Review: TRIBE London Canary Wharf, Accor’s way of life model

This is our evaluate of the TRIBE London Canary Wharf lodge, a part of ALL Accor.

If you’ve by no means heard of the TRIBE lodge model earlier than, you might be in all probability in good firm.

It is certainly one of Accor’s many, many lodge manufacturers (there at the moment are over 45) however with simply 27 TRIBE accommodations at present open it will not be a model you’ve probably seen or heard of (but). The solely evaluate we have now accomplished was Conny’s go to to TRIBE Manchester Airport in 2024.

Accor describes it as a ‘lifestyle’ model which in regular English means ‘not a boring business hotel’. Increasingly, visitors are reserving accommodations not simply on location and facilities but additionally their design and the way it represents their way of life tastes.

Here’s what Accor stated when it launched the model in 2019:

“Accor’s new brand TRIBE was created in response to a simple fact: today, more than ever before, travelers seek a high-quality hotel experience at an affordable price. TRIBE aims to surprise travelers with an original, exciting and carefully curated offer that focuses on style rather than price. TRIBE is reshaping the traditional hotel experience, enabling guests to live, work and play in contemporary interiors.”

I initially thought it was similar to Marriott’s citizenM or Moxy manufacturers – comparatively primary box-rooms that supply lower-priced rooms with out utterly sacrificing character.

In reality, TRIBE sits above these, providing barely higher rooms and lodge facilities. After my keep I’m extra inclined to rank it with Accor’s Hoxton or Hilton’s Canopy model. Think metropolis accommodations with nicely designed however small-ish rooms.

Accor organized my keep for evaluate functions. The lodge web site is right here.

ALL Accor is now an American Express companion

ALL Accor has launched a serious partnership with American Express this 12 months. As we have now lined, ALL Accor Gold standing is now a good thing about The Platinum Card from American Express.

You can even convert American Express Membership Rewards factors into ALL Accor factors on the fee of three:1 – click on for particulars.

Where is TRIBE London Canary Wharf?

If you’re a Londoner you then both love or detest Canary Wharf. Located inside a loop of the River Thames, the previous docklands grew to become derelict within the Nineteen Seventies and 80s after they may not accommodate trendy container ships.

Redevelopment of the realm and your entire East End was initiated throughout Margaret Thatcher’s premiership, related to central London by way of the elevated Docklands Light Railway and later the Jubilee line and, later nonetheless, Elizabeth Line.

Initially, Canary Wharf was marketed as an space for folks to work. Large towers went up and have become headquarters to a wide range of banks, consultancy and legislation companies, given the house constraints when constructing within the historic City of London.

More lately (and accelerated by the pandemic) Canary Wharf Group has tried to diversify. Quite a lot of the current growth has been for residential towers, eating places and leisure amenities to show Canary Wharf into an all-week vacation spot and never only a 9 to 5 metropolis.

The motive folks both love or detest Canary Wharf is that it feels very un-London. I’ve associates that decision it Singapore-upon-Thames due to its mixture of towering workplace buildings, residential flats and normal 80s, 90s and 00s-vintage buildings.

It feels nearer to trendy American downtown cities than it does to central London, the place growth is far more constrained by historic streets and buildings – clear, trendy and vertical.

I’ve to confess that, on a private degree, it has by no means been for me. But staying on the TRIBE London Canary Wharf took me to a complete new a part of the event referred to as Wood Wharf. This has been beneath building since 2015 and is nearing completion, with only a handful of websites visibly empty.

I used to be pleasantly stunned by Wood Wharf. The space is far more pedestrianised than older elements of Canary Wharf, with some pretty landscaping and concrete parks between the buildings. The buildings and occupants are additionally far more diversified, with an actual mixture of residential, places of work, retail and extra. It’s truly actually fairly nice!

To illustrate my level, inside a block of the TRIBE you will have a Whole Foods Market; native London chains together with Hawksmoor, Dishoom and Tattu (nonetheless to open); a bougie Third Space gymnasium and the Troubadour Theatre, residence to the 360-degree Hunger Games play. And that’s simply what I noticed on my stroll from the DLR.

TRIBE is inside strolling distance of all three DLR, tube and Elizabeth Line stations. The Jubilee Line is closest at round 4 minutes, with the DLR and Lizzie Line barely additional. London City Airport is simply 25 minutes away.

Inside TRIBE London Canary Wharf

Even the TRIBE lodge is itself a mixed-use constructing. The lodge occupies many of the floor flooring of this warehouse-inspired purple brick constructing, along with a Dishoom restaurant. Floors two and three characteristic a Third Space gymnasium and pool, with flooring 4 – 11 internet hosting lodge rooms. The high two flooring (12 and 13) are at present out there as workplace house.

Access to the lodge is by way of Water Street, a really quiet highway. Inside, you’ll discover a big foyer with a espresso bar within the centre and the lodge’s Feels Like June restaurant occupying many of the house.

The fundamental lodge reception desk is in a nook, and it’s fairly exhausting to see whenever you first enter because of the constructing’s columns’ obscuring the view as you enter by the doorways:

I arrived with plenty of different new arrivals however managed to be seen instantly by a really softly spoken receptionist – one of many three employees members checking visitors in. Those behind me needed to wait a few minutes.

