Note: The Mondrian Hotel London has re-flagged (changed hotel ownership) to Sea Containers Hotel London, a boutique hotel. Post is updated to reflect new name. The design, staff and stellar service should remain.

The London hotel scene is so exciting and with each visit I’m keen to try a new property in a different neighborhood.  Despite my over twenty years of visits, I still marvel at all the new hotel discoveries to be found as the cranes continue to change the landscape of the city each day.  One newer example of the changing landscape is at the Sea Containers hotel (formerly The Mondrian London) building along the Thames Path which was redeveloped into a luxury hotel next to the OXO Tower building in 2014.  I’ve never stayed along the Thames (Southbank) or in the Southwark neighborhood so with my London New Years Eve Fireworks ticket, I booked the hotel to be close (walking) to Waterloo Bridge (fireworks “Pink Zone”) for fireworks viewing.  Originally, booking the Mondrian London Sea Containers hotel, , was simply about location but I would soon learn it was about so much more – luxury, service and rooftop views to name just a few.

Mondrian London Sea Containers Hotel Location

It really doesn’t get better than this for location in London – it’s the best of both worlds for the business or the leisure traveler.  Situated along the water on the Southbank, the Mondrian London hotel is a 10 minute walk to the Tate Modern, the Millennium Bridge (walk to The City and St. Paul’s Cathedral) or a 15-20 minute walk to iconic London attractions (i.e. – The London Eye, Westminster Bridge, Big Ben/Parliament and Westminster Abbey).

Further afield you can continue walking to Buckingham Palace through St. James’s Park.  If you choose to stay closer to the hotel then in 15 minutes you are enjoying all the food and drinks on offer at nearby Borough Market.  With views along the water and from above (rooftop bar), the location is fantastic if you like to walk.  If you want to use the underground (tube) then your choices are: Waterloo (10 minutes), Blackfriars (cross the bridge) or Southwark (10 minutes). If you want to use the bus system, then you walk to the end of the road. For me, walking everywhere is key to having a great London experience (tube, bus and taxi access doesn’t hurt either).

 

Early Morning Arrival – Sea Containers Hotel

My taxi was met and I was immediately welcomed to the hotel by the friendly doorman who collected my bags and walked me inside to the front desk.  I didn’t expect much at 8 a.m. on a Saturday as the normal check in time is at 3 p.m., but lucky me as it was a holiday weekend (New Year’s), I was able to get assigned a room immediately which was unexpected but happily accepted (This alone made me an instant fan of the hotel customer service). While I wasn’t on the 8^th floor as originally assigned, I was in the same room category (standard guestroom) on the 4^th floor.  Since I didn’t book a water view of the Thames, I didn’t care about the change,  I was just thrilled to get into the room early after my overnight flight PHL-LHR on BA.  The bellman gathered my bags back from storage (he was surprised too) and walked me to my room.  Inside he walked through all the bells and whistles, buttons and minibar options.  He was quite thorough, I was quite sleepy.

Lobby of Activity

The lobby has a few aspects to it – the vast entry filled with art, seating areas and the front desk with the concierge desk in its own corner.  The curved hull of a hallway is a nod to the ships of the past while the nautical reminders are under glass in another part of the lobby. Another lobby welcomes you from the Thames waterside with plush and colorful furniture and food/beverage service. With a cheeky sign you can go left to the restaurant or go straight to the other lobby and bar/restaurant or downstairs to the cozy Curzon movie theatre on site (56 seats is basically a private screening room).  So this isn’t a quiet or empty lobby, it’s full of activity day and night with locals and guests which creates a nice buzz and fantastic people watching.

The elevators are security accessed by room key card. During the busy New Year’s Eve weekend, the hotel security was throughout the lobby ensuring a pleasant night for guests and visitors. While the elevators are filled with fun art pictures and music in the background,  the guest floor hallway is grey and dark. A bit of a contrast similar to the elevator bank which was dark and led to a beige settee and blue globe artwork on the 4th floor before I walked around the building and down the hall to my room.

My Standard Room at Sea Containers Hotel London

When I opened the door to the room, I walked into a rather large room (for London).  The color scheme of grey, white with a few pops of color was soothing. I didn’t much like the color form art (showing my age) on the wall preferring a nod (or two) to the origins of the building, Sea Containers, and its maritime history or to the artist Mondrian whose art is full of color. It’s only because I’m on an art kick to give the guest some insight into the history of the property and/or city that I feel many hotels woefully ignore this detail in room and in the hallways.

 

Video Tour of Standard Room at Sea Containers London Hotel

 

The modern room was filled with all the standard and expected features – flat screen TV, working desk, modern desk chair (funky and functional), seating area, and minibar.  The closet was modified with a curtain instead of a door and had the expected safe, ironing board, etc. but was missing slippers and a robe (you can request these as they are standard with higher room categories).  The closet had a few hangers and drawers – just enough space.  For someone who just left the airport an hour ago after an overnight flight, the bed was very welcoming.  While I could have slept in a corner at that point, I really enjoyed falling into the comfort of the bed.  It was easy to get a good night’s sleep after covering a few of the glowing buttons in the room.

