The best London airport hotels
An expert guide to the top hotels near London's airports, including the best for airport parking, early and late check-ins, comfy bedrooms, airport transfers and convenient shuttle buses, in locations including Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted and Luton airports.
Stansted
Radisson Blu Hotel London Stansted Airport
Stansted Airport, Essex, England
8Telegraph expert rating
Located less than a five-minute walk from Stansted airport’s main terminal, the hotel is reached using a series of conveniently sheltered walkways. The Radisson Blu may not be characterful but it gets top marks for its natural and contemporary style. The spacious lobby is decorated in warm yet muted colours that are characteristic of a hotel of this kind. In the bedrooms, the gloriously comfortable beds and full-proof black-out blinds mean a good night's sleep is pretty much guaranteed. Read expert review From £83per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Gatwick
Springwood Guesthouse
Gatwick, West Sussex, England
9Telegraph expert rating
This spacious guesthouse close to Gatwick airport offers holiday parking and good road and rail links. Guest are assured a friendly, professional welcome and international visitors can relax in the knowledge that owner Sue has all bases covered in terms of airport transportation and local tips. All have good natural light and most have built-in wardrobes. Tea and homemade cake is offered on arrival, and at afternoon tea, in the reception-cum-lounge area. For breakfast, dining-room tables were attractively set with white cloths, flowers and Art Deco China. Read expert review From £58per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Bloc Hotel Gatwick
Gatwick, West Sussex, England
8Telegraph expert rating
For anyone flying into or out of Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal, you couldn’t be closer. Rooms are modern and tech-advanced, with dangerously comfortable beds and an intuitive use of limited space. Service is quick and as self-sufficient as possible, making this a convenient pitstop for those rushing off to early morning flights. The hotel has been built within a four-floor, converted office block above the South Terminal, according a rather corporate feel. The elimination of any unnecessary space is in fitting with the Japanese capsule-hotel concept upon which the BLOC hotels are based. Read expert review From £66per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Sofitel London Gatwick
Gatwick, West Sussex, England
8Telegraph expert rating
Connected to Gatwick Airport’s North terminal, the hotel offers easy access to flights from both North and South terminals. Interiors offer refined comfort for guests on the move. It's lacking in personal touches, as expected, the neutral primary colour-scheme runs throughout the hotel. The expansive lobby is a pleasure on arrival, creating an open, airy atmosphere. Beds are wonderfully large and dominate the standard rooms where huge floor-to-ceiling windows allow tons of natural light. Read expert review From £103per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Hampton by Hilton London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick, West Sussex, England
8Telegraph expert rating
For its purpose, the hotel is brilliantly situated: it is connected to the North Terminal and a short, free shuttle ride from the South Terminal, meaning guests can be at breakfast one minute and at the check-in desks moments later. The hotel's public areas are clean and modern featuring slim pale wood chairs, origami-style light shades and a slick white-bar with high stools in the bar/reception area. The 182 rooms are basic but have comfortable beds with a choice of pillows, alongside televisions and sufficient table space for working. Read expert review From £105per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Yotel Gatwick Airport
Gatwick, West Sussex, England
8Telegraph expert rating
There are no outside windows in the cabins, but as the hotel is somewhere beneath Costa Coffee in the Arrivals Hall of South Terminal. A single cabin (there are twins and doubles, ‘standards’ and ‘premiums’) looks like a couchette in a train with an upper bunk, at the end of which is a TV with full entertainment system. If you are feeling too dozy to cope with the automatic check-in, help is on hand and a varied menu is on offer in the restaurant. It offers pretty good value for money too, from around £50 per night. Read expert review From £52per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Heathrow
Sofitel London Heathrow
Heathrow, England
8Telegraph expert rating
This is the only on-site hotel at Heathrow Terminal 5 and easily the best and most convenient place to stay before an early check-in or if arriving late at the airport. This is an unusual design – the building is arranged in a series of rectangular glass atriums, which are divided by the main accommodation blocks. Rooms have plenty of space and space to work or relax. Bathrooms a little compact but have all you need for a night’s stay. As you might expect in an upmarket, French-run hotel, food is a priority, and the main Belle Époque restaurant serves serious cuisine in a contemporary setting under one of the atriums. Read expert review From £135per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Hilton London Heathrow Airport