Rooms on the TRIBE London Canary Wharf lodge

If you learn my introduction to the model you’ve hopefully obtained a good suggestion of what to anticipate relating to the bedrooms. There are 312 rooms in whole however simply two room sorts: ‘Essential’ rooms at 14 sq. metres (150 sqf) and ‘Extra’ rooms at 21 sqm (226 sqf). Both of these are comparatively small, even for London.

A considerable variety of Essential rooms are inside rooms with home windows into a lightweight shaft: nonetheless, these are clearly bought as such and designated ‘Atrium view’.

I had a relatively uncommon nook room. Entrance was by way of a hall painted in a terracotta with some handy coat hooks:

It then makes a 90-degree flip with a inbuilt desk that includes a Nespresso espresso machine:

This is adopted by the small toilet, with a terrazzo backsplash and Kevin.Murphy toiletries:

and

Finally, the bed room with double-aspect views, each east in direction of The O2 and Excel and south to a few of the different buildings in Wood Wharf.

This view will, sooner or later, change: the plot instantly east of the lodge is at present vacant. For now, nonetheless, it’s a pleasing spot to observe the Thames rise and fall with the tides.

I appreciated the look of the room, which balanced some fascinating options with out being garish. The dusty olive headboard and black wooden fittings made the polished brass lights pop and even the generic lodge artwork was fairly good!

There isn’t an enormous quantity of house to unpack: within the nook is a small open wardrobe, and there’s no clearly place to set a suitcase if you happen to favor residing out of your baggage.

Also lacking, annoyingly, had been bedside tables. Whilst the headboard featured a ledge operating the complete size of the mattress, this was not a really handy place to place a glass of water or cost my telephone and watch in a single day. A small shelf on all sides of the mattress would go a good distance.

Does the TRIBE London Canary Wharf have a gymnasium or pool?

Well, kind of. Like the unique Hoxton, TRIBE has outsourced its gymnasium provision to Third Space Wood Wharf, though it’ll value you. A cross is £30 and will get you entry all day from 5:30am to 10:30pm.

Third Space, if you happen to’re not acquainted, is certainly one of London’s costliest gyms with membership charges of round £300 monthly. Think of it because the UK equal of Equinox within the US.

Wood Wharf is its latest gymnasium within the space (the primary Canary Wharf gymnasium is considerably bigger). It is in the identical constructing as TRIBE, though annoyingly you possibly can’t entry it from the lodge lifts – that you must exit the constructing and stroll round to the devoted gymnasium entrance.

The gymnasium flooring is sensible and overlooks Wood Wharf itself, and there’s a 20 metre pool, sauna, stream room, hydropool and chilly plunge out there (PR photograph above).

Is it value £30? It’s cheaper than a Third Space visitor cross (usually £40) and it does provide you with entry to correct tools relatively than a pokey lodge gymnasium. The pool and spa space do really feel similar to a 5 star lodge. It’ll rapidly add up if you happen to go each day, nonetheless.

The ‘Feels Like June’ restaurant

On the bottom flooring of the lodge you’ll discover the lodge restaurant, which is known as Feels Like June. It is described as being ‘California-inspired’ though some Tex-Mex seems to have slipped in by the cracks!

There’s a big inside eating space and bar:

…. plus a pleasing out of doors terrace, good for our present summer season climate.

Service was neither quick nor significantly proactive – emptied drinks had been left with no query of extra. Small plates are between £5 and £15 while mains are £15 to £35. The chipotle hen and prawn skewers had been highlights:

…. while the pork ribs might have been extra tender – the meat didn’t actually fall off the bone.

At breakfast time a buffet is about up inside and encompasses a number of scorching meals:

Some mini pastries and bread:

…. plus fruit, cereals, yoghurts and chilly cuts. It’s not an unlimited choice but it surely covers most bases.

Conclusion

I got here away from my first encounter with Accor’s TRIBE model pleasantly stunned. There’s clearly a distinct segment for small however trendy rooms that sit above a few of the actually primary lodge manufacturers, and I feel TRIBE does a reasonably good job of filling it.

TRIBE London Canary Wharf additionally advantages from a vibrant native space – it’s positively probably the most nice elements of Canary Wharf I’ve seen thus far, with a number of good eating places and outlets inside minutes.

Would I’ve most popular a less expensive gymnasium cross? Absolutely, though the Third Space amenities are glorious. It feels a bit like upgrading your 4 star lodge to a 5 star lodge with a correct gymnasium and pool.

Room charges begin from £175 for an Essential room with Atrium View.

You can even earn and redeem ALL Accor factors, with redemptions at the usual fee of two Euro cents per level. As of earlier this 12 months, you possibly can switch American Express Membership Rewards factors into ALL Accor factors at a 3:1 fee.

If you will have Gold standing in ALL Accor with The Platinum Card from American Express, you’ll get a assured welcome drink and 50% base factors bonus, plus potential upgrades – though that you must be practical at a lodge like TRIBE with solely a handful of room sorts – in addition to early check-in or late check-out.

You can discover out extra, and e-book, on the Accor web site right here.