Name: Holiday Inn Express London - ExCel by IHG
Address: 1018 Dockside Road, Custom House, London, England, United Kingdom, London, England, GB
Price range: US$72–US$835 per night
Rating: 8.35

What guests think

Across many reviews, Holiday Inn Express London - ExCel by IHG is praised for friendly, helpful staff, clean rooms, and a convenient location near ExCeL, the DLR, and London City Airport, making it handy for events and flights.

Breakfast is frequently described as good with plenty of choice, though a few guests found items cold or basic and reported slow clearing of tables. Rooms are generally comfortable and modern but vary in size, with several noting small layouts, firm or soft mattresses and pillows, occasional noise from fans or planes, and the lack of a fridge. On-site bar and restaurant and paid parking are convenient, but dinner options and service can be limited, and card holds or deposits and parking costs frustrate some. Overall, expect a practical, reliable stay.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

On-site bar and restaurant and paid parking are available; spaces can be limited and charges apply. Several guests found parking convenient despite the cost.

Related guest reviews

6

Dawn

13 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Hotel is pretty standard Holiday Inn. Has a small car park at £20 per night. Restaurant has a varied menu of simple food. Service was slow and as a group of 10 our meals were delivered over the course of an hour.

10

Elaine

4 May 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Easy parking facility. Easy walking distance to Excel, Good breakfast and helpful staff 😊

10

Alastair

12 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean, modern and easy to park. Will certainly be coming back again for our next stay in London

10

nicola

4 May 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

A good hotel very close to the tube with parking. The hotel has a bar and restaurant but the menu is quite limited and no other food options very close so a quick tube ride is needed for other food options but the ease and convenience makes it well worth the stay.

8

Ian

11 Sept 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

All good except Hotels.com says there is parking but this is charged seperately at £16

6

Kelly

13 Apr 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Nice hotel for stop over before a flight or use of the Excel centre. Ordered food from the bar/restaurant, lovely gentleman sever, the food sadly terrible. Breakfast was average. You get what you pay for. Cheap and cheerful, The staff are excellent. But the food lets them down.

10

Philip

8 May 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Perfect and convenient location for City Airport. Rooms immaculate and well equipped. On site parking was full, however large, alternative parking available across the street. All staff very friendly and in particular the ladies serving in the bar/restaurant. Great choice of good quality food and drink in the restaurant. Buffet breakfast was more than adequate. Would definitely recommend!

10

Dawn

28 Feb 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Although in mid refurbishment the hotel was clean and comfortable. Good parking and easy walk to Excel.

8

Aaron

25 Feb 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The staff were incredibly welcoming, with Jyoti at the front desk providing excellent service and answering all my questions. The bar had a fantastic range of drinks, and the restaurant food was brilliant. My room was very clean, the bed was comfortable, and I had a good night’s sleep. The only minor issue I noticed was some fluff on the shower head, likely from a cleaning cloth—a small detail that didn’t impact my stay. Breakfast in the morning offered a great selection, adding to the overall positive experience. The hotel met my needs perfectly for my event at ExCeL London, and I would highly recommend staying here.

10

David

14 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Excellent service. Great room. Very clean and daily refresh. Excellent breakfast options. Great location for excel. Parking was a big plus. Would choose here again.

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Cleanliness

Reviews consistently note very clean rooms and public areas. A few report issues such as mould, odours, or occasional housekeeping lapses.

Related guest reviews

10

Carol

22 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Great hotel, staff very friendly, food was good and hotel room was very nice and clean.

8

Caroline

19 Apr 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Very friendly staff, clean and spacious room. Comfortable bed and decent breakfast.

8

Charmaine

26 Jul 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

We had a family room, once the sofa bed was out there wasn’t much room for moving around for 4 people but fine for one night. Room clean, some mould to shower. Staff really friendly and helpful. Breakfast good choice although not as much as other hotels we have stayed at, hot was sausage, bacon, beans, scrambled egg and hash browns. Then toast, croissants, natural yogurt and whole bits of fruit. Little far out if you are planning on doing tourist things in London, but right next to the dlr. took around 20 mins to get to London city to get to tubes (Tower Hill).

4

Berisford

2 May 2023

·

Stayed 6 nights

Good breakfasts. Liked the shower and iron. There were no USB outlets, no fridge nor microwave. The couch was dirty and one day dirty sheets were left on the floor. Not recommended for more than one night.

