More about The Stratford

The Manhattan Loft Corporation, the firm which introduced loft living to the UK in 1992 and more recently gave the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel its remarkable makeover, is behind The Stratford, a stylish 150-room hotel which occupies the seven lower levels of the 42 storey Stratford Skyscraper. The striking double-cantilevered tower has been designed by architects SOM who were also behind the Burj Khalifa and One World Trade Centre. The mixed used development comes with three 'sky gardens', one on the 7th floor, a second on the 35th and a third on the 36th floor, ensuring that residents are never more than nine stories from an outdoor space. Sharing the use of communal spaces with residents of the 34 storey tower above, hotel guests have access to a swimming pool, spa facilities, daily yoga classes, meeting and conference spaces as well as an external roof garden that overlooks the Olympic Park. Restaurant offerings include Allegra on the seventh floor from ex-Chiltern Firehouse chef Patrick Powell and the ground-floor brasserie from Ben Harrington, formerly of Soho House. The Sunday Times Style Magazine says, "if anyone can rekindle our love of tall buildings, it's Handelsman", the legendary founder of the Manhattan Loft Corporation. GETTING THERE: The site sits to the immediate north of Stratford International rail station and the Docklands Light Railway giving excellent transport links.