to complain too much about a slightly scuffed desk and nightstand unless it looks horrendous.

The room didn’t have a cramped feel at all and the view from the wall window was pretty great as you can see. Unfortunately, there was no fridge or microwave in the room so no left overs for me.

One of the great things about the room was that it had an AC unit that worked great and was a blessing to have on a pretty warm day. To all those people who say you don’t need AC in London – you’ve got to be kidding me!

The bathroom was okay. The shower/bath was a little tricky getting out of because the walls to the bathtub are pretty high so I can only imagine how tough it would be for someone shorter or perhaps not in good health to keep their balance. The bathroom came equipped with a bidet and large sink so it really had the European feel to it.

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Internet: D- 

The internet was free which was nice but the speed was less than 1MB. In fact it was around .2-3 mb from about 5pm to 9pm, after which it crept up to around 2mb I think. I had to use my phone for anything internet related because the connection was so bad. So try to avoid the peak hours if you need to rely on wifi… for what it’s worth, I used the wifi earlier in the day in the lobby and it wasn’t that bad.

Bang for Buck: A-

For about $200 USD, given the location and the short notice which I booked this hotel, I have to give it an A-. If the room and hotel had a bit of a more modern feel I think I could go with an A but still, it wasn’t a bad place to spend a night whatsoever considering the view I had on the 11th floor.

Overall: B+

I feel like I could’ve gotten just a little more for my money but overall I think it was a solid hotel for what I needed. If needed be, I would stay there again and wouldn’t be afraid to recommend it to a friend if the price was right.

Britannia The International Hotel London, Canary Wharf FAQ