Anonymous User
September 10, 2025
We stayed at the Wilde Aparthotel Aldgate Tower Bridge for two nights at the end of August and had a rather underwhelming experience. We expected more from this hotel, judging by its ratings online. As Coldplay was in town (our reason for visiting London), prices were higher than average.
The hotel is a five-minute walk from Aldgate East and about eight minutes from Aldgate Station. Liverpool Street Station is technically in walkable distance aswell, though taking the bus there is easier, with a stop right in front of the hotel. I wouldn’t recommend walking to Whitechapel for the Elizabeth Line – the walk felt long, annoying, and unsafe. Also, avoid walking further down the road toward McDonald’s after dark – sketchy atmosphere, and we saw two police scenes within those five mins of walking. Walking to Aldgate or Liverpool Street is safer.
The arrival was.. odd. No one greeted us, and we waited in the lobby for several minutes before someone finally helped us at a not-so-clean high table. The staff member seemed demotivated and spoke very quietly, though check-in was quick. Unfortunately, we were charged twice despite prepaying nearly a year earlier through a third party. This was resolved after I spoke with the manager, but I was surprised it was marked as a “user error” on our invoice, and no small gesture like waiving the early check-in fee was offered for the inconvenience.
We were given a room on the 9th floor. The corridors are dim, with black walls and stuffy air despite it being just 22 degrees outside.
The “triple room” is simply too small for three adults. The storage areas under the twin beds is smart, and there is a small wardrobe with two drawers, but oddly no safe to store your valuables. A table and chair cramped the room unnecessarily and looked cheap compared to the rest. The sofa bed was decent but had a pretty thin mattress and annoying metal railings that can be a little annoying when standing up / lying down; there was also no nightstand, only a photo shelf right above it where you really can’t put anything.
The kitchen area becomes very narrow once the sofa bed is pulled out. The fridge and sink were great, but the bins were tiny and filled up after just one day. The bathroom was also cramped, with practically no counter space. No toothbrush cups, Q-tips, or cotton pads were provided – unusual for a 4-star property. The soap dispenser was nearly empty and even fell out of its holder, and none of the dispensers were secured/locked, which isn’t hygienic (most hotels have that nowadays, for a reason!). We didn’t know where to go with dirty towels as there was no designated spot for them and no space. The heated towel holder being *right* next to the toilet is weird and inconvenient.
We had the AC running for hours & hours on end, yet it barely managed to cool down the room to an acceptable temp. At least it was quiet enough to keep on at night. The TV had few channels but casting worked very well. Light controls were fine, and the blackout blinds were excellent– also essential, since the windows aren’t tinted from the outside.
On the positive side, the room was clean, beds were comfortable, and it was quiet at night despite the hotel being full. We skipped breakfast as there are better options near Liverpool Street Station that we wanted to try out.
All in all, our first ever stay at a Wilde property was just okay. The location is central but not particularly the nicest, the staff lacked warmth, and the triple room was way too small for three adults. It should not be sold as a triple for three adults and would be better suited for parents with a small child. I imagine the higher room categories might do a better job of accommodating three adults.
We had what we needed; a clean room with good public transport connections. However, we wouldn’t stay here again as there’s better options out there.
