If you’re stuck at either Heathrow or Gatwick for a considerable amount of time like I was or are preparing for an early morning flight from these airports you’d do a lot worse than booking in to the Yotel for a couple of hours peace away from the hustle and bustle.
After checking with my airline that it would be OK for me to exit the terminal at Heathrow between my flights I logged on to the Yotel website using my phone and booked in for a four-hour slot upon my arrival from NYC. Now the Yotel website is absolutely shocking to use on mobile, absolutely terrible, but I was informed by the company via twitter that they have a new mobile responsive site coming in a couple of weeks and if it’s as functional as their rooms they’re on to a winner.
Yotel at Heathrow is located in T4 whereas the one in Gatwick at the South terminal. Both are landside so you don’t even need to be flying anywhere to make use of the facilities but it’s probably not somewhere you want to stay long-term.
I had cabin 20 which was just one of their standard rooms but they also offer premium cabins for two or three people for those requiring a bit more space. The standard was more than sufficient than me and I was very impressed with how they made use of the space.
In my room the bed was at regular height but in some of the rooms it’s higher up like a bunk (I assume this alternates between rooms to make the most of the space) so I can’t comment on how easy/hard it is to get into one of the higher ones! It was bigger than a single but smaller than a double and just right for a solo traveller or a couple. I probably wouldn’t recommend sharing with friends though as you’d probably end up getting a bit more up close and personal than you’d like.
Also the fact that there is no door to the bathroom area (instead there’s just a thin shower curtain separating it from the room) means you probably want to be completely comfortable with the person you’re sharing with hearing you doing your business! Not great if you’re still in that honeymoon period with your significant other.
For such a small space you’d think the shower would be lacking but no the monsoon rain shower lived up to its name and really perked me up as I got ready for the next leg of my mammoth journey. I was even more impressed to discover that each room has a flat screen TV at the foot of the bed, plenty of power sockets for charging up those electronics and super funky purple mood lighting which I thought was just a lovely touch! Oh and completely free wifi something a lot of high-end hotels still don’t even offer these days.
Their website states it totally right; “everything you’d find in a luxury hotel just in a smaller space” and I thoroughly recommend it for those in need of a cheap place to rest their heads between or pre-flight. I for one will definitely be returning!
Rooms: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
Looks really good. Especially for a short layover it’s absolutely convenient. What did you pay for that “luxury”?
Whoops you’re totally right! Can’t believe I left out the price. It was £35 for my 4 hour slot (which is the minimum time) which I booked just the night before and obviously gets more expensive the more time you spend there. Booking in advance gives you the best rate too!
Well, it sounds pretty fair compared to the prices hotels usually charge at LHR. I’ll have a shot when flying through LHR next time!
I think this is aces, I’d use it just for the shower and power socket!
[…] I landed the following morning I checked into the Yotel for a few hours before hopping on another plane to Oslo, but I’ll tell you all about that […]
Hi Leanne,
My name is Yiorgos Peroutseas, General Manager at YOTEL London Heathrow T4.
We are delighted to see that you liked so much the YOTEL concept and your experience with us was so positive.
Just a quick note to say that we also have Premium Double and Premium Triple cabins!
We look forward to welcoming you back soon!
Best wishes
Yiorgos
[…] It should have felt like 1:30am New York time to me but thanks to my time spent relaxing at the Yotel in Heathrow my body clock wasn’t struggling too much. I find it’s always better just to get up and […]
[…] been a while since I’ve had a staycation in a London hotel, with the exception of the Yotel at Heathrow, the last one was the K West when my family visited in October so when LastMinute.com were having a […]