The International Hotel

Great hotel; a bit out of the way.

The location was a bit out of the way, however, as it turned out, we weren't in London to sightsee, just to collect ourselves from a very tiring cruise, and the two days we were at the hotel, we did just that. The food in the hotel, itself, was very good, both breakfast and evening dinner.

only average

Overall this was a decent value considering the significantly lower price compared to many other hotels in London. The location is not anywhere near as bad as some people make it sound, it is only a 15 minute train ride into the city. However, it is definitely NOT a 4-star hotel, and as many other reviewers have noted, the quality of the mattresses was not acceptable. If they only fixed those, I would have no problems recommending this hotel.

THIS PLACE SUCKED ACTUALLY SUCKED IS BEING NICE

The bed was on a box spring and a bed sheet on it. Hard as a rock. The people that worked there were rude and could care less about us staying. No iron in the room and asked for one had to call 3 times to get one and even then it took over 3 hours. Charged me for ice if you can believe that. Asked for directions and the hotel employee told me to go in a totally different direction and when I got back told and he said and I quote “did you find it then what is the problem?” I told him I had to ask someone on the street for the right directions. This stay once one of the worst stays in my life and if given the choice of a box on the side of the street and going back I would pick the box.

Horrible Bed. Horrible Service. Pretty good buffet. Air Conditioner worked great.

The bed was the most uncomfortable that we stayed in in our 3 week europe vacation spanning the british isles. Also the water from the sink had a horrible smell comming from it. Thankfully the shower didn't have teh same smell comming from it. Everything costs money to use be it the gym for 2 pounds or have one garment washed for 5 pounds. THere are 2 restaurants inside one buffet and one pizzeria both were good. The airconditioner in the room also worked great. No one helped us with our baggage as we went in. Really the worst hotel experience i've had anywhere. We did get a cheaper double room.

satisfied stay

This was a nice hotel that seemed to be popular with the travel companies catering to young adults (mainly high school) as well as business travelers. It is a short walk to the DLR station that connects to the underground. I stayed here on a visit to the O2 arena and found it to be very convenient. A taxi ride was 20 pounds,you could also take the underground much cheaper. (the line was down for repairs when I went, so check for scheduled outages) The late night offerings from both the bar and food service were great. On check in, I was "upgraded" to a deluxe room that had a great view overlooking the canal. I was told by another guest that my room was much larger than the standard room that he had. (and I paid much less!) All in all a pleasant experience at a great price.

Good location

I am satisfied with everything except the bed. I think the hotel needs to replace the old matress. It's not comfortable enough for my back.

Guest did not leave a comment.

Not worth the money

Hotel was 30GBP cab away from sites. Inconvient. Beds were hard. Service aweful. No one help for anything.

Guest did not leave a comment.

Guest did not leave a comment.

Not a four star hotel by USA standards.

The good: Plenty of hot water and good water pressure. Room was clean, and not terribly small. Bathroom was pretty big and in good condition. The not so good: No curtain on the shower/jacuzi tub so when you shower, water gets everywhere. Location is good if you are doing business in Canary Wharf butot so great if you are on a vacation. Edge of zone 2, so you are on the tube a while. Wallpaper peeling, carpet in the halls worn and threadbare. Dining in the hotel is extremely expensive and the food is just plain bad.

Nice value...

This was a nice hotel and a good rate relative to other local properties. I would have given it a 5 if there had been internet access in the room.

Some Great Features, and Some Really Bad Ones...

Although located in the business district of the Docklands, this hotel is clearly a British "Holiday" hotel(the bar and restaurants were quite good, but the rooms themselves... not so much.) Three big problems: - This was the most uncomfortable hotel bed I've ever tried to sleep on; hard as a rock, and the springs dug into my back. I wound up sleeping on the sofa. - Room was on the 11th floor, but had a tiny foyer and a spiral staircase going to the room itself. This was painful for lugging my bags, and more importantly, why not just make it the 12th floor?! - Check-in was manned by only one person when I got there; the queue was 8-deep to check-in at 10pm.

It worked for me

I chose the Britannia International for its location. I had business in Canary Wharf and it provided me with a short 10-minute walk to work. The faux-Victorian decor was not to my taste but the hotel was well maintained. The staff was friendly but young and not local. Consequently they not very helpful for recommendations for local dining. Would I go back? If I have business in the area again, absolutely. If I want to visit London as a tourist, Canary Wharf is a fringe location, I would look for something more central.