While I’ve had overnight connections in London more times than I can count, I’ve always either gone into the city or stayed at the Hilton London Heathrow Terminal 4. The Hilton is an ideal option if you’re connecting to/from Terminal 4, since it’s connected to the terminal by air bridge.
I find most of the other Heathrow hotels to just be a pain, given that they’re not connected to the terminal and don’t have complimentary shuttles.
Well, a couple of nights ago I was connecting from Terminal 5 to Terminal 3, so decided to expand my Heathrow airport hotel horizons, so to speak.
There are two Sheraton properties at Heathrow — the Sheraton Heathrow and the Sheraton Skyline, and the rate difference is generally huge. For the night I was staying, the Sheraton Heathrow was 50GBP, while the Sheraton Skyline was 119GBP.
I’d like to check them both out at some point, but I figured the Sheraton Skyline couldn’t be that much better.
And if anything I was excited to check out the Sheraton Heathrow, since it gets absolutely terrible reviews. Based on what I’ve read about it online, you’d think it’s the Hotel Carter New York.
After all, for 50GBP (~$75) including the ridiculous 20% VAT, what can you really expect?
So yeah, the hotel does look like a bit like a funeral home from the outside…
And yes, that theme continues with the elevators…
And yes, the dreary hallways with random couches are a bit odd…
And yes, the club lounge “reception” seems to be a furniture storage area of sorts…
And yes, you’d think they’d have more than a total of three tables in the club lounge at a hotel frequented by Platinum members…
And yes, the views leave a bit to be desired…
But I was actually pleasantly surprised. The room was cleaner and fresher than I expected.
And at least there was a club lounge. And restaurant breakfast was included because the club lounge is closed for breakfast on weekends.
Frankly, the most offensive part of the hotel was the grammar. Seriously, how many grammar/punctuation mistakes can you find in the below promotional poster (not even accounting for the British-isms)?
Anyone care for “mozzarella stick?” Brings back horrible memories of my college roommate who was challenged when it came to pluralizing things — “lemme get a large fry.” But the spread itself was no doubt Tesco’s finest from the freezer section.
I guess that might actually explain why they only have three tables in the club lounge, since I can’t imagine anyone actually wanting to spend any time there.
Bottom line
Anyway, the price is certainly right at the Sheraton Heathrow, and I’d return again if it made sense under the circumstances. But you can’t argue with the value as a Platinum member, and the hotel did sort of exceed my expectations.
If you’ve stayed at the Sheraton Heathrow, what was your experience?
I must admit I was full of trepidation, no dread, when I booked this place but was pleasently suprized. i have now stayed on a week day and then a weekend day. Platinum recognition has been good, staff pleasant. Breakfast in the lounge is similar to downstairs,mquite impressed there. Nibbles in the evening are mostly high calorie cholestorol packages. Bit dissapointing. Though the host is friendly and the bottomless (seemingly) poirs of red wine quite...
I must admit I was full of trepidation, no dread, when I booked this place but was pleasently suprized. i have now stayed on a week day and then a weekend day. Platinum recognition has been good, staff pleasant. Breakfast in the lounge is similar to downstairs,mquite impressed there. Nibbles in the evening are mostly high calorie cholestorol packages. Bit dissapointing. Though the host is friendly and the bottomless (seemingly) poirs of red wine quite palitable. If in need for a place to stay again at heathrow this is a good option for me.
@gringoloco what exactly about the HH Diamond benefits would the Accor Platinum benefits not get one at the Sofitel LHR? I actually think one gets more there, in addition to early check-in, late check out, club lounge access (was pretty darn nice actually for bfast, snacks, free drinks including liquor), I got upgraded to a jr. suite last time I was there and of course free wifi everywhere, no limits including in room, etc. Earning...
@gringoloco what exactly about the HH Diamond benefits would the Accor Platinum benefits not get one at the Sofitel LHR? I actually think one gets more there, in addition to early check-in, late check out, club lounge access (was pretty darn nice actually for bfast, snacks, free drinks including liquor), I got upgraded to a jr. suite last time I was there and of course free wifi everywhere, no limits including in room, etc. Earning is not what the Accor program is about though, I'll give you that.
I use Skyline when I am traveling with the kids as it's clean, has a great pool that they love and the family rooms are very good. When it's just me, I use the one you stayed in for its price.
They have invested heavily in the lobby design, and many of the rooms are good. The gym is great, and nearly always empty. They could do themselves a world of good by just...
I use Skyline when I am traveling with the kids as it's clean, has a great pool that they love and the family rooms are very good. When it's just me, I use the one you stayed in for its price.
