Holiday Inn Express London ExCeL: the complete traveller's guide
204 refurbished rooms with free hot breakfast, a 24-hour bar and Royal Albert DLR just 150 metres away — seven minutes' walk from ExCeL. The parking costs £25 a day, but there's a £7 alternative 100 yards down the road.
Guests report the hotel charges £20–£25 for 24 hours. One reviewer found an alternative car park within 100 yards for £7 a day if booked in advance — a saving of roughly £18 a day, or £126 across a week.
Also budget for a £50 pre-authorisation block on your credit card, reported by a guest. It's released after checkout, but it ties up funds meanwhile.
First — make sure this is the right hotel
IHG runs two similar-sounding Holiday Inn Express hotels in the Royal Docks, and booking sites regularly muddle them.
| This guide | The other one | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Holiday Inn Express London – ExCeL | Holiday Inn Express London – Royal Docks, Docklands |
| Address | 1018 Dockside Road, E16 2FQ | 1 Silvertown Way, E16 1EA |
| Nearest DLR | Royal Albert — 150 m | Royal Victoria — 9-minute walk |
| To ExCeL | 7-minute walk | 16-minute walk |
| Rooms | 204 | Smaller |
| Parking | Charged, £20–£25/day | Free parking reported |
| Review base | ~5,300 reviews | Only ~42–54 reviews |
Check the address — Dockside Road — at checkout. Two other IHG properties also surface in the same searches: Holiday Inn Express Greenwich (five miles from LCY) and Holiday Inn Express Stratford. Neither is this hotel.
Hotel overview
A recently refurbished 3-star, 204-room hotel on Dockside Road in the Royal Docks, aimed squarely at ExCeL visitors and LCY travellers. The strengths are practical: free hot breakfast included for every guest, a 24-hour bar with a late-night menu, Royal Albert DLR 150 metres away, and a seven-minute walk to ExCeL.
It scores 8.4/10 across more than 5,300 verified reviews — a large sample. Guests consistently praise the breakfast, the location and named staff. Rooms are air-conditioned and serviced daily, and one guest noted that despite sitting near the airport, they couldn't hear aircraft.
Two things to weigh: the car park is expensive when a much cheaper option sits 100 yards away, and the review picture is more mixed than the headline score suggests — covered honestly below.
| Address | 1018 Dockside Road, London E16 2FQ |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 20 3096 5888 |
| Class | 3-star, 204 rooms, recently refurbished |
| Guest rating | 8.4/10 (5,302 reviews) · 8.3/10 (4,939) |
| To ExCeL | 7-minute walk |
| To Royal Albert DLR | 150–200 metres |
| To LCY | ~1.1 miles; 5-minute taxi |
| Breakfast | Free — Express Start with 4 hot dishes |
| Bar | 24 hours, with a late-night menu |
| Parking | £20–£25/day — £7 alternative 100 yards away |
Free breakfast & food at any hour
The strongest reason to choose this over its neighbours.
| Breakfast | Express Start with 4 hot dishes — free for every guest, included in the room rate |
|---|---|
| Guest verdict | "Excellent, with a good mix of hot and cold"; "very tasty & hot"; a highlight of the stay |
| 24-hour bar | Open around the clock |
| Late arrivals | A limited restaurant menu for late check-in guests — food available at any time |
| Restaurant | 24-hour menu; dinner menu rated good; alfresco dining on the terrace |
| Entertainment | Live sport shown in the bar |
| Nearby | Other eateries within a 15-minute walk |
Compare with the Courtyard by Marriott, where breakfast runs about £15 per person per day. For two people over two nights that's roughly £60 of difference — enough to outweigh the parking premium if you're not driving. The 24-hour food service also matters at an airport with very early departures and late arrivals.
DLR & the Elizabeth line connection
| Destination | How |
|---|---|
| Royal Albert DLR | 150–200 metres from the door |
| ExCeL London | 7-minute walk — no transport needed |
| Canary Wharf | Direct DLR link |
| Central London | Direct DLR link |
| Elizabeth line | Change at Custom House — fast into Central London and out to Heathrow |
| LCY terminal | ~1.1 miles; 5-minute taxi |
The Elizabeth line connection at Custom House is the underrated part. If you're flying into Heathrow and out of London City — a combination guests describe doing — you can make that journey by rail without crossing London by road. A guest also advises arranging an Oyster card before arriving from abroad, as it's cheaper than paying cash per journey.
How far is it really from LCY?
Sources vary, so here's everything:
| Source | Distance |
|---|---|
| VisitLondon | 1.1 miles from London City Airport |
| The hotel | Within walking distance, or a 5-minute taxi ride |
| Kayak | 5-minute drive |
| A guest | "Probably walking distance" |
| Another guest | "Directly across from London Airport" |
Be realistic: at 1.1 miles this is walkable but not a short walk — noticeably further than the Courtyard by Marriott's five minutes. With luggage or an early flight, take the five-minute taxi. The upside of the extra distance: a guest reported hearing no aircraft at all.