8

Akthar

22 Oct 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

General stay was pleasant and comfortable. There was a foul smell of sewage in the corridor before we entered our room on 3rd floor. But other than that, the room didn't smell. AC control was limited, and when I switched off it still made ventilation noise. Breakfast was included and was as expected. Good quality and plenty of it.

8

Anne F

23 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Reception staff welcoming, room spotless, good breakfast

10

stuart

21 Feb 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

The staff were very friendly and helpful. Rooms were comfortable and clean. Dining was excellent and always with a smile from the Bar lady.

10

Stephen

19 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

The property was modern, spacious, clean and comfortable.

10

Hoi Ka Carol

4 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 5 nights

Cleanliness and spacious room are the most important for our family. Convenient location with DLR Royal Albert next by. Will stay again next time.

10

Karen

27 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We liked everything about this Holiday Inn, there is nothing that we didn't like. The staff were very friendly and welcoming and we particularly liked the fact that you can book an Uber in the hotel lobby area and it was there in less than 15 minutes. Our room was spotlessly clean and the beds very comfortable. We were attending the All Points East festival at Victoria Park and the hotel is quite a few miles away from the park but the Ubers are fantastic, so it wasn't a big deal to get across London.

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Rooms

Rooms are modern and generally comfortable but vary in size; several are small with limited storage. Some guests mention uncomfortable pillows or sofa beds, limited in-room amenities like no fridge, and occasional noise from ventilation or planes.

Related guest reviews

4

Gunhild

19 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

No aircondition

6

Jatinder

19 Jul 2024

·

Stayed 8 nights

Rooms are very small.

8

Colette

31 May 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Nice clean hotel stayed for 1 night. Beds weren’t the most comfy and took a while for the air con to kick in so toasty for a while. Was a good stay for the price, but a few frustrations like the hairdryer didn’t work and the worst coffee ever at breakfast but I still wouldn’t be put off. I would work with google to pick up the local tube station as google maps made us get off 2 stops too early and after a long day in London, the extra 15 minutes was a bit much

2

Richard

15 Jan 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Didn’t sleep at all. The the extractor fans are relentless. It’s l ike having a jet engine in your bedroom. Can’t turn them off

6

LNU

19 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Room was very small with no wardrobes and room did not have proper windows which made it too much like a box.

4

Berisford

2 May 2023

·

Stayed 6 nights

Good breakfasts. Liked the shower and iron. There were no USB outlets, no fridge nor microwave. The couch was dirty and one day dirty sheets were left on the floor. Not recommended for more than one night.

8

Jemma

31 Oct 2023

·

Stayed 4 nights

stayed here whilst visiting the comic con event for a couple of days as transport was ideal. Staff where all friendly and helpful with a great breakfast selection in the mornings. The only downsides was the shower had a fairly weak water pressure so it took forever to was my long hair! The pillows provided were really uncomfortable! I woke up every morning with a stiff neck as the pillows felt like they had golf balls in them they were so clumpy

6

Dharampal

27 Aug 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Sofa bed was not setup properly. Uneven. Bump in it. Didn’t sleep at all. Terrible.

10

Matt

4 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

The staff were very friendly, the food was very good and the room was spacious, and very comfortable. Overall I would highly recommend this hotel as a destination.

8

Christian

9 Mar 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

The main bed is too small for two people. It’s max 140x200cm so tough for two adults. We booked it as double room and had just one blanket. Staff was calm and provided the additional blanket on demand. The bar is well sorter. The lobby offers a nice place to stay a few hours for drinks or business.

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Service

Staff are widely praised as friendly, welcoming, and helpful, with many positive mentions by name. Some report slow check-in, bar service delays, administrative errors, or deposit disputes.

Related guest reviews

10

Ian

29 Oct 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Quick and effortless check in, friendly and professional staff with excellent knowledge of local area. Decent bar with good food too.

6

Brigitte

2 Feb 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

It was okay for a one night stay. I left something at the hotel and staff weren’t helpful about it and never followed up.