They have invested heavily in the lobby design, and many of the rooms are good. The gym is great, and nearly always empty. They could do themselves a world of good by just redecorating the room corridors, painting over all the cracks and putting in clean carpets.
For the price I would recommend either to anyone. Just be cautious about taking a car - there are cameras at the gate and if you forget to log your licence plate with the front desk, a nice GBP50 fine arrives shortly, and if it goes to your car rental company they will add their own fee too.
@tivoboy -- I like the Sofitel tho the Platinum "benefits" don't even come close to what my Hilton Diamond status gets me at the Hilton.
But my vote for the best airport hotel on the planet is, easily, the Grand Hyatt at DFW...
I used to fly out of Terminal 4 and now 5, so I've stayed at the Sheraton Heathrow 8 or 9 times purely based on price and location. Most of the complaints are valid: long wait to check-in, tired appearance, and the lounge is pretty sad. Add to that the fee for parking IF you can find a space because of their park/fly promotions. That said the price is right, the bed is comfortable, room...
I used to fly out of Terminal 4 and now 5, so I've stayed at the Sheraton Heathrow 8 or 9 times purely based on price and location. Most of the complaints are valid: long wait to check-in, tired appearance, and the lounge is pretty sad. Add to that the fee for parking IF you can find a space because of their park/fly promotions. That said the price is right, the bed is comfortable, room is warm and quiet, and shower is good. All the basics I need and for those reasons I'll be staying again in April.
Yotel is genuinely one of my favorite places in the world to stay! But I have a strange love of small enclosed rooms!
But on a serious note, for the price and the accessibility, they can't be beaten. Plus they are super clean and super cool with the pink lighting etc.
I stayed there over 10 nights last year :-)
I agree with @David about the Sofitel. Very good rooms (including better bathrooms than Hilton) and perfect if you're leaving from T5. Not so sure if it would be good if you're leaving from T3.
Stayed there a couple times in the past based on price. It is usually fairly cheap. Rooms were nothing special and the food in the regular dining establishments I found pretty poor. Problem is getting there on the shuttle, especially in the AM when EVERYONE is trying to leave. Sometimes one has to wait for the 2nd shuttle.. or just pay for a cab.
Since then, I really only stay at the Sofitel which is quite frankly the best hotel airport on the planet..
I just stayed at the Hilton at T-5 last night. Let me just say that the hotel is wonderful. However the taxes on my award were £95 and the name is not accurate. It is NOT at T-5. It is a few Kilometers away. And no free shuttle.
@ @orlijr -- Hmm, you used an award and paid £95 in taxes? How did that happen?
We stayed there overnight a few years ago, perfectly acceptable hotel for the low price paid. Room was clean, bed comfy with strong wifi and hot shower.
Definitely better than all of the Holiday Inns, which usually costs ~100 GBP. For an airport hotel, I only care about transportation and room itself, and this one looks decent enough.
"Maybe Gary wrote the sign."
Nah, not enough random words in bold and/or italic fonts.
I've stayed several times. The rooms are OK, and the hot breakfasts are quite good. But the service is lacking. (The wait for check-in can be quite long when they only staff 2 of the 4 or 5 positions, even at peak times. And they don't offer reliable concierge type services - for example, they had no idea what my options were for getting into central London; a customer waiting in line gave me the info I needed.)
Stay at the YOTEL Heathrow next time!
@ RT -- Hmmm, that could make a fun review.
I'm not sure what to make of this honestly. £50 sounds pretty good, but I'm not inclined to stay at a hotel with bad reviews unless they've been properly addressed. Sounds like more intel is needed.
Loving the bitchiness that has crept into this post.
Hilton is nice but if I have to overnight at LHR the Sofitel is a much nicer option and it's connected to T5 by a covered walkway as well. The points options aren't as useful as Hilton but on the whole the room and service is beyond what Hilton provides at T4 and it's always my first choice.
I stayed there for just one night a few years ago and it was perfectly fine. Definitely not top-of-the-line, but for an airport hotel, it was totally decent.
It's also convenient if you ever have business at Waterside (BA's HQ), as it's a short walk away. Given that so many of the Heathrow hotels are meh at best, you might as well pocket the savings by staying here.
And I second the recommendation of the White Horse--it's only a ten minute walk from the Sheraton (pro tip--there's a sidewalk/foot path on the west side of the Premier Inn that's sort of hidden when...
It's also convenient if you ever have business at Waterside (BA's HQ), as it's a short walk away. Given that so many of the Heathrow hotels are meh at best, you might as well pocket the savings by staying here.