Parking — and the £7 alternative
| Option | Cost |
|---|---|
| Hotel car park | £25 for 24 hours (one guest) · £20 per day (another) |
| Alternative 100 yards away | £7 per day if booked in advance |
| Saving | Roughly £13–£18 a day — about £126 a week |
| Also budget | £50 credit card pre-authorisation block |
This is the most actionable tip on the page. The hotel does have private parking, but paying £25 a night when a £7 pre-booked space sits 100 yards away is money thrown away. Confirm current rates — figures come from guest reports rather than published tariffs.
Getting in by car: a guest advises approaching via the private road directly from the ExCeL east roundabout, next to the Premier Inn. Coming from the other direction — the roundabout near the DLR station — is confusing, because the road doesn't look like it leads anywhere.
Ratings — read this carefully
We'd normally quote a score and move on. Here the data conflicts, so here's the full picture.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Headline score | 8.4/10 "Very good" from 5,302 verified reviews |
| Second sample | 8.3/10 from 4,939 reviews |
| Wonderful | 2,424 |
| Very good | 1,221 |
| Good | 932 |
| Okay | 296 |
| Fair / Mediocre / Poor | 228 / 72 / 129 — around 8% of all ratings |
So roughly 85% of guests rate it good or better. But the AI-generated review summaries on the same platform strike a very different note, describing complaints about room cleanliness and staff rudeness, and suggesting overall sentiment leans towards dissatisfaction.
Our honest reading: those two things can't both be fully true. A property with 2,424 "Wonderful" ratings does not have an overall negative sentiment, and the near-zero cleanliness and service subscores displayed alongside an 8.4 average look like a data or display error rather than a real measurement — so we're not reporting them as fact. What's fair to say is that a meaningful minority — around one in twelve — had a poor experience, and the recurring themes in those reviews are cleanliness and service. Read the most recent reviews before booking, and inspect your room on arrival.
Against that, specific guests describe the opposite: rooms and public areas "very clean and comfortable" with housekeeping doing a good job, and named staff — Muhammad on nights, and Vira, Cynthia, Aminata and Lebechi in the restaurant — singled out for helpfulness over a nine-day stay. Hotel Manager Ibo Ozbay responds to reviews publicly.
Rooms
204 recently refurbished rooms, all en-suite. Ranges below are indicative.
| Room type | Features | Sleeps | From (indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Double | En-suite shower, AC, flat-screen TV | 2 | ~£75 |
| Twin | Two beds, AC | 2 | ~£80 |
| Double with Sofa Bed | Extra sleeping space — good for families | 3 | ~£95 |
| Air conditioning | In every room — confirmed by guests |
|---|---|
| Bathroom | All en-suite with shower; hairdryer |
| Connectivity | Free high-speed WiFi throughout |
| Practical | Flat-screen TV; iron and ironing board; desk; clothes rack; safe |
| Housekeeping | Daily — guests confirm rooms serviced every day |
| Families | Cribs available and kids' meals offered |
For families this beats the Courtyard, which provides no cribs. Sofa-bed rooms, cribs, kids' meals and free breakfast make this the more practical choice with children.
Facilities & services
| Dining | Restaurant with 24-hour menu; 24-hour bar; terrace with alfresco dining; free breakfast |
|---|---|
| Business | 3 meeting rooms; fax and photocopying; computer facilities |
| Laundry | Laundry facilities and laundry service |
| Outdoors | Terrace, patio and garden |
| Services | Luggage storage; daily housekeeping; front-desk safe; shared lounge area |
| Connectivity | Free high-speed WiFi throughout |
| Parking | Private parking, charged £20–£25/day |
| Not available | No pool; no gym listed |
Accessibility & suitability for less-mobile guests
Helpful points:
- Royal Albert DLR just 150 metres away, and the DLR is step-free
- Modern, recently refurbished building
- Food available 24 hours — no need to go out at awkward times
- Free breakfast on site; daily housekeeping; luggage storage
- On-site parking, including for those who need to be close to the door
- Laundry service; air conditioning throughout
Worth confirming:
- Accessible room specifications aren't published — request directly
- 1.1 miles from LCY — not a practical walk with mobility limits
- Vehicle access is confusing from one direction — use the ExCeL east roundabout
- Lift provision isn't stated in our sources — confirm for upper floors
Suitability verdict: reasonable, with checks. A modern hotel with a step-free DLR station 150 metres away, 24-hour food and on-site parking covers the essentials well. Confirm lift access and accessible-room details directly, and don't plan to walk to the terminal.
Insider details
Park 100 yards away and save £18 a day
The hotel car park runs £20–£25 for 24 hours. A guest found an alternative within 100 yards at £7 a day, booked in advance. Over a week that's roughly £126 saved.
