Four pages. Four kinds of night. Two airports ringed by hotels, a theatre district still awake after the curtain, a financial district silent by ten. Open the one that matches the key card in your pocket.
W1 · WC2 · District · usually within the hour
Piccadilly Circus, 2 min walk 02EC2 · EC3 · EC4 · District · usually within the hour
Bank, 1 min walk 03TW6 · Airport hotels · planned, 3 hour minimum
Heathrow Terminal 5, 5 min walk · 5 known lobbies 04RH6 · Airport hotels · planned, 3 hour minimum
Gatwick Airport, 5 min walk| Area | Postcode | Nearest station | To your door |
|---|---|---|---|
| West End | W1 · WC2 | Piccadilly Circus, 2 min | Within the hour |
| City of London | EC2 · EC3 · EC4 | Bank, 1 min | Within the hour |
| Heathrow | TW6 | Heathrow Terminal 5, 5 min | Book ahead |
| Gatwick | RH6 | Gatwick Airport, 5 min | Book ahead |
Heathrow, postcode TW6, and Gatwick, RH6, are planned bookings. Each carries a three hour minimum with her journey counted inside it, and the taxi both ways is priced into a single total before you agree. Heathrow is laid out terminal by terminal, Gatwick split between North and South. Terminals change the timing, so put yours in the first line.
Rooms in the West End, W1 and WC2, are usually reached 30 to 45 minutes after confirmation, because several companions live within walking distance. The City of London, EC2 to EC4, usually takes 40 to 60 minutes. Both sit in Zone 1, so the journey adds nothing to the rate. When a show crowd or a late client dinner slows the roads, the reply gives you the real time, not the ideal one.
Still covered. Mayfair, Knightsbridge, Marylebone, Paddington, the South Bank and Canary Wharf are all served at any hour. Inside Zones 1 and 2, travel is included. Beyond them, the fare both ways is quoted first. Serviced apartments and private homes follow the same rules, with the address verified where a hotel would give a room number.