ExCeL London

Litro_K

ExHell London? 5th December 2008

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I had the severe misfortune of having to attend a two-day conference here for work this week. The conference itself would have been absolutely fine, had it not been based at this glorified airplane hangar.

Spending a few hours here is reminiscent of being trapped in a provincial airport all day long, without the fun of a new destination awaiting you at the end of your ordeal. For starters, it is in a terrible location, reached only by a cold and ugly DLR station which doesn't even bear its name (well, not properly!) and situated opposite some particularly nasty-looking low-rent chain hotels. It doesn't help that I can't take much of the DLR, but it seemed to take absolutely forever to get there each morning. It got me thinking - what a terrible first impression of our marvellous city for visitors coming to conferences here. Even worse, what if they picked the hotels situated near to the conference centre to stay in? It doesn't bear thinking about, frankly.

Anyway, back to the centre. The rooms were shabby, cold, and noise travelled throughout the entire building every time a place took off from London City Airport. At the same time as my conference, the centre was hosting Gordon Ramsay's Taste event (how much more money/publicity does that pug-faced pottymouth need?) and a warehouse full of those depressing little metal square tables for a thousand students taking their ACCA exams. Still, it's the people who have to get up every day and come to work here that I feel most sorry for.

I could go on, but I think you get the gist. Avoid.