Inside London's Art Hotel Built Around a Banksy Mural

Street art meets luxury at art’otel London Hoxton

D*Face art hangs above the bar. Photo: Hannah D. Cooper

A Brush With Love by D*Face is one of the hotel's defining pieces of art. Photo: Hannah D. Cooper

Salvaged from the old pub, the reinstallation of Banksy’s nearly 20-foot-tall knife and fork-wielding rat (and a second mural rescued during the demolition) is an appropriate prelude for art’otel’s second venture in London, following on the heels of art’otel Battersea Power Station.

Sculptures and canvases by D*Face — or, Dean Stockton, a multimedia artist known for his comic strip-inspired pieces and stencil art — are splashed throughout the communal areas and guest rooms. The hotel’s signature artist has also illustrated an album cover for Blink-182, collaborated with David Beckham’s whisky brand, and bears responsibility for the city’s first contemporary art gallery. I did find myself skipping the elevator a floor to re-ride the escalator past giant comics with a touch of Roy Lichtenstein, and I was a fan of the sticker art installation behind the main bar.

art’otel London Hoxton exhibits up-and-coming artists at the Art Gallery. During my stay, an AI-driven data painting by Istanbul-based Ouchhh Studio filled the space. There are pop-up events, artist talks, and even paste-up workshops to put your name down for, as well as movie nights and meet-and-greets with resident artists. You’ll book art’otel for its flawless luxury but will also gain ample opportunities to tap into Shoreditch’s thriving underground art scene.

An art suite with a view (and a soundtrack)

Rooms are art-inspired and, as a bonus, feature great views of the city. Photo: Hannah D. Cooper

As for the sleeping quarters, I checked into a high-floor one-bedroom suite where views stretched for miles over London’s muddle of skyscrapers and churches. After navigating the dimly lit hallways, this sunny, curved corner unit gave me an instant energy reboot. Rays bounced off the leather couch and left a hazy glow over the bed where I would enjoy a soundless night’s sleep in an eye mask designed by D*Face.

Having first experienced an art’otel at the Battersea property, I was pleased to see that my room at the latest opening again came with a record player and plenty of space for boogying to Amy Winehouse. A pack of coloring pencils was an invitation to doodle — the pile of blank sheets perhaps a polite request not to take too much inspiration from graffiti artists. A tech-savvy hotel, the lights, blackout curtains (I appreciated those when the summer sun rose at 4:00 AM), and climate control are operated by a console which I, a luddite, found to be more straightforward than other hotel systems.

Dining and wellness at art’otel London Hoxton

Drink in style at Solaya. Photo: Rebecca Hope Photography/art’otel London Hoxton

Breakfast is served buffet-style at The Brush Grand Café, with an assortment of pastries alongside all the ingredients for a DIY full English. Once the morning clatter subsides, the café serves lunch and dinner out on the terrace. Solaya, the hotel’s Mediterranean-inspired bistro, is a nice spot for a pre-dinner cocktail, with live music on weekends and “Golden Hour” cocktail specials. I was a fan of the lobby lounge and its cowork-friendly vibe, with many seats occupied by laptoppers like myself squinting at our screens, or small huddles crunching numbers over coffee.

Bring your swimmers to London: art’otel has a heated indoor pool, sauna, and steam room. At the other end of the scale, the 26th-floor gym (East London’s highest) has 360-degree views over Central London. I was almost sorry for not packing my Lycra.

An alternative location for a London stay

The views are “suite.” Photo: art’otel London Hoxton

The classic London tourism circuit is perfectly doable from art’otel London Hoxton (a five-minute walk to Old Street gets you on the Northern Line, and Liverpool Street is 10 minutes on foot), but you have a clutch of offbeat attractions closer to home. Ambling down to the City of London, you’ll find the Tower of London and Leadenhall Market. Rather than schlepping west to Soho, dip a toe into Shoreditch’s quirky nightlife; Trapeze Bar is for anyone with a childhood dream of joining the circus, and Flight Club is a fun way to partake in the great British pub pastime of darts.

See what’s on at the Barbican Center, a Brutalist masterpiece with a lush tropical greenhouse (another unexpected find in London’s Zone 1). Far quieter for browsing than Covent Garden, Spitalfields Market is a 15-minute stroll, as is the Museum of the Home, an unsung cultural destination.

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