Holiday Inn Express London – Greenwich

The Holiday Inn Express London - Greenwich has an exterior with large glass windows on the bottom floor and a curved window section on the side. The decor is contemporary and inviting, if predictable for this chain. The plain white reception desk, found on the second floor, tries to mix it up with blue lighting beneath its top ledge and dark purple walls. There’s a seating area across from the desk with wooden floors and lots of dark leather chairs or booths around tables. Though there's plenty of seating, it feels a little cramped. The breakfast lounge is separated from the lobby by a half-wall and differs only in that there’s brown tile and brown-and-cream tables and chairs. As of 2015, renovations were underway and expected to be complete by the spring of 2016. Most guests are couples and families who can be seen congregating in the breakfast room in the mornings. 

Holiday Inn Express London - Greenwich doesn’t have a central London, tourist-friendly location. It’s a 40-minute drive to central tourist locations like Buckingham Palace. It’s most often used by guests visiting the O2 Arena, which is an 18-minute walk away. And some business travelers visit the ExCel Conference Center, which takes 15 minutes by car to reach. There are some dining options on surrounding streets, though not a diverse selection. As for public transportation, the North Greenwich station is a 16-minute walk away, as is the Emirate Air Line cable car. It’s closer to London City Airport -- a 17-minute drive -- than London Heathrow Airport, an hours’ drive away. Parking is available at the hotel for a fee. 

Rooms at the Holiday Inn Express London - Greenwich are on the small side and have a dorm-room atmosphere. They feature maroon and orange-striped curtains, plain gray carpet, blond-wooden furniture, and navy-blue bed skirts. It’s a pleasant style, but quite dated, even for this particular chain. All rooms come standard with flat-screen TVs, air-conditioning, electric kettles with instant coffee and tea bags, and free Wi-Fi. Rooms can hold up to two adults and two children with the small pullout couches that are offered in some rooms, though it might feel cramped. Some guests have complained about noisy air-conditioning units and the noise from the refurbishment of the hotel and its rooms. The white-tiled bathrooms are quite small with little counter space, showers, and hairdryers. Though individual toiletries are not provided, there are soap dispensers by the sink and in the shower and guests are welcome to call the front desk and ask for items to be delivered. 

Like the hotel itself, features at this Holiday Inn are basic and functional. The hotel serves a free breakfast buffet in the mornings, though guests have complained about the quality of the food. It includes traditional English items like sausages and beans, along with cereal and pastries. There’s a casual dinner menu that includes hamburgers and fish and chips. A lobby bar serves drinks in the lobby lounge. For a quick snack, there’s a vending machine and a public microwave in the lobby. The hotel also has two meeting rooms (that when combined can hold up to 70 guests), a public computer with Internet, and free Wi-Fi. There’s no fitness center on-site.