The minibar was quite impressive with crystal leaded glasses, a variety of liquors, snacks and other instant wants/needs. While many hotels are getting rid of the minibar, the Sea Containers Hotel London celebrates the lifestyle of fun entertainment in the lobby, in the roof and on the rooftop at the Rumpus Room.

The hotel, like many in London of late, offers a free smartphone to use during your stay.  The phone can be used outside the property and is filled with many apps and information that can prove useful to visitors who don’t want to use their own smartphones and incur exorbitant international data fees.  I’ve test driven the phone at a different hotel and found it quite useful, however, my unit at Mondrian had issues that needed to be reset so I didn’t use the amenity this visit.

The Bathroom at Sea Containers Hotel in London

With a large walk-in shower containing a rainfall option and Malin + Goetz amenities, it was refreshing.  There were many towels and good water pressure.  The standard room does not provide a bathrobe but the concierge, front desk or housekeeping can easily arrange to have one delivered.

Sea Containers Restaurant

With the holiday weekend afoot, the restaurant was serving a buffet only breakfast (no ala carte) and a special menu on New Year’s Eve so I wasn’t able to eat here until they had an ala carte option to address my food allergies and intolerances.  For breakfast, they have a lovely buffet full of standard European and American foods.  I ordered ala carte and really enjoyed my pancakes and (streaky) bacon.

The Rumpus Room at Sea Containers Hotel London

There’s a rooftop bar in London – how fantastic!  I did a quick walk through as I didn’t feel like drinking alone in a full bar – I was feeling a bit shut out honestly looking at all the New Year’s Eve couples and groups so I think this may have been just timing for me.  The space serves small bites and a lengthy cocktail list.  My draw was the outside space with heaters, blankets and gorgeous nighttime views of the river and St. Paul’s Cathedral.  Local friends say that the Rumpus Room is a lot of fun to visit so next time I’ll give it a go.

Sea Containers Hotel London – Room Service

Given it was New Year’s Eve dinner and the majority of restaurants in the area were closed or on a pre-fixe set menu, I was relegated to using room service for dinner which was fine as the menu had a good variety of options.  The delivery fee was £3.50 and the service charge 12% (not too painful).  I ordered a burger with chips (fries) and a glass of wine (budget buster).  I was told 30 minutes and the food arrived on time, was well presented and tasted even better.  It was a good fuel for my late night sitting on the Waterloo Bridge waiting on the fireworks.

Sea Containers Hotel Spa and Gym

I had good intentions and even brought my gym clothes but honestly never got around to booking a spa treatment (lots of good options) or found my way to the treadmill (I was walking hours a day in the city already).  The spa is quite posh and the gym a good size.  To access the gym, you need a hotel key card.

New Year’s Eve Fireworks at Sea Containers Hotel London

The area around the hotel is closed for New Year’s Eve and there is added security in the area and hotel.  At check-in, I was given special wristbands to wear on New Year’s Eve to show that I was a hotel guest and could access the area.  The hotel also left an instruction sheet about New Year’s Eve in the room with all the “need to know” stuff. I didn’t need to show my wristband to any local police on the closed roads but did show it to hotel staff when I returned after the fireworks.  Given the crowds in the area, this security was welcomed.

Sea Containers Hotel London – Concierge

Prior to my stay, I emailed the hotel for suggestions and the Concierge was spot on with recommendations.  The key one was Borough Market about 15 minutes’ walk from the hotel.  I hadn’t been to Borough Market in years so revisiting was special way to get a feel for the Southwark neighborhood and explore the newest food options in the city.   When I was onsite, the concierge desk was generally staffed by two people all day and night.  I always stopped by to say “hi”, ask for directions, options and opinions.  They were friendly and always quick to pull out a Mondrian card and not only write down the suggestions but draw a quick map to take with me.  This is service that is often lost today with apps and smartphones so the personal interaction was most welcomed.  I requested slippers and they were quickly delivered.

Overall – Sea Containers Hotel London on the Thames

While I originally thought the Mondrian London (now Sea Containers Hotel) was a great location for the London Fireworks (it was perfect), I was really impressed that my expectations were exceeded from beginning (reservations) to end (check-out). The service and experience was seamless – as a guest, I felt welcomed the entire stay and that’s not that easy to do nowadays.   It wasn’t easy to get through the lobby or a door without a greeting.  While the hotel has a good amount of rooms (359,  many with river views), it never felt massive, it really did feel boutique small-ish.  I met friends in the lobby for drinks/coffee as if I was entertaining at home.  When the only compliant I had the entire time was the quality of the tissues (I have allergies and my nose would have liked softer option), then you know that this hotel is now joining my list of favorites in London.  The Sea Containers Hotel London (formerly Mondrian London Hotel) is a luxury stay in terms of service, design, experience and destination – the Thames view and location is just a bonus!