And I second the recommendation of the White Horse--it's only a ten minute walk from the Sheraton (pro tip--there's a sidewalk/foot path on the west side of the Premier Inn that's sort of hidden when you're coming from the Sheraton side, and isn't shown on the walking directions given by Google Maps).
@Lucky
Going out on a limb here Ben, but could the SkyGarden/SkyBar at the Skyline that is normally open all day on the weekends have something to do with the price difference?
The two hotels are much closer in price during workdays, and while rates seems lower in both during the weekend the Skyline does not go down as much.
Basically the Skyline seems to get the weekend/holiday leisure traffic and as such was...
@Lucky
Going out on a limb here Ben, but could the SkyGarden/SkyBar at the Skyline that is normally open all day on the weekends have something to do with the price difference?
The two hotels are much closer in price during workdays, and while rates seems lower in both during the weekend the Skyline does not go down as much.
Basically the Skyline seems to get the weekend/holiday leisure traffic and as such was much more expensive just after New Years.
http://assets.sheratonskyline.com/XLGallery/heathrow_airport_hotel_sheraton_skyline_pool.jpg
http://assets.sheratonskyline.com/XLGallery/heathrow_airport_hotel_sheraton_skyline_sky_bar.jpg
http://assets.sheratonskyline.com/XLGallery/heathrow_airport_hotel_sheraton_skyline_sky_bar_seating.jpg
http://www.sheratonskyline.com/en/sky-garden
Not as impressive as that hotel pool in China that you posted a while back, but still nice for LHR hotel.
The pool at the Skyline seems to be closed for maintenance until Jan 10 so you probably did not miss out on anything his trip.
But I would love to see a review of the Skyline if you get a chance to stay there, especially on a weekend.
Not bad at all. Worst part is the Hoppa Bus from LHR.
We had a stay there and our initial impression was that it was a bit of a dump but we had the best nights sleep there. I would certainly stay there again because the price is right for what you get. Lounge was a bit sad but that's a first world problem.
Maybe Gary wrote the sign.
Stay there several times as I fly I intra Europe a lot. Recently I had to fly Basel to Milan. I found tickets for under $100 from basel to LHR and then LHR to Milan. Requires overnighting at the low cost Sheraton. It's a form of hidden city ticketing if you fly intra Europe a lot. Always assuming the math works out Vis a vis Avios
Stayed at the Skyline back in September but don't recall much about it. One of those arrive at midnight gone by 5AM stays.
if you're here during the day and want to check out the Skyline, or just go for a swim during a layover, they've got day-use rates that aren't too bad, and it's a 5-minute ride on a free local bus from T-3. Both properties offer day rates, and grabbing a night rate at one and a day rate at the other grabs 2 SPG stay credits.
At the Sheraton Heathrow, they have one hallway...
if you're here during the day and want to check out the Skyline, or just go for a swim during a layover, they've got day-use rates that aren't too bad, and it's a 5-minute ride on a free local bus from T-3. Both properties offer day rates, and grabbing a night rate at one and a day rate at the other grabs 2 SPG stay credits.
At the Sheraton Heathrow, they have one hallway of rooms on the 3rd floor that are a bit nicer and bigger than the rest, wood panelled doors, etc,, and one just has to ask if they're available.
We've stayed there a few times. Their rates remain low. A few years back, the rate was + VAT, and then it changed to "inclusive". We've been able to snag these £50 rates for many years.
The lounge can get quite crowded. My guess is the emptiness is tied to the date of your visit?
It's true that the quality of the food and beverage offerings are not top notch. But the fact that I...
We've stayed there a few times. Their rates remain low. A few years back, the rate was + VAT, and then it changed to "inclusive". We've been able to snag these £50 rates for many years.
The lounge can get quite crowded. My guess is the emptiness is tied to the date of your visit?
It's true that the quality of the food and beverage offerings are not top notch. But the fact that I get these rates leaves me constrained in the complaints department. Can't grab a £50 rate and then gripe about club offerings. Room amenities were quite fine.
The White Horse Pub is just a short ride away on the free bus. http://oldenglishpub.co.uk/
The hotel is also a quick walk from the free bus stop, so we only take the Hoppa bus if it's raining.
Stayed there once, also exceeded my expectations. A suite upgrade was very appreciated - it didn't have to be a gorgeous suite, just one with a functional door between the living room (and TV) and the bedroom (where my wife was sleeping).
The bar was quite lively, great English beer on tap. I seem to remember the lounge being good for bottled water. Very convenient to Heathrow, and quite inexpensive.