The Stratford Hotel

Mixed experience really. The hotel itself is very nice in terms of accommodation and the staff are lovely, but there are quite a few frustrating details that let it down. There’s no swimming pool or spa, and the gym is extremely basic. The ladies on reception were genuinely warm and welcoming, however finding reception in the first place was surprisingly difficult. It’s tucked around a corner behind the bar and far from obvious, so you initially end up trying to check in at the bar itself. The rooms have lovely décor and the hotel overall is beautifully designed, but there are some baffling practical issues. Whoever installed the toilets has fitted them at what can only be described as midget height — you genuinely feel like you’re sitting on the floor. It’s hard to understand how this wasn’t picked up when the rooms were originally signed off before being rolled out across the hotel. There’s also a shaver socket with no shelf beneath it, just a sheer drop to the floor, which feels poorly thought out. The bathroom lights seem impossible to fully switch off regardless of which switch you press, and there’s no master switch by the front door, which makes leaving the room unnecessarily irritating. No complimentary water was provided in the room, and there are no prices displayed on the minibar items, although we later discovered these can be found via the TV. The bathroom door also sticks badly and drags along the carpet, making it awkward to close properly. The in-room advertising mentions a “seed garden”, which sounded lovely, but apparently no longer exists as the space has now been taken over by a sushi outlet or similar. Breakfast was honestly one of the worst hotel breakfasts I’ve ever had, although oddly it’s difficult to pinpoint one specific reason why. Everything was just bland, flavourless and oddly uninspiring. Some of the egg dishes, including a tofu option, were genuinely unpleasant. The juices and smoked salmon were lovely, but there was very little else on the savoury buffet to actually pair them with. The cooked breakfast items were poor enough that it’s hard to imagine any decent chef being happy for them to leave the kitchen. Even the tiny fruit juice glasses became irritating after a while. That said, there were definitely positives too: • Beautiful art feature in the courtyard • Very dog friendly - they made a real effort with bowls, food and a bed for our dog, which was a lovely touch • Excellent blackout curtains that worked very well • Beautiful interior design throughout the hotel • Very comfortable bed and pillows

The hotel itself is lovely as are the rooms. Very clean and well kept, bonus was breakfast where you can help yourself to continental but order your hot food off the menu. I recently had an issue after my stay but this was rectified by the reception manager Djahid who was very professional and helpful he also called back when he said he would which i appreciated and my issue was resolved.

Our stay at The Stratford, Autograph Collection in London was exceptionally convenient and comfortable, making it an excellent choice for families. The location is a major highlight. The hotel is extremely well connected, with multiple Underground lines and the Elizabeth Line providing quick access to central London. We arrived via Eurostar from Brussels to St Pancras, then took the Southeastern High Speed train just one stop to Stratford International. From there, the hotel was literally a 10-step walk which was hard to beat in terms of ease. Also, it’s also connected to Heathrow Airport by train directly. Right next to the hotel is Westfield Stratford City, one of the largest shopping malls in London. Having supermarkets, a food court, and plenty of shopping options just steps away made our stay very convenient, especially for a family. We stayed in a family room with two double beds, which is surprisingly rare to find in London. The room was clean, spacious, and very comfortable for our family of four. We stayed for six nights and enjoyed consistently good sleep, along with thoughtful touches like complimentary refilled water. Breakfast was included and offered a solid range of options throughout the day, including coffee, tea, juices, bread, fruits, and salads, which was more than sufficient for a family. A particularly thoughtful gesture was on our departure day: since we had an early morning flight, the hotel prepared takeaway breakfast packs with food, drinks, and fruit for us to enjoy on the way to the airport. Overall, The Stratford combines excellent transport connectivity, family-friendly accommodations, and attentive service. Highly recommended.

Really small point with a slightly large impact. Came in for a tea. The pot had no lid! I know amazing. Last week we had a glass t pot and this week they said that the company had got rid of them and no lids on any pots! Really? 5* more like 1* hotel. Come on now. Get your act into order. Tea goes cold and that’s why you have lids to keep heat in! I know - I did say it was a small point!

Stayed here as attending the ABBA voyage show and they do a package which included b&b and taxi to and from arena as well as a discount on food. We were upgraded to a junior suite which was huge. My bugbear now is why do all hotels have pod coffee machines and no sachets of coffee. I hate pod machine coffee. Grr. The hotel was busy with football fans on Saturday and service was a bit chaotic. We asked for a menu for some food, person serving disappeared and never came back so we went into Westfield instead. Dinner was ok, pizza was excellent and staff were efficient. Breakfast decent amount of choice only downside avocado smash clearly kept in the fridge so poached eggs were stone cold. Not sure we’d stay here if it were not for ABBA as not really much to do in the area so need to train or tube to get around.