Time for another snapshot, this time looking at the hotel experience at the Premier Inn, Heathrow Terminal 5.
For those who have forgotten, I have two major travel writing styles:
- Trip Reports – These are full deep-dive reports taking you into the experience and the small things… as well as the big things!
- Snapshots – These are bite-sized reviews that show you the basic product in some nice gentle headlines (and normally, only images shot on the phone
Today, we’re on the Snapshot review. The full in-depth review is currently under the first draft (or as some might call it, I’m still editing the thing).
Price
The hotel was booked for £43, around two weeks before travel. This was a semi-flex booking, allowing cancellation three days before. If I was feeling chancy, it would have cost £39 for a Heathrow Hotel – near enough the lowest I’ve paid for a hotel in the Heathrow Zone.
Location
The Premier Inn Terminal 5 is near Longford, just off the main Bath Road. If you’re taking the 423 from Heathrow and you are diverted via Colnroook Bypass, you’ll need to jump off the bus on the first stop, cross the dual carriageway, and head down a side-ally to get to the hotel (the Thistle is also in the same region too).
Getting back to Terminal 5, the 423 operates like a local bus to Terminal 5, with a stop outside the hotel.
If you’re heading to T23, you’ll need to grab any bus to Bath Row and change for one to the Central Terminal Area. The same applies in reverse.
The map is at https://www.heathrow.com/content/dam/heathrow/web/common/documents/transport/Heathrow_area_map.pdf
Alternatively, you can take the Hotel Hoppa. But if you do, then we can’t be friends anymore – friends don’t let friends take a Heathrow Hoppa.
Check-in
Check-in is either via a Self-Service Kiosk or an in-person check-in. I went for an in-person one, as fighting a machine after a day of walking and such was not on my agenda.
A keycard was issued, along with an explanation of the facilities at the hotel and when they close.
No up-sell for breakfast was offered.
The Room
Big, clean and spacious are the order of the day. With a king bed in the middle and a fold-out bed/couch on the side, it made for a place to unwind and work, with it looking and smelling clean. Compared to one of the hotels on this trip, that appears to be a minor miracle in itself.
There was also a desk and outlets by both the desk and bed. However, no USB outlets were present.
The TV was small – a theme we’ve seen a lot this trip.
The bathroom was a bathroom, with a bath, shower and sink, along with a toilet.
Wi-Fi
Oh, dear. The free wi-fi was at best operating around a 1Mb. Whilst there was a paid premium version, in most respects, it was easier to connect to my phone to provide connectivity on the road.
Amenities
There was tea and coffee in the room, along with a kettle. There was also an ironing board and iron – something I could had done with at the previous hotels.
Outside the hotel, there is a McDonald’s and a petrol station for late-night snacks within a five-minute walk.
Check-out
Whilst you could drop your keycard and go, I checked out properly so the room could be released for cleaning.
The full review soon!
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DN: MP16-12