We’ve been to London lots of times, just never with a baby. In our most recent trip we stayed at The Wesley Camden (full review) and loved it. For this trip we wanted more space for the 3 of us. We ended up choosing The Gate London City and it was a great pick. We loved The Gate Hotel and couldn’t have been more impressed with our selection. At a minimum we wanted a separate bedroom, no one wants to wake up a baby. So I began my search for an “ApartHotel.”
Finding a hotel in most large cities that will comfortably accommodate 3 people is not an easy thing. Traveling with a baby is hard, we didn’t just want a space that would technically fit all of us, we wanted somewhere enjoyable. To make things a little harder, we wanted to stay somewhat central to London. This is a vacation after all.
Bottom Line: The Gate Hotel London City is a fantastic hotel for people who want or need a little more space. Clean rooms, comfortable space, full kitchens, and a solid location made this a perfect choice for our family trip.
The Gate Hotel London City Location
The Gate Hotel in London might claim to be in the City of London, but I would argue that’s not true. I think most people consider this to be Whitechapel. I’ve not stayed on the east side of London before and honestly I enjoyed it. From here in Whitechapel there are tons of busses and tube trains to get around London. We were also easily able to just walk to Tower Bridge and the South Bank.
The neighborhood here in Whitechapel was great. Lots of pubs, restaurants, shops, and cafes. I will say the Indian and Pakistani food in this neighborhood was fantastic too.
The Gate Hotel London City Lobby and Check-in
We checked into The Gate London pretty early in the morning. We arrived at LHR on Virgin Atlantic’s A350 in Upper Class(full review). After meeting some friends for lunch, we were able to get into our room.
As a part of the check in process, they offered us 2 free drinks from the lobby bar. We took them up on the offer and relaxed for a few minutes after dropping our bags in the room.
The Gate Hotel London City One Bedroom
We walked into our 1 bedroom and I was really pleased we chose The Gate. The room was clean, well furnished, and very large. In the room the main living area was right ahead, the bedroom is in the back on the right, bathroom is to the right along with the kitchen.
In the bedroom there was a sofa, chair, and coffee table. There was plenty of space in the room for all of our stuff, our baby’s travel stroller, and we did move the crib into this room by the window.
I’m a big fan of rooms with hooks near the door. In the winter it’s super nice to hang up coats and sweaters.
The Gate Hotel London City Kitchen
One of the biggest reasons we booked The Gate was the kitchen area. There’s a full size fridge, stove top, sink, dishwasher, and laundry.
The Gate Hotel in Room Fridge.
When traveling with a baby, having access to the dishwasher for bottles and the in room laundry was fantastic.
The Gate Hotel London City Bathroom
If I had to pick a low point, the bathrooms here at the Gate are the winner. They are perfectly clean, but the area is just a little small. I’d rather have the living space than a large bathroom, so I have zero issues.
The Gate Hotel London City Bed Room
The bedroom area is a separate room. Not huge, but perfect considering there’s an entire living space. In the room there’s a closet, TV, and each side of the bed has a night stand. I found the bed to be very comfortable and loved that we could put baby Violet down to sleep in the living room and still hangout in here.
The Gate Hotel London City Lounge and Breakfast
On the 5th floor of the Gate London City there is a lounge available to guests.
Most times of the day, there is coffee and tea available along with some soft drinks and nice sitting area to relax.
In the mornings, there is a breakfast buffet. This is not complementary, we didn’t opt to include breakfast with our room(too many other good options in the neighborhood), so I cannot comment on the quality, but the spread did look nice.
The Gate Hotel London City Events
The Gate London says they run fun events and classes for free or low cost to guests. While we were staying here, there was a free drop in Yoga Class. Val loves yoga so she went one night. She can report it was very fun and a nice little relaxing break during our vacation.
The Gate Hotel London City Final Thoughts
I loved The Gate Hotel here in London City. I’ve visited London a lot, my family lived here, I know the town somewhat well. While I will admit, this is not London City proper, I don’t really care. The location here in Whitechapel was perfect for our vacation. The neighborhood has great pubs, restaurants, and easy public transit. Getting here from LHR does take a good while, but LCY would be super easy.
I loved our one-bedroom suite here at The Gate. If you’re traveling with a baby, it is absolutely perfect. Living room separate from the bedroom is very welcome to help everyone sleep. The kitchen with dishwasher and laundry made the trip super easy with a baby.
I would absolutely stay here again. The Gate Hotel London City is fantastic for kids.
Follow Our Trip To London(with a baby)
Flight Review: Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 Upper (Business) Class. ATL-LHR