A night at citizenM Bankside hotel in London

On Tuesday night I was lucky enough to be one of the 500 ‘test sleepers’ for the brand new citizenM Bankside, an affordable boutique hotel that can currently be found in Amsterdam, Glasgow and now London; with others coming soon to New York and Paris.

The deal was this: we received a free night in the brand spanking new hotel in exchange for an honest review…so, excited for a night free of dishes and making the bed, and perhaps enjoying a shower larger than the matchbox proportions found in our studio apartment, we made our way to South East London where we checked ourselves in (using technology similar to an airline self-service machine). There were a few teething problems, which is to be expected on the very first night of a hotel operating, so we couldn’t check into our room right away.

Instead, we relaxed in the ever-so-funky foyer and enjoyed a glass of wine at the central cocktail bar whilst admiring the quirky decor; from puffer fish in jars to colour coordinated books and loads of random items in between, the vibe was fun and social and I could have spent hours checking out the books and artwork dotted around the various seating areas. However, we were soon given the keys to our room so we made our way upstairs to judge how the lodgings compared to the lobby.

The photo above basically shows it all…the rooms are very small, but not uncomfortably so, and they’re well arranged. The bed is HUGE (and extremely comfortable) and there is lots of hidden storage available so the room doesn’t become cluttered. They really have thought of everything, from international power sockets and free WiFi to a safe, a hair dryer and even a USB wall port; there were probably more amenities cleverly dotted throughout the small room than you’d find in a traditional, larger hotel room.

The best feature (for gadget lovers like myself and Brendan) was the MoodPad, a Samsung tablet that controls almost everything in the room, from lighting and TV to the blinds and alarm clock.

There are various light settings such as ‘Party’ (frequently changing colours), ‘Relax’ (soft blue light) and ‘Romance’ (low, red lights), or you can configure your own lighting to whatever suits your mood, including non-colourful lighting if you find the disco look a bit too tacky. Also controlled by the MoodPad was music, the curtains & blind, a choice of films and TV shows, and the alarm clock.

After playing on the MoodPad for a bit we ventured outside for dinner (there is cafeteria-style food available from canteenM but I can’t go past a burrito from Tortilla, which was across the road) and a long walk along the Thames; by the time we got back it was pretty late so we retired for the night.

I was woken on Wednesday morning by the sounds of ping pong. Yes, you did read that correctly! The alarm tone was the distinct sound of a ping pong game, and it was a surprisingly nice noise to wake up to. Although it was early (I had to actually commute to work; the horror!) the rain shower was a nice way to start my day, as was the breakfast spread in canteenM. I ordered a latte and then helped myself to croissants, yoghurt, orange juice and hash browns (breakfast of champions, no?), and was pleasantly surprised by how fresh and delicious it all was, very unlike many other hotel breakfasts I’ve endured. Check-out was a breeze; I simply swiped my room key and selected to receive my room summary via email, and was wished farewell by one of the extremely attentive and helpful citizenM staff.

I was extremely impressed with my stay at citizenM. Brendan and I agreed that it was exactly the sort of place we’d choose to stay in when travelling, and we’ll probably go out of our way to stay at one of these funky hotels whenever we can. The room rates at citizenM Bankside start at around £120 per night, which isn’t the cheapest option in London, but it’s certainly more affordable, and just as good, as many other hotels in the area.

Thanks so much citizenM for a great ‘test sleeper’ experience. I’m sure we’ll meet again in Glasgow…or Amsterdam…or New York…