Qbic London: A Cheap and cheerful stay

After something quirky and different without a high price tag?  Qbic London may be your answer.

Opened for just a few months now, this hotel offers a unique concept that first started in Amsterdam – everything is recycled.  You sleep in a room that has been created out of old office furniture, however, do not fret, you will not be expected to sleep over a desk or see a nasty old office chair that spins when you sit on it.  Everything has been creatively altered and enhanced to give you the feel of a luxury, boutique style hotel room with a hostel price tag.  That’s not to say that corners have been cut.  Everything is clean and fresh, painted to within an inch of its life and totally transformed into a comfortable space to stay.  The bathrooms are spacious, bright and would stand up against any highbrow hotel chain – a large walk in rain shower, with plenty of hot water, a circular basin sitting on top of quality storage with a couple of unconventional ornaments thrown in and you have a desirable bathroom space.  You can even muse over your future whilst cleaning you teeth with the little sayings that have been left over the taps to make you think.

The one many advantage I feel that this place has over other hotels is the meeting space downstairs.  Not only do the various vending machines have everything you could need for a night in – soups, full microwave meals and bottles of wine – there is also a full kitchen and microwave at your disposal.  Add to this the abundance of seating; some with tables or your more comfy ‘have a chat’ with a friend type lounge chair – this is an area that you can happily relax in after a day either in the office or walking the miles around the city centre.

 

 

This is also a venue for local artists to be able to demonstrate their skills – turning open spaces into works of art.  Ranging from the bizarre to the intriguing you will definitely be drawn in to spend time looking at our potential future Masters.

Sustainability is important to this local venture and supporting the local area is key.  Each morning you are offered the option of a full continental breakfast provided by local establishments to ponder over.  This extended to soup one evening for us to try with plenty of fresh bread – who could refuse?

If however, you are not a breakfast person, not to worry.  There is the “wake and go” style breakfast that is delivered to your door in the early hours for your to enjoy at your own leisurely pace – at no extra cost either!  I promise there is no catch.  You simply open your room door in the morning and find the brown paper bag that has been placed on the hook next to it – we had two bottles of juice, two breakfast flapjacks and two apples.  What more could you want?

 

 Now this may sound like a place that suits a younger crowd – do not be fooled.  This is a hotel where everyone is welcome.  We went on a weekend trip with my parents, who like ourselves loved every minute of our stay.  My dad would go again simply for the free coffee.  That weekend there were several other couples of all age groups and nationality, a group of individuals that were clearly part of an exhibition team nearby and several travellers comfortable to stay there on their own.  The residents were as mixed as the décor of the building and added to the atmosphere.

Situated within paces of Aldgate tube station, Qbic London is in a prime position to explore the city.  If you fancy a walk, within minutes you can be on Brick Lane, home to some of the best curry houses and Spitalfields Market, which is always open to pick up a bargain.  Petticoat Lane is not much further down the road and before you know it you will have walked down to the Thames and many of the iconic sky liners of this old city.

So at such a great price how could you refuse?  You do need to remain open minded, remembering that this is not a typical hotel but then who wants to stay somewhere normal.  Surely something out of the ordinary, which pushes the boundaries of artistry and design is something others would want to experience.

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