A haven of community and creativity in vibrant East London, just a few minutes walk from Canary Wharf. Stay for a night or a year and discover new faces and life-enriching experiences in London’s largest co-living space.
Whether you’re staying for a few nights or moving in for months, we want you to feel at home. Relax, work, and connect in consciously designed co-living spaces – or retreat back to your self contained studio.
Formerly operated by The Collective. [–Ed.]
Reviews please interpret per your own needs
1 star
One of the worst hotel/accommodation experiences I have had, and particularly concerning from a security perspective.
I had two separate bookings at ARK Canary Wharf. My current Sunday-to-Tuesday reservation was booked through Trip.com, confirmed and fully paid.
There was a separate £283 balance relating to an additional Saturday night. I did not refuse to pay this. ARK attempted to take the payment several times and I made repeated attempts to resolve it, but the transaction was being declined by my bank.
Despite my current Sunday-to-Tuesday booking being fully paid, ARK disabled my access. I was left sitting on the ground floor unable to access my room, the other resident areas, or any of my belongings, including high-value items. My access card was restricted essentially to the public/takeaway area while everything I owned remained upstairs.
I contacted Trip.com for assistance and even contacted the police for advice because of how the situation was being handled. Trip.com was unable to relocate me and offered cancellation/refund or the possibility of paying for alternative accommodation and seeking compensation afterwards.
What makes this considerably worse is what happened when I originally arrived.
ARK gave me access to the WRONG room. I opened the door and walked into another guest’s occupied room. The woman inside told me that I was the THIRD person who had incorrectly been given access to her room.
That is an extremely concerning access-control and security failure. Having personally been given access to another guest’s occupied room, I was then expected to be comfortable leaving my own high-value belongings upstairs while ARK prevented me from accessing them.
I also asked the member of staff dealing with me for their name or some means of identifying who was handling the situation, which they declined to provide.
This was supposed to be a business trip to London. Instead, I spent a significant part of my day sitting in the foyer trying to regain access to accommodation I had already paid for and to my own possessions. It caused considerable disruption, distress and discomfort and materially affected my trip.
To be completely fair to ARK, the separate £283 Saturday balance was outstanding. I acknowledge that and repeatedly tried to pay it. My complaint is not that ARK wanted to be paid.
My complaint is the way ARK responded: restricting access to a separate, fully paid booking and my belongings, the handling of the situation at reception, and, most seriously, the fact that they had already issued me access to another guest’s occupied room.
I have retained the booking confirmations, payment records and correspondence relating to the incident and have raised the matter formally with both ARK and Trip.com.
I would not stay here again.
I stayed at Ark Canary Wharf for two nights recently and overall really enjoyed my stay.
One thing I would have appreciated knowing before booking is that the building also operates as a co-living/student accommodation space, which wasn’t clear to me at the time. This didn’t impact my stay too much, although when I went to use the pool there were around 10 young couples hanging out and making out around the pool area, which made me feel a little uncomfortable and ultimately meant I decided not to swim.
I also found the room itself a little strangely equipped, particularly given that the property is partly an apartment/co-living building. Aside from two cups and two spoons, there was no kitchenware provided - no knives, forks, plates or glasses. I wasn’t expecting a fully equipped kitchen by any means, but a few basic items would have made the room much more practical.
The other downside was the lack of air conditioning. I understand this is fairly common in the UK and Europe, but the rooms are quite small and the window only opens slightly, so my room became extremely hot and uncomfortable. I mentioned this to reception and they were incredibly helpful, offering to potentially move me to another room with better airflow the following day, which I really appreciated.
The staff were definitely a highlight of my stay. Everyone I interacted with was so lovely, helpful and welcoming. Overall, I had a good experience and would happily recommend Ark, just with those couple of things to be aware of when booking
Amazing stay! The hotel was lovely, clean, comfortable, and the service was excellent throughout. A special shoutout to Pavani, who was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and helpful. She really went above and beyond to make our stay even better. Would definitely recommend and happily stay again!
I recently stayed for a full week at ARK while traveling through the UK and Europe, and it was one of the best accommodation choices I’ve made.
The hotel’s location is outstanding — wonderfully accessible with just a short walk from the DLR station and only a 5-minute stroll to the 24-hour Asda. For anyone on the move, this setup is genuinely ideal: convenient transport links combined with round-the-clock access to essentials make it feel like the perfect base for both short visits and longer stays.
What truly elevated my experience was the warm hospitality. I was consistently helped by Pavani and Fathima, the lovely ladies at the front desk. They are, without exaggeration, two of the most kind, caring, and genuinely welcoming people I have ever met. Their smiles and helpful attitude made every interaction feel personal and uplifting.
Another wonderful bonus of staying here is the opportunity to connect with the long-term residents — a friendly mix of students, business professionals, and fellow travelers. The building has a real sense of community that turned my stay into something far more memorable than a typical hotel experience.
Highly recommended for solo travelers, digital nomads, or anyone looking for a comfortable, well-connected home away from home in London. Thank you, ARK team — I’ll definitely be back!
I stayed at this coliving space for one year as part of a corporate booking, and overall it was a very positive experience. The team was consistently professional, responsive, and supportive, which made settling in and staying long-term both easy and comfortable.
The space itself was well-maintained, clean, and thoughtfully designed for extended stays. I appreciated the balance between privacy and community, as well as the reliable facilities that made day-to-day living convenient. Any issues that arose were handled promptly, which added to the sense of reliability and care.
Staff members like Pavani, Aravind and Amey were also very helpful and welcoming.
Living here for such an extended period, I found it to be a comfortable and dependable place to call home. I would confidently recommend it to professionals looking for a well-managed and welcoming coliving environment.
I had an amazing experience staying here. The staff was so friendly and welcoming from the moment I arrived. Everyone was helpful and genuinely seemed to care that guests had a good experience. The amenities were great, and everything was clean and well taken care of. Overall, it was a comfortable and enjoyable stay. I would definitely come back the next time I’m in the area!
We have stayed at the Ark twice now and will definitely be coming back! The staff are always so friendly and nice to chat to. Particularly excellent service from Amey, and Pavani on reception :)
We love the pool, it is definitely a highlight of the hotel! Great views and really relaxing! The classic studio has everything you’d need for a few nights stay! Also only a 1 minute walk to the closest overground station which makes getting around super easy. Thanks again :)
Really amazing place, the rooms are a good size, the bathrooms are a bit small, but honestly still lovely and clean. the staff are super helpful (shoutout amey for letting me checkout later) and we had a wonderful time. literally a 5 min walk from dlr tube station or 15 min to canary wharf, with coop and tesco express and big asda nearby so rlly convenient. interiors are lovely, and they have a large pool, cold jacuzzi, wonderful steam and sauna all available and included which was a massive bonus as the views are also amazing! studio comes w sink, microwave, fridge, freezer, comfy bed, countertop and chairs, and you can always ask for extra cutlery. only feedback was our room didn’t get cleaned but i’m sure if we asked they would’ve, and the bathroom is a bit tiny but still clean, and location is slightly far from central london (30 min by tube), but overall wonderful, and extremely affordable!!
