The only thing worse than transiting Heathrow is having to overnight there. While the hotels aren’t all that far from the airport, almost none of them have complimentary shuttles, so you end up having to take the paid Hotel Hoppa bus (speaking of which, how do you say the name of that bus service without sounding like a complete dumbass?), which is an absolute pain. How impractical are the airport hotels? The “Hilton Heathrow T5” sounds convenient, right? I mean, the terminal is in the name, so it must have a shuttle or be walkable. Nope, instead you still have to buy a ticket and take the Hotel Hoppa to get there.
Though I think we had the ideal set of circumstances, since we were landing at terminal four and our connection was leaving from terminal three the following day. Perhaps one of the few practical airport hotels at Heathrow, the Hilton T4 is actually connected to the terminal via a covered walkway. Then the following day to get to terminal three we’d just have to walk to terminal four and take the complimentary Heathrow Express connector to terminal three. Not super-easy, but as easy as it gets at Heathrow.
Unfortunately the rate wasn’t cheap, though at least I was able to book using a cash & points award, which cost 25,000 Honors points plus £53 for the night, including all VAT.
Upon arrival from Kuala Lumpur we followed the signs towards the Hilton, which led to an outdoor walkway that was about a six minute walk to the hotel.
Terminal four arrivals area
Four minutes to go
Two minutes to go
The end of the walkway let out near the front entrance of the hotel, right near the reception desk.
End of walkway
There was a bit of a check-in queue as a major Asian airline’s crew were checking in right before us, so it took a while for the 15 (or so) of them to be checked in. It didn’t take more than 10 minutes or so till we were helped, though. Check-in was prompt, the agent thanked me for being a Hilton Gold member and confirmed we’d receive access to the executive lounge and free internet.
Lobby
Lobby
We were assigned room 587 on the 5th floor, which was towards the end of the rather long hallway.
View from the 5th floor
Executive floor
Hallway to room
Room 587
The room was on the small side at around 250 square feet, though at least nicely decorated and modern. It featured a fairly soft king size bed, a desk and TV, and a chair and table by the window.
Executive room
Executive room
Executive room
The room boasted views of the atrium. I know I’m crazy, but I love atrium facing views. I sleep better with white noise, and I find there’s usually more consistent white noise facing an atrium than the exterior of the hotel.
View from the room
The bathroom was the most claustrophobic part of the room, and featured a sink, toilet, and shower that didn’t even have a door.
Bathroom
The toiletries were Peter Thomas Roth branded.
Toiletries
Shower
It’s also worth noting that the Wi-Fi in the room was fairly fast.
The executive lounge is located on the ground floor right near the reception desk, and can be accessed via key card. I wasn’t hungry in the evening so didn’t go for the evening spread, though did go in the morning for breakfast.
Executive lounge entrance
The lounge was surprisingly large and modern, with plenty of seating both at tables and on couches.
Executive lounge seating
Executive lounge seating
Executive lounge seating
The breakfast spread was quite good as well, with all kinds of pastries, yogurt, cereal, as well as a couple of hot options.
Breakfast spread
Breakfast spread
Breakfast spread
Breakfast spread
Breakfast spread
After breakfast I used the “Living Well” gym, which is located on the ground floor. It was basic though sufficient for an airport hotel.
Gym entrance
Gym
Gym
Gym
Next to the gym was a pool, which I didn’t use.
Pool
While Heathrow Airport hotels are hardly glamorous, I have to say that this one impressed me. The rooms were comfortable and modern, the lounge was quite nice, and you can’t beat the convenience of the hotel being connected directly to terminal four. I’d return again if I had a connection involving terminals three or four.
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