Heathrow is a large and complex airport, with four different terminals in three distinct geographic areas. This guide explains which hotels are near which terminals, allowing you to choose one that is conveniently located for your flight.
Connected to Terminals 2 & 3
Terminals 2 & 3 are located together at the centre of the airport. Due to their position, there is only a small amount of space around them. Two hotels are walkable from these terminals (click the names for further information):
Hilton Garden Inn London Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3 (Tripadvisor) – This is located next to terminal 2, although you can walk from terminal 3 in a few minutes, using the underground walkways. This is a premium hotel, expect to pay at least £200.
Aerotel London Heathrow (Tripadvisor) – This hotel is attached directly to the Terminal 3 arrivals hall, and so can also be accessed from Terminal 2 using the underground walkways in a few minutes. Expect to pay at least £150.
If you’re looking for more affordable options, you could use the Tube or train to transfer to Terminal 4, where there are a number of hotels, or use a bus to take you out of the airport to one of the many hotels on Bath Road (see below).
Connected to Terminal 4
Terminal 4 is one of Heathrow’s smallest terminals, but it has the largest number of hotels connected directly to it. From an enclosed walkway that connects to the check-in hall, you can access four hotels (click the names for further information):
Crowne Plaza London Heathrow T4 (Tripadvisor) – One of the two hotels with the shortest walk to the terminal (3-5 minutes), located alongside the Holiday Inn Express.
Holiday Inn Express London Heathrow T4 (Tripadvisor) – The other hotel with the shortest walk to the terminal, located alongside the Crowne Plaza, but often cheaper.
Hilton London Heathrow Airport (Tripadvisor) – a 5-7 minute walk along the walkway.
Premier Inn London Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 (Tripadvisor) – an excellent budget choice, the final hotel you can reach along the walkway, a 5-7 minute walk.
Connected to Terminal 5
Terminal 5 (where most British Airways flights depart) has one hotel directly connected, and another accessible by self-driving ‘pods’ (click the names for further information):
Sofitel London Heathrow (Tripadvisor) – This is the only hotel directly connected to Terminal 5. It’s a large and premium hotel, expect to pay at least £200.
Thistle London Heathrow Terminal 5 (Tripadvisor) – This hotel isn’t actually connected to Terminal 5, however it can be accessed using the driverless ‘pods’ that connect the terminal to the business car parking area. Follow the signs to Business Parking, and press the button to request a pod. The ride is only a few minutes. When you arrive in the car park, follow the signs to the Thistle hotel on foot, a couple of minutes’ walk away. This hotel is a cheap option (can be as low as £65), but note the hotel charges £8 per person each way to use the pod transfer – adding £32 for a return journey for two people.
If you’re looking for some other options when arriving or departing from Terminal 5, you could catch a short bus to hotels on Bath Road (see below). Alternatively, you could transfer to Terminal 4 to use the hotels there, although this takes a bit of time, as you first need to get a train to Terminals 2&3, then transfer to a separate train to Terminal 4.
Accessible by Bus / Taxi on Bath Road
For Terminals 2&3 and Terminal 5, you can access a large number of hotels on the Bath Road if you’re willing to take a five minute bus or taxi. Many of these hotels are much cheaper than those directly connected to terminals.
These include (click the names for further information):
- Holiday Inn London – Heathrow Bath Road (Tripadvisor)
- Leonardo Hotel London Heathrow Airport (Tripadvisor)
- Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel (Tripadvisor) – Excellent views over the airport can be seen, select a Runway View room if you want to ensure this.
- Radisson Blu Hotel, London Heathrow (Tripadvisor)
- London Heathrow Marriott Hotel (Tripadvisor)
- Sheraton Skyline Hotel London Heathrow (Tripadvisor)
- ibis London Heathrow Airport (Tripadvisor)
- Premier Inn London Heathrow Airport T2 & T3 (Bath Road) (Tripadvisor)
- Premier Inn London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 (Tripadvisor) – Just as accessible from Terminals 2 and 3 as Terminal 5.
There are three ways to get to these hotels:
Hotel Hoppa Bus – These shuttle busses run directly between the terminals and a number of hotels. They have lots of space for luggage. However, they are expensive (£12 for a return, or £24 for a family return) and don’t run particularly frequently, with some routes only seeing busses every 30 minutes. You can check the timetables and hotels served on their website here.
Regular London bus – These only cost £1.75 each way (though they don’t accept cash – each person over 11 needs to tap their own contactless card, NFC payment device or Oyster Card when boarding), and run frequently (some hotels can be accessed every 5 minutes). Use Google Maps transit directions to show you which busses run to your hotel, and where to get off. At Terminal 5, buses run from outside arrivals. At Terminals 2 & 3, follow signs for the ‘Central Bus Station’.
Taxi – the easiest way could well be to get a taxi from the terminal taxi rank, which is likely to cost £10-15 depending on distance. Taxis can take up to six people with luggage, and you can pay by cash or card.
Want to transfer terminals at Heathrow, or get into Central London? Check out our other London Heathrow Airport guides.