Hotel Novotel London Excel Western Gateway London

So, you’re heading to London’s Excel Centre for a conference, a trade show, or possibly a very niche convention for people who collect vintage teapots. Either way, you need a place to crash that doesn’t involve a sleeping bag under a bridge. Enter the Hotel Novotel London Excel Western Gateway. It’s the hotel that sounds like it was named by a GPS that got lost halfway through a sentence.

Let me set the scene: you’ve been walking for what feels like three days on the winding, glass-and-steel gangplanks of the Excel Centre. Your feet have gone from “tender” to “actively filing a lawsuit against you.” Then, like a mirage in a desert of meeting rooms, you see it. Red brick. Clean windows. The Novotel. It’s not a castle. It’s not a spaceship. It’s a very reliable Swiss Army knife of a hotel.

First up: the location. If your event is at Excel, this hotel is basically hugging the venue. It’s so close, you could theoretically roll out of bed and into a keynote speech without ever putting on real pants (please don’t). You’re right on the Royal Victoria Dock, which sounds fancy. And it is! You can watch actual boats go by while sipping an overpriced tea. Surprising fact: that water used to be a bustling industrial port. Now it’s mostly tourists taking selfies with confused ducks.

Now, the rooms. Standard Novotel fare: a bed that’s firmer than a handshake from your accountant, and a bathroom that’s a masterclass in “efficient use of white plastic.” But here’s the kicker—you get a pillow menu. Yes, you read that right. You can choose your pillow like you’re ordering a main course. “I’ll have the firm memory foam, please, with a side of extra fluff.” It’s the most control you’ll feel all week.

Let’s talk about the food. The on-site restaurant, Elements, sounds like a chemistry set, but it’s actually a buffet. Breakfast is a glorious warzone of fried eggs, baked beans, and the most aggressively orange orange juice you’ve ever seen. Beware the hot dog at the buffet in the evening—it’s suspiciously smooth, like it’s been through a spa treatment. Stick to the pasta; it’s safe. And the wine? Well, it’s served in a glass. That’s the baseline for success here.

Fun quirk: the hotel has a 24-hour fitness centre. I know this because I walked past it at 2 AM while looking for a vending machine. Inside, one man was aggressively pedalling a stationary bike while staring at a painting of a boat. Inspirational? Possibly. Terrifying? Definitely.

7 Western Gtwy, London, E16 1AA - Novotel London Excel | LoopNet

Now, a surprising fact to drop at the pub: the Novotel London Excel is part of the Accor hotel group. That means you can earn loyalty points. And if you collect enough, you can… stay at another Novotel. It’s the hospitality equivalent of a hamster wheel, but a very comfortable one.

Don’t expect a view of Big Ben. You’ll get a view of the Emirates Air Line cable car gliding across the river. It looks like a giant, spider-legged ski lift for office workers. You can actually ride it to the O2 Arena. Pro tip: do it once for the novelty, then never again because it’s terrifyingly high. The hotel bar has windows perfect for watching these tiny capsules wobble through the sky. “To new heights,” you’ll toast, sweating slightly.

Let’s address the elephant in the room (or the dock): the price. It’s London. It’s near a major venue. You’re paying for proximity, not a penthouse suite. But here’s the secret—if you book on a weekend when Excel is empty, the rates drop faster than a dropped scone. You can snag a room for less than the cost of a round of cocktails in central London. Cha-ching.

Novotel London Excel | E16 1AA 7 Western Gateway Royal Victoria Dock

What about the neighbourhood? It’s Canning Town. Which is… honest. It’s not Shoreditch hipster land. It’s a working-class area with a fantastic 24-hour McDonald’s and a pub that still has a jukebox. You can walk to the ExCel, the airport-style DLR train, and a giant Tesco. That’s your trifecta of success.

One last warning: the walls. They are not soundproof. You will hear your neighbour’s TV. You will hear them sneeze. You might even hear them living their life in vivid Dolby Digital. Pack earplugs unless you enjoy participating in strangers’ 11 PM phone calls. But honestly? After a day of networking and free pens, you’ll be asleep before the first snore hits the drywall.

In summary: The Novotel London Excel Western Gateway is not a destination. It’s a base camp. A clean, functional, delightfully predictable base camp that lets you roll out of bed, into a meeting, and back to bed with minimal fuss. It’s the boring friend you need in your life—the one who always remembers the recycling and has a solid WiFi password. Go. Sleep. Eat a suspicious hot dog. You’ll thank yourself later.