Buckle Street Studios by Locke, Aldgate

I wasn’t sure how to write this review because most of the problems are failures of the architects. As you read this remember this building is brand new. It was opened in 2022, and I stayed there a few times between the and 2023. Issues the the building: * Walls are thin * Could hear a video playing on a laptop in the adjacent room * The furniture barely fits in the room to the point that I don’t know how they ever got it in the rooms * The architects claim to have custom-designed the furniture, so I am not sure why it doesn’t fit * There is nowhere to plug in the lamp * Bathrooms * The shower is usually burning hot and the knobs are hard to use with wet hands. * The bathroom lighting is terrible. No chance of doing makeup * The bathrooms are so poorly ventilated that mold grows is the shower * I could hear the person in the adjacent room using the bathroom * In some rooms, the keyhole for an access panel lets you see into the adjacent room * There is a kitchen but no actual ventilation * The lobby is an accessibility nightmare * There is a labyrinth of built-in furniture and displays that is annoying even without bags * The front door can’t close * The front door is heavy which is likely the reason the automatic opener is always broken * There is no ramp outside the door * There is no clear signage you can see from the main road * Most of the rooms only have 1 small window so they feel like a cave with very lights * The place is hard to find * It is located somewhat behind their other property (Leman Locke) * If there a two people you will constantly be in each others way in any of the studios. A small room in London is okay but the furniture makes it an issue. Things I like: * The location is great * The staff is always very nice * The overall concept is nice and perfect for a place like London. * The price is competitive * The towels and bedding are pretty nice for the price (excluding the pillows) * I like having a little kitchen which is not common for this market segment and location Other issues: * A lot of smaller maintenance & repairs seem to get overlooked * Most of the maintenance should have been easily noticed when cleaning the room * The guest laundry machines are dirty and smell. They use them to wash all the cleaning rags What is so frustrating is every issue was an unforced error. The ascetic of the hotel is beautiful, but it seems like no one ever thought about how someone would live in the space.

The room has a really nice style. However, functionality is poor - operating the lights is tricky (you need to get out of bed to switch off the bedside lights - and forget about shaving as the bathroom light is a joke), and the heating in the room did not work so I woke up to 16 C in the room. I almost scalded myself in the shower as the temperature handle could not be operated.