BEST FOR STAYING UP ALL NIGHT:

The Hoxton, London

Arelatively new addition to the hotel scene, the ethos of the fast-growing Hoxton chain (one is just about to open in Paris’ 2nd arrondissement, with Williamsburg up next) is perhaps best exemplified at its Holborn outpost, in the centre of London. Despite the fact that it lies just beyond the foot trafficheavy areas of Soho and Covent Garden, you’ll never find a hotel lobby that’s as populated at any time – day or night – as this one. That’s not a bad thing. On the contrary, you’ll find it quite nice to saunter down for breakfast at in-house restaurant Hubbard & Bell and see morning meetings taking place or freelancers nabbing a table by the window and ordering their first of many flat whites for the day. If you plan to catch up on your emails, a sleep-in will most definitely inhibit your chances of getting a table to yourself but the lo-fi, communal atmosphere means sharing tables – and wine, later on – with new friends is just part of the fun.

What The Hoxton lacks in typical hotel features – a pool or gym – it makes up for in atypical ones: a beauty parlour, chicken shop and lobby DJ spinning tunes well into the night. Yet while the music doesn’t stop until about 1am, the noise, thankfully, doesn’t carry up into the 174 rooms upstairs. The rooms are admittedly small (the smallest is the “Shoebox” at 14 square metres and the biggest is the “Roomy” with 23 square metres), but each is practical and cool, with vintage chairs, an appropriate amount of throw pillows and wallpaper illustrated with cute little drawings, the kind where you’ll always spot a detail you didn’t notice before. If you haven’t quite mastered the art of packing light, you may struggle to find a place for all your shoes. But The Hoxton doesn’t want you to stay holed up in your room all night – they’ll provide the essentials, like a comfortable bed, a decent shower and coffee and tea supplies, but they know that their customer is prone to a little FOMO and doesn’t at all mind being the last to leave the party.

thehoxton.com