You can find the appropriately named Good Hotel floating on the water of the London Docklands. From the outside, it looks like a giant, floating shipping container – but as they say, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Here, the profits don’t go to owners or shareholders – they go back into the business to offer training and jobs to long-term unemployed people in the local community.
About the interior
Cosy, clean and functional rooms are the order of the day at the Good Hotel. You can’t swing a cat, but there’s more than enough space to unpack your bag, take a shower, and get a decent night’s rest. The nautical-style cabins are clever in their use of space; the bathroom doors double as the shower door, too.
The views over the river are hard to beat.
There are plenty of plug sockets for freelancers and creatives to charge up laptops, tablets and phones.
The Roof Terrace
This is by far my favourite feature of this impressive budget hotel; there’s loads of space to spread out and admire the view. From up here you get to drink in the incredible sight of the Thames, the Royal Victoria Dock (complete with canoeists and swimmers), the O2 and the Canary Wharf skyline.
It’s a great place for a morning coffee, a light lunch, or sunset drinks in the evening.
Putting the ‘good’ in a good night’s sleep
Taking inspiration from Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, the Good Hotel is owned by the Good Group – which aims to showcase a different approach to doing business, believing that all businesses should be social businesses.
This means that they work with suppliers who are local and sustainable, and support their local communities; from using the charitable brand Belu for recycled-glass water bottles, to selecting delicious produce from UK farms and London markets.
But it also means that excess profits go to The Good Global Foundation (GGF), which supports social causes all around the world. One of those is Niños de Guatemala, which provides underprivileged local children with an education. At the moment there are two primary schools and a secondary school housing over 600 children who would otherwise not have been able to go to school.
Locally, they make an impact via the ‘Good Training Program’ – a bespoke hospitality training course. The program includes three months of classroom study and paid work experience, and after graduating, every student has the chance to work full-time at the Good Hotel or with a carefully chosen partner hotels. So far they have trained more than 300 employees with a success rate (people with a job 12 months after graduating) of over 70%.
Essential info
- Price: Single occupancy rooms at The Good Hotel start from around £130 a night, but it’s worth shopping around and if possible, being flexible with your dates. I’ve previously managed to find discounted stays via Secret Escapes, and it’s worth signing up for the hotel’s newsletter for exclusive discounts or one-off rates.
- Location: You’ll find Good Hotel London by the Western Gateway of the Royal Victoria Dock. The O2 Arena, ExCeL Exhibition Centre, City Airport and Canary Wharf Business District are all nearby.
- Getting there: A recent update makes this hotel a far more attractive option for London visitors – it is now less than five minutes walk from Custom House. This station is now served by the the brand-spanking new Elizabeth line, meaning it’s a mere 12 minutes travel-time from Paddington station (and one stop away from the bars, restaurants and buzz of Soho).
- For more information, visit: https://goodhotel.co/london.