2

Adewonuola

4 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 5 nights

I had a terrible experience in this hotel. My husband and I were falsely accused of smoking in the room( we have never smoked in our lives) and had 150 pounds removed from our card. It was a horrible experience but with the help of Alfred, Kingsley and Aliya, we were able to get our money back. I will never book the hotel again

8

Dawn

15 Jun 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

We have stayed in this hotel before and not experienced any issues. Mostly this stay was good but there were a few administrative issues and the manager would not take responsibility. At one stage he suggested that, within our party of 6 rooms, we had ‘mixed up’ our room keys. After spending a great deal of time I thought correcting errors over lengths of stay, check out dates etc I left the hotel for a few hours. When we returned our room had been checked out. He insisted I must have had my room key next to my phone. However, the second key which hadn’t left the room also failed to operate. Housekeeping were constantly knocking on our door to check us out both on the right day and the wrong day. They would all benefit from some refresher training. Although we have found the same issues in several of the holiday inn express hotels. Staff are unaware of room service times, food service times or check out arrangements.

2

Steve

7 Nov 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Needed to change due to booking error. Whilst not commercially required to accommodate property manager showed no flexibility to move dates a week later at a higher price. Charged in full even though they knew the room wasn’t required and could have been resold. I’m an IHG Gold customer. Will not be using IHG again.

10

James

16 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great stay as usual. All the staff are very competent and friendly. Evelyn and Cleo are especially welcoming.

6

Beckett

9 May 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Checkin took way too long, no automated process, despite 3 people being at the checkin desk they had to spend more time doing admin tasks than dealing with customers then their printer failed, so a que of 3 people took over 30 mins to wait. Not good when you are in a hurry.

10

Davod

28 Sept 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Great location. Reception staff were particularly good. Excellent customer service 👏

8

Aaron

25 Feb 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The staff were incredibly welcoming, with Jyoti at the front desk providing excellent service and answering all my questions. The bar had a fantastic range of drinks, and the restaurant food was brilliant. My room was very clean, the bed was comfortable, and I had a good night’s sleep. The only minor issue I noticed was some fluff on the shower head, likely from a cleaning cloth—a small detail that didn’t impact my stay. Breakfast in the morning offered a great selection, adding to the overall positive experience. The hotel met my needs perfectly for my event at ExCeL London, and I would highly recommend staying here.

10

Elizabeth

7 Nov 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

We chose this site due to its proximity to London City Airport. We were pleasantly surprised! The reception staff was incredibly helpful, as our mobiles were not working and my luggage did not make the transatlantic flight. I am certain I did not adequately express my gratitude for their great assistance, kindness, and understanding. We highly recommend this facility.

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Location

Location is convenient for ExCeL, the DLR, and London City Airport. It is farther from central sights, and a few note occasional plane noise.

Related guest reviews

10

Martyn

19 Feb 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Good location for the O2 and Excel centre.

8

Yunus

9 Nov 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Perfect hotel if you want to be close to the airport.

10

Nicola

14 May 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Excellent clean hotel, stayed before and will go back

8

laura

26 Oct 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

The property is next to London City Airport which is great if you're a plane fanatic! It can be rather loud at times but planes are only around until 21:30 ish each night. It is extremely close to the DLR which links to the underground. Free breakfast which is ok and meets your needs. Comfortable beds and nice decor. Overall a good stay, would go back if needed.

10

Lauren

16 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Hotel was in an ideal location, 2 minute walk from dlr and a wonderful sight of the runway at London city airport. Hotel was very clean and all staff were professional and very helpful, I have booked this hotel again 😁

10

Lisa

25 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

It was very nice staying here and convenient to get to the tube - just a 2 minute walk. Room was comfortable and clean and breakfast was very nice, with a huge choice.

10

Hoi Ka Carol

4 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 5 nights

Cleanliness and spacious room are the most important for our family. Convenient location with DLR Royal Albert next by. Will stay again next time.

10

Jacqueline

8 Jun 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Outside of Central London yet within 3 minutes' walk to tube station, spacious vicinity, clean air, helpful hotel counter staff, room of reasonable size.

10

Binesh

11 May 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Good location for excel

8

Raymond

23 Jun 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great hotel - it is a trek outside of London and ten miles from Kings Cross but the Elizabeth Line and DLR make it accessible and convenient. Breakfast is good. Rooms comfortable clean and tidy. Some noise from the nearby airport but that’s to be expected given the location. We would stay again though it’s a bit too far out for a weekend in central London hit price drove our decision to book here as it’s far cheaper than city centre hotels. DLR is 5 minute walk away.