Breakfast is free — factor it into the comparison
Every guest gets the Express Start breakfast with four hot dishes included. Rivals nearby charge around £15 per person. For a family that changes the real cost of the room substantially.
You can eat at 3 AM
The bar is open 24/7 and there's a limited restaurant menu for late check-ins. For an airport hotel serving early departures and delayed arrivals, that's genuinely useful.
Use Custom House for the Elizabeth line
Royal Albert DLR connects to Custom House, where you change to the Elizabeth line for a fast run into Central London — or out to Heathrow. Handy for multi-airport itineraries.
Approach from the ExCeL east roundabout
Driving in, use the private road from the ExCeL east roundabout beside the Premier Inn. From the other direction the road doesn't look like it goes anywhere, and guests find it confusing.
Expect a £50 card block
A guest reported an additional £50 pre-authorisation on the credit card at check-in. It's released afterwards, but plan for it.
Read recent reviews before you book
The headline score is strong, but around 8% of guests rated the hotel poorly, with cleanliness and service the recurring themes. Recent reviews are the best guide to current standards.
WiFi coverage & signal strength
Free high-speed WiFi is provided throughout. Signal-strength-by-area detail isn't published — confirm with hotel, or share guest reviews and we'll add specifics.
Practical information
| Address | 1018 Dockside Road, London E16 2FQ |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 20 3096 5888 |
| Nearest DLR | Royal Albert — 150–200 m |
| To LCY | ~1.1 miles; 5-minute taxi |
| Breakfast | Free, Express Start with 4 hot dishes |
| Parking | £20–£25/day on site; £7 alternative 100 yards away |
| Card block | £50 pre-authorisation reported |
| Families | Cribs available; kids' meals; sofa-bed rooms |
| Driving access | Private road from the ExCeL east roundabout |
Customer reviews
| Theme | What guests say |
|---|---|
| Breakfast | "Excellent, with a good mix of hot and cold… included in the room price"; a highlight of the stay |
| Location | Right by the DLR; near ExCeL and LCY; easy access into London |
| Staff | Muhammad on nights, and Vira, Cynthia, Aminata and Lebechi in the restaurant, all named and praised |
| Rooms | "Relatively new… very clean and comfortable"; air-conditioned; serviced daily; comfortable beds |
| Quiet | "We could not hear any aircraft landing or taking off" |
| Complaints | Expensive parking; £50 card block; confusing road access |
| Minority reports | Cleanliness and staff-attitude complaints from around 8% of reviewers |
Pros & cons
Pros
- Free Express Start breakfast with 4 hot dishes for every guest
- 24-hour bar plus a late-night menu — eat at any hour
- Royal Albert DLR 150 metres away; Elizabeth line via Custom House
- 7-minute walk to ExCeL London
- 8.4/10 from a large 5,300-review sample
- Recently refurbished; air conditioning in every room; daily housekeeping
- Cribs, kids' meals and sofa-bed rooms — genuinely family-friendly
- Terrace and garden; alfresco dining; laundry service; meeting rooms
- Guests report hearing no aircraft noise
- Engaged management responding to reviews
Cons
- £20–£25/day parking when a £7 option sits 100 yards away
- £50 credit card pre-authorisation
- Around 8% of reviews report cleanliness or service problems
- Further from LCY than the Courtyard — 1.1 miles rather than a 5-minute walk
- Confusing vehicle access from one direction
- No pool; no gym listed
- Easily confused with Holiday Inn Express Royal Docks, Docklands
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FAQs
Is breakfast included?
Yes. Every guest receives the Express Start breakfast with four hot dishes, included in the room rate. Guests consistently rate it as a highlight — a meaningful saving against nearby hotels charging around £15 per person.
How much is parking?
Guests report the hotel charges £20–£25 for 24 hours. One found an alternative car park within 100 yards charging £7 a day when booked in advance — a saving of roughly £126 over a week. Confirm current rates directly.
How far is London City Airport?
About 1.1 miles, or a five-minute taxi. It's walkable for some, but noticeably further than the Courtyard by Marriott's five-minute walk. The upside is quiet — a guest reported hearing no aircraft at all.
Can I get food late at night?
Yes. The bar is open 24 hours and there's a limited restaurant menu for late check-in guests, so you can eat whenever you arrive.
Is this the same as Holiday Inn Express Royal Docks?
No. This one is on Dockside Road, E16 2FQ, has 204 rooms and sits 150 metres from Royal Albert DLR. Holiday Inn Express London – Royal Docks, Docklands is on Silvertown Way, E16 1EA, near Royal Victoria DLR, and has free parking. Check the address when booking.
Are the reviews good or bad?
Mostly good — 8.4/10 across 5,302 reviews, with about 85% rating it good or better. However, roughly 8% rated it poorly, and review summaries flag cleanliness and staff-attitude complaints. Some displayed subscores appear to be data errors and shouldn't be taken at face value. Read the most recent reviews before booking.