Get a good night’s sleep before you fly!
Gone are the days when I would prefer to stay on a bench in the airport rather than pay the extra for comfy bed in an airport hotel. If you’ve never tried it then you won’t know what I am talking about, I urge you to book a hotel next time and see the difference it makes! My first experience was at the Crowne Plaza London Heathrow before I hopped on an early morning plane to Thailand, usually I would have arrived that night and found a place try to get some sleep in the airport (which is usually impossible) but I decided that a good sleep was in order before a long haul flight. Let me tell you that when you wake up feeling fresh, have good shower, eat some breakfast and hop in a complimentary bus to the airport it makes every penny feel worth it. There’s no rushing around, no panic and you are certainly ready for your flight.
If you are travelling with a family then choosing an airport hotel is really a no brainer, drive up the night before, park your car at the hotel and head off on holiday it really doesn’t get much easier than that. If you want it to be even easier then book a car to take you there, I used a car service in Birmingham to get to the airport and it was amazing! The kids are happy after a good sleep and won’t be acting up on the plane, you won’t be scrambling for the bags like usual when your heading for an early flight and you get to leave your car at the hotel the whole time you’re away! To see just how good a deal you can get take a look at the Holiday Inn London Heathrow Ariel, a favourite of my brother and his tribe when ever they jet off to the sun.
Now I know that everyone should try it at least once, after that they’ll be hooked, so here are three things that I learnt along the way when I was booking my airport hotel stays. Trust me they will help you when you make your selection. If you have your own booking tips then just enter them in the comment section below, I think it’s great when we can all share our ideas!
Make a list of the hotels you like
You should always narrow down your search to make sure that you find a hotel that suits you. Finding one that is close to the airport is a must, then you need to consider what other things you are looking for; pool, gym, free wifi, breakfast etc. If you are flying out of Heathrow then I can personally recommend the Holiday Inn London-Heathrow M4, Jct.4, the place has everything you need and is in a fantastic location.
Book in advance
We all know that you will get the best price possible when you book in advance, rooms rates will usually increase the more the rooms fill up so make sure you get in early. Once you’ve booked your flights the next thing to do is book the airport hotel.
Check for discounts
There will often be promotions running at hotels, you will be surprised by how amazing some offers can be! I always check to see if my frequent flyer miles can be used at the hotels around the airport, there are usually one or two that will be part of the scheme. If you work for a large company then you may even be entitled to employee discounts at some hotel chains – make sure you check because you may find yourself with extra money for your holiday if you’re lucky!