Urban Chic – Shaftesbury

Hotel Description

You know what? I walked past Urban Chic on Shaftesbury Avenue probably a dozen times before I actually stayed there, and honestly, I always assumed it was one of those touristy places that charge West End prices for mediocre rooms. Well, I was half right about the location – you’re literally in the thick of theatreland here – but completely wrong about everything else. This place actually gets it right.

The thing about staying right on Shaftesbury Avenue is that you’re going to hear the city, especially on Friday and Saturday nights when the theatre crowds spill out onto the streets. But here’s what surprised me: the rooms are surprisingly well soundproofed, and by 11 PM it quiets down considerably. I mean, you’re still in central London, so don’t expect countryside silence, but it’s totally manageable. The lobby has this industrial-chic thing going on – exposed brick, sleek metal fixtures, but not in that try-hard way some boutique hotels do. It feels authentic, like they worked with what was already there rather than forcing some designer concept onto the space. Check-in was smooth (I arrived around 2 PM on a Wednesday), and the staff actually seemed to know the neighborhood – when I asked about getting to Borough Market the next morning, the guy at reception gave me specific tube suggestions that saved me probably 15 minutes.

The rooms themselves hit that sweet spot between stylish and functional. Mine faced the avenue, which I was initially worried about, but honestly the people-watching was half the entertainment. You’ve got everything from theatre-goers in their fancy outfits to the usual Soho crowd heading to dinner. The bathroom was compact but well-designed – good water pressure, which you can’t take for granted in older London buildings. What I really appreciated were the little details: proper blackout curtains (crucial when you’re trying to sleep off jet lag), enough outlets near the bed, and a coffee setup that’s actually decent. The WiFi worked perfectly throughout my stay, which matters when you’re trying to book restaurant reservations or figure out tube delays.

Location-wise, you’re basically at the crossroads of everything interesting in central London. Covent Garden is a five-minute walk, Leicester Square is right there, and you can easily walk to Oxford Street if shopping’s your thing – though honestly, I’d skip Oxford Street and head to the smaller streets around Neal’s Yard instead. For food, you’ve got everything from Chinatown (literally around the corner) to some genuinely good gastropubs tucked away on the side streets. The hotel doesn’t have its own restaurant, but with this location, you really don’t need one. Parking is basically impossible unless you want to pay London parking prices, but the Tottenham Court Road tube station is maybe a seven-minute walk, and from there you can get anywhere in the city pretty easily. I’d definitely stay here again – it’s one of those places that manages to feel both central and comfortable, which isn’t easy to pull off in this part of London.

Rooms

• Standard One-Bedroom Apartment with 1 double bed and 1 sofa bed for 4 adults, 1 child
• Superior Two-Bedroom Apartment with 2 × 1 double bed and 1 sofa bed for 6 adults, 1 child
• Superior One-Bedroom Apartment with 1 double bed and 1 sofa bed for 4 adults, 1 child
• Deluxe Three-Bedroom Penthouse with Balcony with 3 × 1 double bed and 1 sofa bed for 8 adults, 1 child

Facilities