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Dining

Breakfast is often described as good with a decent selection, though some found items cold or basic and tables slow to clear. Evening dining is available but the menu and quality are mixed, with occasional slow service.

Related guest reviews

6

Dawn

13 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Hotel is pretty standard Holiday Inn. Has a small car park at £20 per night. Restaurant has a varied menu of simple food. Service was slow and as a group of 10 our meals were delivered over the course of an hour.

10

Lourdes

27 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Great sleep. Mattress and covers very comfortable. Breakfast is excellent!

8

Martyn

20 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Easy to find and get to and had parking. Hotel was lovely and clean and staff were very helpful and polite and friendly. Room was lovely and clean and spacious and had air conditioning, was a little disappointed couldn't open a window but still room was lovely. Little disappointed that it was 2single mattresses put together as made it very uncomfortable to sleep but managed to get some sleep. Had a bar and restaurant which wasn't too busy and was a lovely atmosphere. But disapointed there was no jam at breakfast could only find marmite but wasn't the end of the world. Would definitely stay again

8

Charmaine

26 Jul 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

We had a family room, once the sofa bed was out there wasn’t much room for moving around for 4 people but fine for one night. Room clean, some mould to shower. Staff really friendly and helpful. Breakfast good choice although not as much as other hotels we have stayed at, hot was sausage, bacon, beans, scrambled egg and hash browns. Then toast, croissants, natural yogurt and whole bits of fruit. Little far out if you are planning on doing tourist things in London, but right next to the dlr. took around 20 mins to get to London city to get to tubes (Tower Hill).

10

Jasmeet

7 Sept 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Absolutely fantastic hotel. Friendly staff, 2 minutes walk to DLR station, nice view of London City Airport yet no noise problems. I've read some reviews that said its too loud. It's not! The rooms are sound proofed and the lobby is nice and peaceful and breakfast area and breakfast itself are faultless. They even prepared vegan sausages as my wife only likes those.

8

Alison

17 Nov 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great location for events at Excel was reason for booking. Nice clean shower room and good pillows as i can often get neck ache in hotels Whilst the food at breakfast was plentiful and tasty it wasnt very hot after carrying back to our table All the staff we dealt with were helpful and friendly

8

Anne F

23 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Reception staff welcoming, room spotless, good breakfast

10

Angie

1 Dec 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Great little hotel, very clean and comfortable. Only down side was the dodgy vending machine without giving product and the evening meal of basic quality. Breakfast was included and was good.

8

sonia

30 Dec 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Modern hotel, lovely big bed. Breakfast good only negative was tables weren't getting cleared and people couldn't get seated

8

Aaron

25 Feb 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The staff were incredibly welcoming, with Jyoti at the front desk providing excellent service and answering all my questions. The bar had a fantastic range of drinks, and the restaurant food was brilliant. My room was very clean, the bed was comfortable, and I had a good night’s sleep. The only minor issue I noticed was some fluff on the shower head, likely from a cleaning cloth—a small detail that didn’t impact my stay. Breakfast in the morning offered a great selection, adding to the overall positive experience. The hotel met my needs perfectly for my event at ExCeL London, and I would highly recommend staying here.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Month	Average price
January	US$100
February	US$135
March	US$206
April	US$156
May	US$172
June	US$212
July	US$222
August	US$134
September	US$275
October	US$181
November	US$170
December	US$144

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4 $139	5 $185
6 $99	7 $98	8 $187	9 $320	10 $266	11 $327	12 $327
13 $87	14 $202	15 $189	16	17 $92	18 $106	19 $165
20 $96	21 $179	22	23	24 $144	25 $108	26 $187
27 $72	28 $107	29 $273	30 $159

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $83	2 $106	3 $187
4 $225	5	6	7 $835	8 $155	9 $126	10 $145
11 $89	12 $116	13 $231	14 $226	15 $118	16 $121	17 $179
18 $116	19 $116	20 $123	21 $124	22 $206	23 $301	24 $329
25 $140	26 $94	27 $113	28 $103	29 $94	30 $113	31 $131

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Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Guest reviews

Very good

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property policies

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Good to know

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FAQs about Holiday Inn Express London - ExCel by IHG

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