The Teesside Connection - Short Breaks

Evening Gazette (Middlesbrough) 13th August 2007

Steve Race found a link with home when he spent a night at one of London latest budget hotels.

What do a chain of food shops, a trendy part of London, two lads from Teesside, Easy Jet and the latest concept in budget hotels have in common?

You’ll find the answer at The Hoxton Hotel-or to give it its proper name, Urban Lodge – which Sinclair Beecham, one of the founders of the Prêt a Manger sandwich shops, opened less than a year ago in Great Eastern Street, in between the City of London and Hoxton Square, the area which became home to many major people in the British art world in the 1990’s and early 2000’s.

At one time, the area was so cutting edge that it even had its own hairstyle- the Hoxton fin. Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst were regulars here and derelict warehouses were being converted into £1m loft apartments.

Beecham, with a slogan of “budget doesn’t have to be boring”, decided to run the hotel along the lines of Easy Jet- the earlier you book your room, the cheaper it is. As a result you can get a room for anything from £1 up through £29, then £59 and £79 to a maximum of £149.

During November there will be a special rate with many rooms available for £30 on Sunday nights. But it isn’t like a £15 a night hotel. All the 205 rooms are air conditioned and have power showers, flat screen TV’s and you get a free snack breakfast delivered to your door in the morning.

As a stop off on the way to catch an early morning Eurostar train to France it was just the job-just two stops from Kings Cross on the Tube.

And then there’s the Teesside connection. Inside the hotel, the restaurant is a separately run franchise- The Hoxton Grille- where you can have anything from a quick bite, like eggs Benedict (£6.50) or organic porridge (£3.50) for brunch, to sausage and mash for £10 and even a full dinner with wine for around £30.

The Grille is run by John Pallagi and Simon Wright – two lads who became friends in Middlesbrough in their 20’s and went on to found a successful restaurant business, including the chain Room Restaurants in Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool.

The second of their Grille brand opened earlier this year at the Balmoral Hotel in Harrogate.

If you’ve got time during your stay at the Hoxton, it’s not far from some of London’s top attractions like the Tower of London and St Paul's. And you can take a look at some other sides of the capital that you might not normally see, like Jack the Ripper’s haunts in Spitalfields or Brick Lane with its markets, art and ethnic eating places.

If you’re there on a Sunday, try the Columbia Road Flower Market-known as the sweetest smelling street in London. Not much further away is Borough Market-probably the most famous foodie market in the country.