Hello all. We have an overnight layover in early October. We will be arriving and departing from T5. I'm trying to decide if we should pony up and pay for the Sofitel or stay somewhere else. Last year we stayed in Windsor, but we had more time to enjoy Windsor. This time we will land at LHR at 6:20pm, then fly out the next morning at 11:20. I haven't used the Hoppa bus, and I haven't heard nice things about it. I know there's a Hilton near T3, but that's almost as expensive as Sofitel.

Any other ideas are welcome.

Thanks.

I have not stayed here - but I have a friend who has, and I would in the future:

Thistle https://www.thistle.com/heathrow-terminal-5/

i don’t think it is glamorous by any stretch of the imagination, but you don’t need the Hoppa to get to it. They have a pod that takes you to the hotel, crazy, huh?

Wow, that is a lot cheaper than Sofitel!! I don't know what pod is, but I'll read about it.

Thanks.

I just read about pods. I'm always up for a travel adventure, but DH can be stubborn. I'll run it past him and we'll decide together. It's a great option, and I can always count on Fodorites to think outside the box and to tell me something I wouldn't have thought of myself. 🙂

Since your fight out isn't early you could stay anywhere really. With an early flight I prefer staying right on the airport grounds but it can be at any terminal because the tube/Elizabeth Line is free between terminals. My last 2 times I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express at T-4 because it was so much cheaper (co-located with the pricier Crowne Plaza). I was flying out of T-3 but would have stayed there even with a T-5 departure. The Sofitel is by far the easiest though.

But your If you don't mind taking a bus or taxi then you options are limitless. Depending on your date, some of the properties along the Bath Road - Holiday Inn, Thistle, Radisson, Ibis, Premier Inn etc etc can be had for under £100

Hi janis. I considered the Holiday Inn, but I didn't know how quick or easy it is from T4. Thanks.

We were posting at the same time -- some people stay at the T-5 Thistle once just to take the Pods. I rode it free once right after they started running 8 or 9 years ago. Had some teething problems but I think they are pretty reliable now.

Posting the same time again

The trip from T-4 will take longer then from the Thistle -- mostly because the walk (all interior) from the hotel into the station in T-4 takes about 8-10 minutes by itself.

Good info janis, thanks again. I'm OK with walking, but DH gets grouchy if anything is too cumbersome.

Here is a video of the whole POD trip

edit: Meant to add -- Because just about every brand is represented around LHR - do you have points with any chain?

Those pods are so cute, and it looks like fun. I am a member of Hilton Honors, but IHG is a better deal.

Can you give me an idea of the taxi cost to a nearby hotel?

I'm not usually one to nickel and dime when making a decision, but I hate the idea of spending almost $400 for a room we will only need for about 12 hours.

Never mind about the taxi. I presented all options to DH, and I'm pretty sure we will go with IHG at T4.

Thanks for all replies.

Glad you found what will work for you. Be sure to join IHG - if you aren't already a member.

Safe travels!

taxi prices around the airport are stupidly high because the airport charges the taxi for re-entry to pick up points so avoid this solution.

That's good info bilbo, I'm glad we will stay on the grounds.

Starrs, thanks for the reminder. I had a membership a few years ago, but my points have probably expired. I'll ask about that, or possibly re-joining.

I doubt your points are gone. In any case, they can reactivate your Priority Club account. (called something different now)
Trivia - I started traveling for work the second year of the Priority Club program - the first hotel loyalty program. That was so long ago, one's SS# was used as their PC number!

The FIRST year Holiday Inn rolled out their PC program, they set the point redemption levels too low. Everyone I worked with had great vacations in Europe that first year. When I switched to corporate, literally everyone I worked with was excited about their European vacation. That was 1983. Maybe 84. I need to do the math. The year after I moved back from Texas.

Hope you and DH have a great trip planned!

I've stayed at the Premier Inn, which can be reached via covered walkway from Terminal 4. Cheap and cheerful.

I'll look at that one too, thanks.

UPDATE

We stayed at the Premier last night. It was only about £80, so I expected a dump. I kept telling myself that all we need is a bed, a toilet and shower for one night. We were shocked, in the best possible way, that it was really very nice. Not glamorous, but much more than adequate for our overnight stay. They had a good restaurant, a bar, and a coffee shop. So if you need overnight accommodation at LHR, do not be put off by the low price.

Now for the bad news. The Elizabeth Line was having problems last night so we ended up taking a city bus from T5 to T4. There was a lot of chaos, and it was more of a hassle than I expected. This morning the train was working again, but it was slower than I expected. Using the train, it took an hour to get from the hotel into T5.

So we saved quite a bit by staying at Premier instead of Sofitel, but it was more stress than I anticipated. I have no regrets about last night, but would I do it again? Hmm, I'm not so sure. Maybe next time we'll do the POD thing.

Thanks again to all.