The Wharf's newer hotels, scored on the bar, the lobby and the late arrival

Three tests, not thirty

Hotel reviews measure the bed, the shower and the breakfast. An evening booking asks different questions, and after enough nights on the estate the desk has boiled them down to three.

First: Tribe, for the bar

Tribe London Canary Wharf is the design-led newcomer near the squares, and it takes first place mainly on the strength of its ground floor. The lobby bar is the hotel's living room: low lamps, plenty of texture, people working on laptops until six and then, quite suddenly, not working at all. It is an easy place to meet, because everyone in it is also meeting someone.

Privacy comes from that crowd. A companion arriving at half past seven walks into a room full of people arriving at half past seven. For late arrivals it is a short walk from the estate's stations, and a cab reaches it without navigating half the Wharf. Rooms are on the compact side, as the brand intends, which suits a two-hour visit better than a long weekend.

Second: the Novotel on Marsh Wall, for what is upstairs

The Novotel London Canary Wharf is a large, efficient hotel on the south side of the dock, and it would sit in the middle of any ranking were it not for its top floors. Bōkan occupies them: a restaurant, a bar above it and a terrace at the summit, looking north over the water at the towers and east along the river. As a place to begin an evening, few rooms in E14 compete.

The lobby is large and full of conference guests, which helps. South Quay on the DLR is a few minutes away, the footbridge brings the estate within easy walking distance, and Marsh Wall is simple for a car at any hour. Nearby, the Hilton London Canary Wharf offers the same practical strengths without the view, and is worth knowing about when the Novotel is full.

Third: the InterContinental on the Peninsula, for looking back

Across the river on the Greenwich Peninsula, the InterContinental London The O2 is the choice when the evening includes a concert at the arena next door, or when a guest simply wants to see the towers rather than sit among them. Its bar high in the building faces the estate across the water, and the night view from there is the one on the postcards.

North Greenwich sits a single Jubilee line stop from the estate, so the Wharf is never far away. The lobby is enormous and anonymous, which scores well for privacy. The one weakness is the crowd after a big show, when taxis are scarce and the station is packed; on those nights, ask for an arrival well before the doors open or well after the encores.

Fourth and fifth: afloat and ashore at the Royal Docks

Sunborn London is a superyacht turned hotel, tied up on Royal Victoria Dock within a short walk of the ExCeL halls. Nothing else on this list is as unusual, and for a guest at an exhibition it turns a working week into something with a story attached. The bar and dining room on board look across the dock to the cable car, and late arrivals are straightforward, since Custom House has both the DLR and the Elizabeth line.

On the same dock, the Aloft and the Crowne Plaza London Docklands are the practical alternatives in show weeks, when everything near ExCeL fills early. Neither is new in the way Sunborn is, but both handle a visitor at ten at night without any fuss. The Royal Docks lie in Zone 3, so the fare for a cab there and back is quoted to you before you confirm; the Royal Docks and ExCeL page has the stations and walking times.

Sixth: Stratford, for the longer stay

In Stratford, The Stratford hotel occupies part of Manhattan Loft Gardens, the tower with gardens cut into its sides, and the Hyatt Regency and Hyatt House stand together a short walk away beside the Olympic Park. They rank last here only because they are the furthest from the Wharf. For a guest whose week centres on the park, the theatres or the shopping side of Stratford, they rank first.

Stratford is east London's great interchange, where the Central line, the Jubilee, the Elizabeth line, the DLR and the Overground all meet, so a late arrival is easy from almost anywhere. The Stratford page lists the hotels by the park, with stations and walking minutes.

Booking any of the six

The process never changes with the hotel. Tell the desk which hotel, what time, and how many hours. Philippa replies with a companion's name and the fee, then checks, once, whose name is on the reservation and which room it is. You receive an arrival time, and she keeps it. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels; they are simply where our guests stay, and she walks in as a visitor.

For a first drink in the bar followed by the room, the hotel visit after the close page covers the timing. For a guest staying several nights around an exhibition, the show week format keeps the same companion across the evenings.

Our suggestions: Tiffany, who keeps a running list of London's best hotel lobbies, for Tribe; Jasmin, who claims the corner seat at Bōkan whenever it is free; Vanessa for Sunborn during an exhibition; and Sonya for Stratford, where the new dance theatre sits by the park. Tiffany, Jasmin and Sonya are among our petite companions. Every length is priced on rates.