Moxy London Stratford

Moxy is a Marriott hotel brand that is aimed at the millennial market and it is priced at the budget end of the market just above ibis budget, ibis, Travelodge and Premier Inn. It appears that Moxy is chasing the same design-focused millennial market as Marriott’s high-end W Hotels brand but Moxy’s big advantage is that millennials can actually afford to stay here.

The ground floor space, which includes the bar/reception area, features a funky interior design and it has louder music than your typical hotel lobby. In many ways, the atmosphere is like a very nice hostel with vibrant communal spaces on the ground floor where it is easy to strike up a conversation and get to know your fellow guests. This common space is split into several zones with a games area, a bar and a working space.

A major part of this space is the bar, which appeals to the hotel’s younger demographic. The bar serves a selection of snacks and light meals but if you’re hungry you are better off eating at a local pub or one of the restaurants at the Westfield Stratford City shopping centre, a five-minute walk away.

There is a bank of self-serve lockers, which is ideal if you arrive at the hotel before your room is available or if you have a late flight and need to store your bags somewhere after you have checked out.

The communal spaces are very well done and I like the idea of creating a hostel-style atmosphere in a hotel, however, some people complain that the whole vibe of the place makes them feel old.

Most of the hotel’s 294 rooms are configured as either twin or double rooms and at around 17m² (183 sq ft) they are smaller than other hotels in the Marriott stable. The rooms are designed to make the most of the smaller space and they don’t feel too cramped. All rooms are air-conditioned and have comfortable beds, large flat-screen televisions and a compact en suite bathroom. The rooms do not have tea and coffee making facilities, nor do they have much in the way of storage facilities. There are no cupboards, although there is a stand to rest your luggage on and a spot on the wall with some coat hangers to hang your clothes on.

There are also some larger premium rooms such as the Moxyfied Primo Sleeper and the Moxyfied Family Sleeper that offer a little more space at 34m² (366 sq ft).

Rooms don’t have a proper work desk either but there is a glass shelf with an ottoman that you can sit on that functions as a (very) compact desk. However, there is a business corner in the hotel lobby that is set up like a co-working space and this is the spot to head to if you’re looking to get work done. This area has a couple of iMacs that you can use if you didn’t bring your own laptop. The working space is at the quieter end of the lobby area but it is still not ideal if you like to work in silence.

Free Wi-Fi wireless internet access is available throughout the hotel.

The hotel is in the centre of Stratford in East London and it is within walking distance to plenty of places to shop, eat and drink. It is close to Stratford’s two shopping centres and many of the rooms look into the rear of the Stratford Centre, which is a two-minute walk away and the Westfield Stratford City shopping centre is a five-minute walk from the hotel.

From here it is a three-minute walk to Stratford station, which is a busy hub for DLR, Overground, Underground, Elizabeth line, suburban and regional trains. There are tube trains every two minutes into Central London on both the Central and Jubilee lines and there are 13 trains per hour direct to Liverpool Street station. Between the different tube and train lines, there is a train into Central London at least once every minute with a journey time of only 10 minutes to Liverpool Street in The City.

Stratford is also well situated if you need to get to some of London’s smaller airports with a direct DLR link to London City Airport, direct trains to Southend Airport and National Express coaches to Stansted Airport.