London Docklands (Excel) hotel

Total Disaster – Worst Hotel Manager I’ve Ever Encountered This wasn’t a stay — it was a full-blown nightmare. I’ve stayed in dozens of hotels around the world, and Premier Inn London Docklands easily ranks at the absolute bottom. But the crown jewel of incompetence here? The so-called “manager.” Let me be clear: this was hands down the worst hotel manager I have ever come across. Completely out of his depth, clueless, overwhelmed, and visibly irritated that guests dared to ask questions. The man didn’t have a single useful answer, fumbled through every interaction, and gave off the energy of someone who got dropped into the role without a minute of training. It was painful to watch — a total embarrassment to the brand. He had no authority, no problem-solving ability, and no business being anywhere near a reception desk, let alone managing one. It was chaos every time he appeared. To make things worse, the way he spoke — with a heavy, unclear French accent — made communication even more frustrating. That alone wouldn’t be a problem, but combined with his total lack of knowledge and professionalism, it just made every conversation more exhausting. His body language screamed, “I don’t care, just leave me alone,” and frankly, it showed in every part of the guest experience. And don’t get me started on the breakfast — what a joke. Food was cold, half the items were missing by 8 AM, and nobody was restocking anything. Scrambled eggs that looked like rubber, sausages like bricks, burnt bacon, and toast so dry it could be used as building material. Coffee machines broken or empty, and the staff couldn’t care less. People were left wandering around the buffet like scavengers looking for scraps. Disgraceful. Service overall? Nonexistent. Staff looked annoyed that guests even existed. Phones in hand, avoiding eye contact, no greetings, no help. Just zero effort across the board. Rooms? Meh. Walls thin as paper, noise all night, beds not even made properly. This place is falling apart both physically and operationally. Avoid this hotel like the plague. If this is what Premier Inn considers acceptable management and service, they’ve completely lost the plot. This was a complete waste of money, time, and patience. Never again.

There were lots of issues with this stay unfortunately: Other than the cleaners (who seemed lovely), I didn't meet a single member of staff who was remotely friendly or helpful. In fact, every ask seemed little a major inconvenience to them. The restaurant was terrible, telling us we needed a reservation when the place was completely empty. The bar staff didn't know how to make a simple drink. The food was then slow, even though nobody else was around, and also completely bland. The room was quite dusty, and I later found an old packet of sweets under the couch bed, meaning it obviously hadn't been hoovered properly. Also, the shower gel and toilet roll was almost empty on check in, meaning that also hadn't been checked or replenished when cleaning. Both mobile data signal AND WiFi were terrible. My phone couldn't even load a basic webpage most of the time. The location is useful if you have business at the Excel, but other than that, I don't think I'd ever consider returning.

Arrived to a warm welcome from Cynthia on reception desk and a very pleasant check-in experience. Premier Plus room was excellent and had air conditioning, which was a Godsend. Restaurant service good and food reasonably priced. Great bar service from Aqsa. Would definitely recommend.

We met a range of employees during our stay (reception, bar, restaurant, housekeeping and security) all were very friendly and keen to assist. It was very busy Saturday night and staff were juggling reception and bar to help guests as quickly as possible, with one team member staying beyond the end of his (midnight) shift. At breakfast the restaurant was extremely busy but again the team worked really hard to ensure all guests were served quickly. My only grumble (at Premier Inns in general) is that although vegetarian and vegan options are listed on the breakfast buffet menus you usually have to specially request, so end up eating on your own rather than making your hungry family/friends wait too. The room was as per the usual Premier Inn standard; great shower, comfortable beds, air con, clean. Free parking was an enexpected bonus - which came in handy as our car had a flat battery so we stayed longer than expected. The team welcomed us back inside for drinks even though we had already checked out. I hope Premier Inn management appreciate what a hard-working team they have at this hotel!

Really nice hotel in a great location. We came to have a weekend in the city - this hotel was brilliantly located. 5 minute walk from the DLR & therefore links to all of London. Nice restaurants within 10-15 minute walk. Obviously the excel is a few minute walk away. There is some noise from the planes taking off from London city but this does stop overnight & as I have several plane fans in the family this was a benefit not a problem. All staff really lovely, friendly and helpful. Hotel very clean & welcoming. Breakfast great as always. Parking free so great to use as a base & only a few minutes off the A406.