An Oasis Of Tranquillity At M By Montcalm Shoreditch London Tech City

M by Montcalm Shoreditch London Tech City officially opened its doors in November 2015 after a soft launch back in April. A stone’s throw away from Old Street Station in the heart of Silicon Roundabout, Europe’s answer to Silicon Valley, the luxury lifestyle property features an impressive and strikingly-angular architecture. It draws inspiration from the work of ‘Op-Art’ pioneer Bridget Riley, particularly Nataraja (now part of the Tate Collection) according to the designer, 5Plus.

Within this futuristic façade lies a total of 269 rooms set over 17 floors, with the interior revolving around the clever use of touchscreens, starting with large table-top interfaces which lie in the modern reception area. Check-in can be completed in the conventional way, or in-room via a host’s iPad to avoid having to queue on arrival.

We stayed in a Junior Suite (the highest classification at this property) on the 14th floor of the M by Montcalm Shoreditch London Tech City, which offered views as far reaching as St.Paul’s Cathedral and the BT Tower. The décor is made up of black, grey and white tones, creating quite a dark, but elegantly modern ambiance.

This is broken up with the very comfortable king-sized bed which is furnished with premium crisp white bedding and bright cushions.

There is also soft leather seating and a sizeable writing desk, where there is a choice of carefully selected lifestyle reading material and an “aroma box”. This diffuses basil, and orange and cinnamon scents at regular intervals, but can be substituted with other ‘flavours’ if they are not to your liking.

In keeping with the high-tech nature of this hotel, everything in the room, pretty much bar the taps, is controlled by very intuitive wall-mounted and bedside tablets, a gadget lover’s dream. From here, you can open and close the curtains, adjust the colour of the mood lighting, operate the impressive and dominant 37-inch LCD TV, regulate the temperature of the air conditioning, and the list goes on.

The Suite’s spacious ensuite bathroom also follows a black and white theme, and the powerful walk-in rain and hand-held shower is lined with a generous helping of nicely scented toiletries from the Hermès Eau D’orange Verte range, to soothe the body from head to toe.

M by Montcalm Shoreditch London Tech City is home to the largest destination spa in the area, and is the first in the Capital to partner with ila, the renowned luxury organic skincare brand. Beautifully designed with an ancient Rome-type décor to create a calm and relaxing environment, it is undoubtedly one of the hotel’s biggest assets.

The central 1.2-metre deep pool is surrounded by a Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room, as well as an array of seating and loungers.

After putting in a few short lengths, you can lie back pool-side or in the dedicated ‘Chillax area’, and enjoy refreshingly-cool water that has been subtly infused with orange segments, lemon slices or mint leaves.

When it comes to dining, there is a choice of two restaurants. The first is ‘Tonic & Remedy’ which overlooks the main reception area, and the second is ‘Urban Coterie’ on the 17th floor, the latest venture from renowned chef Anthony Demetre which celebrates all that is British. We sampled the brasserie-style cuisine of the former, in what is quite a buzzy environment that also comes complete with an open kitchen.

The number of dishes listed on the menu at this establishment is limited, but nevertheless very tasty. The serving of the courses is quite fast paced, and we started off on a light note with some snacks, namely a helping of olives (£2.50) and warm crusty Campaillou French bread with butter (£3.00), before indulging in some ‘Majors’ which took the form of a tender British Isles Fillet steak (£34.00) cooked in the Josper Grill at 300 degrees centigrade, and a soft Lemon Sole Meunière which sat on a bed of leeks, lemon thyme and large capers (£19.00). These were accompanied by small sides of spicy Devilled fries (£3.50), dressed mixed salad leaves (£3.00), creamed potato (£3.00), and purple sprouting broccoli with hazelnuts (£3.00). For the ‘Sweet Bites’, we finished with the delicious Ultimate chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream, and a freshly-prepared fruit salad.

Come the morning, and the Continental breakfast buffet is also served in Tonic & Remedy, and there is a separate menu of hot dishes such as Eggs Benedict (£12.00) and smoked salmon and scrambled eggs (£14.00) for those who prefer something a little more substantial. Otherwise, there is everything from fresh bread to cereals, to yoghurt to get ready for the day ahead.

In summary, M by Montcalm Shoreditch London Tech City is a hotel full of technological wizardry and style, and despite it only being open a short while, it has certainly made a positive long-lasting impression on us.

M by Montcalm Shoreditch London Tech City – Where and How?

M by Montcalm Shoreditch London Tech City is located at 151-157 City Rd, London EC1V 1JH, United Kingdom. For more information, or to make a reservation, call 0044 (0)800 288 8100, or visit www.mbymontcalm.co.uk. Rooms cost from £150 per night.