"What was your first impression of the hotel?It was a totally different aesthetic for Shoreditch. Dark woods, dark tones. An architecturally bold exterior. Nothing that channeled the usual hipster vibe of the neighborhood. It felt grown-up, if not entirely comfortable with what it was, where it was. Who else did you see at the hotel?Business and trendy tech types. This hotel is appealing to where Shoreditch is going (tech and money), not where it has been (hipster, creative). Tell us all about your room. Anything of note?There was a Japanese vibe for sure. Old Japanese tea pots made up some of the decor. Clean lines and angles helped keep the hotel on brand. Nothing really nodded to Shoreditch. I did like that they placed blackout screens over the window at turndown. It helps you get a very good night's sleep (as does the king-size bed). How was the room service, or food on-site?The real advantage is how they pull off those only-in-hotel meals. Breakfast means matcha waffles with smoked maple ponzu and your choice of teas (try the green jasmine), or a Nobu-esque riff on the traditional full English breakfast, with Japanese sausage and addictive tofu scones. If you’re feeling peckish after a few Brewdog pale ales in the beer garden at the Crown and Shuttle around the corner, room service delivers bowls of fresh tuna poke and beef tataki bento boxes from midnight till 7 a.m. What else of note?The restaurant was excellent, of course, and even had some neighborhood-specific dishes. The bar is part of the restaurant and decent, but not worth it if you're not staying at the hotel. Bottom line: worth it?If you need to be in Shoreditch, or want to be in Shoreditch but want an experience that strays from the typical "coolness and cocktail" vibe, stay here. Once you step into Nobu, which is tastefully decorated and has stellar food, you don't know you are in Shoreditch at all. This hotel is less about embracing the neighborhood it is in, and more about tweaking how you think of the neighborhood you are in. Nobu is in the Gucci group, and all the tech firms frequenting the hotel speak to where Shoreditch is headed, not where it came from." - Erin Florio