Heathrow, England
8Telegraph expert rating
This Hilton is the only hotel with pedestrian access to Heathrow's Terminal 4. A calm atmosphere pervades at this contemporary-looking hotel, glossed with a touch of glamour. Built in the 1990s, the property is centred around a glass-sided atrium, the ground floor of which is taken up by a check-in area, open-plan restaurants and a bar. Frosted-glass lifts connect with overhead walkways that lead to the guestrooms. For an airport hotel, it offers an impressive choice of bars and dining options. There's also a health club with a relatively small but pleasant indoor swimming pool. Read expert review From £108per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Park Inn by Radisson London Heathrow
Heathrow, England
7Telegraph expert rating
Half a mile from Heathrow Terminal 1, it’s a 10-minute ride by Hotel Hoppa shuttle every 15 minutes. Friendly, helpful and pleasant staff help transform the place from just another airport hotel. Even the standard rooms are big, airy and tasteful, with pale walls, sage green doors, simple wooden furniture, nicely understated use of colour in the fabrics and fittings, and large contemporary bathrooms. Read expert review From £62per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Yotel Heathrow Airport
Heathrow, England
7Telegraph expert rating
Located at Heathrow Terminal 4, landside. Functional, capsule-style accommodation with the added bonus of an en-suite. Cabin windows look out on to the narrow corridor with its omnipotent Yotel-purple glow. Some may find the absence of natural light off-putting. Rooms are bijou and spotless and for those carrying minimal luggage there is somehow a place for everything. The rain shower and complimentary body wash were unexpected extras. Read expert review From £78per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Hotel ibis Styles London Heathrow Airport
Heathrow, England
8Telegraph expert rating
A budget hotel overlooking Heathrow. This aviation-themed ibis Styles outpost offers character, comfy beds and decent food to those who need to stay overnight near the airport. Though ibis Styles is a chain, each branch is individually-themed. This one opts, understandably, for an aeronautical focus. Hot air balloon-shaped lamps and cloud-motif wallpaper set a likeably wacky tone downstairs, while chrome minibars are modelled on hostess trolleys and bathrooms feature cheerful prints of animals peering at you through airplane-style portholes. Read expert review From £50per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
London Heathrow Marriott Hotel
Heathrow, England
8Telegraph expert rating
Modern, conveniently located for Heathrow, and offering comfortable deluxe rooms for a restful night’s sleep despite its proximity to one of the world’s busiest flight hubs. This large hotel (391 bedrooms) stands out from some of its drab, monolithic rivals thanks to a modern build and a huge 20ft high lobby. The feeling is corporate, bearing the Marriott stamp, but many guests will find the “no surprises” approach reassuring. Refurbished bedrooms in particular offer high standards of comfort and the feel is far from cookie cutter. Read expert review From £99per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Luton
ibis London Luton Airport
East, Luton, England
7Telegraph expert rating
Situated on the main roundabout linking London Luton Airport to the A1081, the ibis is just a 10-minute walk, or short taxi ride, to the departure lounge. As the second closest hotel to the airport, it is a convenient option for pre- or post-flight stays. Refreshingly contemporary in its design, the open-plan lobby combines bright colours with pleasantly modern furniture. Although slightly reminiscent of Ikea furniture, the creative use of patterns on various surfaces makes it more interesting. The plentiful staff are sincere and patient. Read expert review From £47per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Holiday Inn Express Luton Airport hotel
East, Luton, England
7Telegraph expert rating
The closest hotel to Luton Airport, you don’t come to the Holiday Inn Express for forward-thinking design and fine dining: this is a place to rest your head before an early flight. Rooms are clean, the lounge/bar is bustling, breakfasts are served from 4am and it’s just a 10-minute walk to the terminal. Rooms are clean and they do the job. There’s even a ‘pillow menu’ (soft or firm), and the usual features such as TV and tea and coffee-making facilities. The lounge/bar area bustles with a mixture of excited pre-holiday teens and children and delayed passengers chatting and drinking to a background of chart hits. Read expert review From £64per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
