The Holiday Inn Express London-Stratford is a 153-room moderately priced hotel in the town of Stratford east of London proper. Normally, for a trip to London, I’d want to stay somewhere close to the city center. But my recent two-night trip to the area was centered on attending an ABBA Voyage show. This technologically advanced concert features digital avatars of the beloved Swedish singing group. (It sounds bizarre, but the show was impressive!) The concert takes place in a custom-built arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
For convenience, I booked the Holiday Inn Express London-Stratford because it’s one of the closest hotels to the concert venue. Is it the best hotel for the ABBA Voyage show? That’s hard to say. It’s in a convenient location, the staff is friendly, and breakfast — a so-so offering — is included in the room rate. Here’s the scoop:
Modern, Comfortable Rooms
The guest rooms at Holiday Inn Express London-Stratford are basic but perfectly comfortable. I booked a room with two single beds, which ended up being two twin beds, each with its own bedding, pushed together to make a king bed (albeit with a crack in the middle). Other rooms have double beds.
As is standard in most hotels in the UK, there was an electric kettle with instant coffee and tea supplied. The bathroom with a shower (no tub) was small but sufficient.
Close to ABBA, Olympic Park
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The night of the ABBA Voyage concert, my husband and I appreciated the easy 10-minute walk to the venue in the sprawling Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. During the day, we’d wandered around this expansive green space with a river running through it.
I swam laps in the London Aquatics Centre, the Olympic site for swimming events during the 2012 Summer Olympics. It’s open to the public, and I recommend booking a lap lane if you’re a recreational swimmer looking for a way to get some exercise on your London vacation. I loved swimming in the Olympic-sized (50-meter) pool — it was fun to be a part of the community mix.
There are a handful of restaurants also within walking distance. We ended up at Abbey Tap, where the craft beers on tap were better than the pub food, but did just fine for an inexpensive meal.
We traveled to Stratford on the new Elizabeth Line from London’s Paddington Station. From Stratford Station, it’s a 10-minute walk to the hotel.
Included Breakfast in the Room Rate
Typical for most Holiday Inn Express properties, a buffet breakfast is included in the room rate. The offering at this hotel was fine — nothing to write home about. There were warming dishes with bacon, eggs, and beans, plus cereal, yogurt, fruit, toast, and pastries.
I may have been less-than-enthused about the breakfast because it was served in such a tight space to all hotel guests — which means lots of people on Saturday and Sunday mornings. While tables were plentiful in the restaurant area, the counters where food was placed were in a tiny room.
An on-site lounge serves drinks, including beers on tap, and pub-style food.
Bottom Line
For a two-night stay in the London area, where the main focus was attending a concert nearby, the Holiday Inn Express London-Stratford fit the bill. The hotel caters to concert-going folks, with a show-themed Instagram prop in the lobby and ABBA song lyrics on the wall behind the bar. At the front desk, there’s a digital display showing the walking route to the concert venue and ads for canned wine to take along the way.
It’s not the closest lodging to the ABBA arena. That title goes to Snoozebox Olympic Park, adults-only lodging in shipping containers adjacent to concert grounds. The vibe there the night of the show was electric, for sure. A lively dance space with a disco ball was rocking, as was the garden area with twinkling lights.
Perhaps if I was just taking the train to London for a concert for the night I’d stay in one of the inexpensive, compact, en-suite Snoozebox rooms, but I appreciated a little more room to spread out at the Holiday Inn Express London-Stratford.
Rooms at the Holiday Inn Express London-Stratford start at about $185. You can make your reservation directly at the IHG website or through an online booking site such as Expedia or Booking.com. Prices may increase as availability decreases in the summer months.
Review and photos by Kara Williams.
