About: The hotel opened in June 2021 as the first Hyatt Place hotel in central London, and the brand’s third across the capital. The franchise property was developed in collaboration with Berkeley Capital Group (BCG) and is managed by Cycas Hospitality.
Previously office space the building underwent a complete redesign (keeping to the original structure in line with a more sustainable approach). Architects, Studio Moren, worked closely with Cycas Hospitality and BCG to produce a sustainable building. The sustainable operations, which the hotel is now showcasing was initially down to the leadership from Michael Mason-Shaw, general manager of the hotel at the time of my stay. Mason-Shaw has since been appointed as regional director of operations Cycas hospitality UK, with Pino Dispinseri, equally passionate about sustainability, taking the reins as the new general manager of the hotel.
Located in the heart of east London, a few minutes walk along Whitechapel Road from Aldgate East underground station, the hotel is in the thick of a lively neighbourhood and close to Brick Lane, Spitalfields Market, The Tower of London and Shoreditch. Brompton bikes are available to hire from the hotel.
Arrival: Check in is from 3pm. Sliding doors open into a welcoming mezzanine self check-in area. Down an open staircase the main reception area is housed on the lower ground floor in a cosy seating space and lobby next to Sotto, the restaurant.
How many rooms? 280. 102 of these rooms (from the sixth to ninth floors) have uninterrupted views of the London skyline. 13 have a private outdoor terrace or balcony. The ninth floor is the arty event space, PocketSquare, with far reaching views across the city from the terrace.
The room: I had one of the corner suites on the 8th floor with a terrace overlooking the city. The 23-square-metre room was light and airy with its double aspect and views across the iconic skyline.
The room featured a king bed with perfectly plumped pillows, a workspace, as well as a small sofa and coffee table. Free wifi is available to guests. A 55″ smart TV hung from the ceiling.
There was also an espresso machine and kettle and a safe in the wardrobe, which had a mirror which slid to open and close the space. The ensuite door also slides open and there is a walk-in shower. Check out is 12pm.
Breakfast: Sotto Cucina & Bar on the lower ground floor is the hotel’s restaurant serving inspired by the heritage of Sicily. Executive chef Alfio Laudani uses his own roots to design the menu and produces freshly sourced ingredients.
Sotto is also where breakfast is served (7am-10.30am on weekdays and 7am-11am on weekends). The room was busy with a mix of families and business travellers when I ate and had a natural Mediterranean feel with the warm orange and yellow palette, healthy plants hanging from the ceiling and black and white floor tiles. Amid the happy hum of conversation I went to the self service tea and coffee station and checked out the buffet. There was a huge range to choose from including pastries, breads and cereals, smoothies and juices, bowls of fresh fruit, yoghurts, ham and cheese with cucumber and tomatoes, as well as the hot option with beans, sausages, vegetarian sausages, hash browns, mushrooms and fried or scrambled eggs.
Just off Sotto is the Orangery, a long event space which opens onto a pretty lower ground courtyard.
The hotel also offers a quick breakfast at The Market, which is at the foot of the stairs next to the reception desk and the restaurant, Sotto. You can grab anything from pastries to lunch time snacks and salads, all freshly prepared daily.
Working: My room was filled with natural light from the double aspect window, and I worked sitting on the bed and also at the little table with the sofa. Wifi is free and easy to access. I also took some time to write up some notes in the communal seating area in the downstairs lobby – it’s a lively space with guests coming and going and there is music playing but I enjoyed working with the buzz.
Events: Hyatt Place London City East offers two meeting and event spaces, and a rooftop bar and terrace, PocketSquare.
The Orangery – part of the restaurant Sotto – can host 20 guests, as can the PocketSquare meeting room.
PocketSquare also offers space for up to 80 attendees. With views across East London, ideal for cocktail parties, or smaller events (we hosted our inaugural Sustainability Bites – It’s all about the G in this modern arty space). The décor is lifted with “Curated at Hyatt Place” – a revolving exhibition championing local artists to create new artwork.
Sustainable practices: The hotel’s Green Team ensures the implementation and improvement of its sustainable projects.
Hyatt EcoTrack is used to track the sustainability metrics, including greenhouse gas emissions, energy, water, waste & recycling. This data is then independently verified by ESG partners EarthCheck and Omnevue.
In July this year the hotel achieved its EarthCheck Bronze certificate and its ISO 14001 Environmental Management certification.
It was the first hotel globally to receive the Gold Certificate from Active Score for the wellbeing and active living services it provides for its team and guests.
It also has SHe Travel Club Platinum status, which recognises the services provided to empower secure and safe travel experiences for women.
In November 2023, the hotel won Europe’s special award for Sustainability at the annual AHEAD Awards Europe The judges said of the hotel “located in London’s Whitechapel – punctuated by traffic, pollution, and heavy footfall – Hyatt Place London City East is a sustainable urban sanctuary with the accreditation to prove it.”
The hotel has community outreach projects and supply-chain transparency with focus on using sustainable resources and local suppliers. To support biodiversity the hotel has bird boxes, flowers and meadow grasses – great for pollinators like butterflies and bees.
Certifications: 2022. BREEAM Excellent Certified. 2023. Platinum Award SHe Travel Club. 2023. Gold Award Airated. 2023. Gold Award Active Score. 2023. Special Award Sustainability. Ahead Europe Awards for Hospitality Experience & Design. 2024. EarthCheck Bronze Benchmarked 2024.
Gym? Yes the gym is available to guests 24 hours and features running machines, rowing machines and spaces to stretch and do free weight exercises.
Catching the zzzs: I slept well here with the black out curtains, although I was tempted to leave them open for the panorama of the night sky. All rooms have achieved the AirScore Gold Certification by AirRated which is a certification for indoor air quality, and the Gold rating endorses the exceptional indoor environment – supporting a great night’s sleep.
Future: The hotel’s Well Certified accreditation is pending and the Green Team is keeping an eye on how the property is progressing towards its 2030 goals. An audit with Deepki showed that it is firmly set on its net zero pathway
Felicity Cousins stayed at Hyatt Place London City East in the first week of July 2024
For more information on the hotel see here. To read more hotel reviews in our Feature section see here.
Images supplied.