I could never have known then how massive the area’s reputation as a hi-tech hub would manifest, nor how well trodden its proximity to street-smart Shoreditch would become.

The multitude of gritty exits from beneath Old Street station (which sits under a huge roundabout) never ceased to bamboozle people; now, while still as gritty, at least there’s a little bit more to see once you make it out. This includes some staggering skyscrapers, including the building that houses Montcalm East, a hotel well suited to a forward-looking area such as this.

In fact, looks, vision, image, photography and the very notion of eyesight are core to the new ethos of the hotel. Way before it became known as ‘silicon roundabout’ (or East London Tech City, to give it its more sterile branding) and as a place for barhopping, this part of London used to be known for its myriad of pre-press warehouses, photography studios and even a hub for Brit artists such as Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, who came here for cheap-rent warehouse spaces and studios in the 1980s and 90s. The hotel is also opposite the famed Moorfields Eye Hospital, and all these inspirations have now been referenced to give it a new life.

Squire and Partners’ concept for the original M by Montcalm hotel here was completed in summer 2015 with a truly striking facade that also took inspiration from Bridget Riley, known for her distinctive “op art” – abstract art that gives the illusion of movement from the use of pattern and colour, which often conflict, emerge and overlap.

The facade of this building is in fact a triple-glazed skin enlivened with differing patterns of transparency, opacity and solidity in order to convey diagonal slopes breaking across an underlying vertical structure where manipulated light then gives even further richness to the facade.

STOREY TELLING

Behind the facade of the 23-storey building is a 288-room hotel that scored itself a new management contract within Marriott’s Autograph Collection during the pandemic, along with a reimagining of the social spaces and its entire identity by Tim Mutton’s clever Blacksheep design studio. Having bounced back to life in the summer, its new name of Montcalm East also serves to highlight the potential it holds from being in this part of the city.

One of the first optical illusions you see inside is a kind of light tunnel leading from the check-in desks to the Moor & Mead restaurant and bar and giving plenty of Instagram inspiration. The connection to the area’s photographic heritage has been bought to life with an oversized library of books (and plants) in the same area, while up on the mezzanine level, there’s the Photo Lab, a louche, red nook where photo geeks can come and play with a Polaroid gadget to print photos from smartphones, and sip limited-edition cocktails while they get snap happy.

Also on that level is a gallery home for a permanent collection and rotating exhibitions, mainly focused on black-and-white London street photography, taken by rising stars such as Amelia Shelbourne, Sabela Peinado, Brunel Johnson and Nico Froehlich, and there is an array of London-made artworks elsewhere in the hotel curated by Culture A.

Meanwhile, a collaboration with the Department of Photography at Ravensbourne University London includes ongoing residencies whereby the college’s students can use a permanent space to showcase and create work. MagCulture also curates a range of hard-to-find fashion, art and photography magazines, while Hoxton Mini Press provide a collection of books for that library.

SOFT TOUCH

Upstairs, a soft new touch has been applied to the rooms, where tactile materials and modern vibes provide a cocooning lifestyle feel. Minibars have locally sourced drinks and treats while the Nespresso machines have Flying Horse Coffee pods, roasted in nearby E8. 

Given the shape of the building, there are some pretty angular situations in many of the rooms, and with that external façade work, it’s a shame otherwise eye-catching views are sometimes obscured, but there’s still enough window for you to pin your nose against and gaze at the dazzling city lights. My suite also came with a sofa bed in the corner, while the large bathroom had the plush touch of under-floor heating.

Repositioning the hotel upwards – it seems it was something of a hot spot for Essex revellers arriving into nearby Liverpool Street station for a night out in Shoreditch – could yet prove a bit of a challenge: that was mainly the crowd having breakfast on the Saturday I was there, but these things take time. And certainly its photography and art experiences and being plugged into the local community for interesting programming is sure to draw a discerning batch of couples and mates.

And plugging into Marriott’s might will obviously also bring a new crowd; even if those guests might be here on points, rather than specifically for the hotel’s optical themes.  The food and cocktails served in the two floors of Moor & Mead – which is the result of a consultation with well-known London firm Barworks – deserve to draw a bigger crowd too, but this is a super competitive part of town. But, with standalone entrances to Moor & Mead, this should also come in time, with the bar and restaurant able to give off enough of a “for the locals” air.

I thought the upper level of the restaurant was great, with rich earthy hues, copper fittings and globe lights, with the nice lull of cocktails being shaken at the bar providing a compliment to a highly Shazam-able playlist. And I could have stared out of that jagged corner window for hours watching the world go by (Question one: who knew London buses have their identifying numbers printed on their roofs? Question two: why do SO many Deliveroo/Just Eat riders NOT wear a helmet?) as the friendly team delivered delicious food and cocktails to my table.

I pigged out on padron peppers; pea and edamame hummus, with poppyseed lavosh; and burrata, dried tomatoes, olive crumb, basil and sourdough – then scoffed an aubergine, roasted pepper and goats cheese sourdough pizza, which was perfection, and all topped off with a pretty-as-a-picture lemon pannacotta with pink pepper and berries.

Spa high-lights

What might also bring a nice new crowd is the spa – how many hotels in this part of town can boast a really decent sized pool and a host of top-notch spa treatments?

When I stayed, the spa development was a work in progress, and while the pool was wonderfully open (well, you did need to tell them what time slot you might go, in order to manage numbers) it felt like a visit to a pool in a private apartment block, rather than a consistent wellness offering. All that has now changed with the renovation of the area and the arrival of Bokeh by Montcalm East, which opens imminently.

Continuing the hotel’s photography theme, ‘bokeh’ is a term that refers to the ‘hazed, soft focus of an image’: it’s too easy a gag to say that spa treatments may leave guests feeling hazy too, given many of them are in collaboration with CBD brand OTO, but there, I said it anyway.

Sorry: we DO know that CBD is the part of the Cannabis sativa plant that doesn’t get you high (that’s the tetrahydrocannabinol bit) and is often used in so many products these days. The CBD used in OTO’s products is 100% natural, vegan and cruelty-free and treatments are centred around the brand’s three pillars – focus, amplify and balance; they start from £120. There’s also a new programme of fitness and wellness classes and further spa treatments are by Temple Spa, SkinCeuticals and OPI.

With the new people-pleasing pool and spa, great service and good food, the hotel is definitely worth keeping an eye on (groan) and its play on sight and imagery are tastefully done. And thanks to this new injection of imagination, the hotel now offers a great option for millennial-minded travellers looking for a dose of affordable luxury in a great part of London that still packs an edge suitable for Hirst, Emin and co, yet just enough gentrification not to scare the out-of-towners.

How to book it

Rooms from £199 a night, including breakfast, montcalmeast.com