Travel and airport company, from terminal hotels to trips beyond London

Heathrow, terminal first

Lead with the terminal and the full hotel name, since Heathrow hotels with similar names can stand miles apart. Terminal 5 guests mostly stay at the Sofitel on its covered walkway. Terminals 2 and 3 have the Hilton Garden Inn. The Bath Road carries the Renaissance and the Radisson Blu Edwardian. Terminal 4 has a Hilton of its own. By road, allow 45 to 75 minutes from central London, and message at least two hours ahead. The Heathrow page holds the terminal detail.

Gatwick, north or south

Gatwick lies outside every Tube zone, an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half by car from the centre, so nothing here is last minute. North Terminal: the Sofitel and Hampton by Hilton. South Terminal: the Hilton on its covered link, and Bloc inside the terminal building. Name the side in your first message and give three hours notice at least. The Gatwick page covers trains, timings and the rest.

The evening before a flight

The most common airport booking is also the simplest. You check in and shower; she arrives. Dinner in the hotel restaurant or from room service, a long unhurried conversation, and she leaves in good time for you to sleep. Guests on a very early departure often choose the overnight instead, ten hours for £1,800, so the whole stretch from check-in to boarding is taken care of.

When she comes along

Some guests want company beyond the airport perimeter: a wedding reception in the Cotswolds, a day at the races, two nights in Edinburgh. That is a travel booking. Send the destination, the dates and the outline of the plan. The desk replies with one total covering her time and her fares before you commit, and half of that total holds the trip. Weekends away are priced on request, never guessed.

Or stay in town the night before

Not every early flight needs an airport hotel. From a West End room, the Piccadilly line reaches every Heathrow terminal without a change. From the City of London, the Elizabeth line heads out west and Thameslink runs south to Gatwick. Book a room visit in town, travel included, sleep well, and take the train in the morning.

The arithmetic often favours town. A central booking carries no fare at all, arrival windows are 30 to 60 minutes instead of a planned run down the motorway, and the shortest line on the board, one hour from £250, is open to you again. The trade is an earlier alarm. For the first departure of the day, sleep at the airport. For a flight after ten, town usually wins.

Companions who know the routes

Three live in Paddington, a single train from the Heathrow terminals: Laura, who checks the arrivals board before she leaves home, Nora, who brings a few market flowers for the windowsill, and Vanessa, who rides the Elizabeth line straight to Terminal 4. Southbound, Nancy enjoys the fast train from Victoria almost as much as the evening itself, while Liana turns up with every timing already settled. Nora and Nancy both sit on the blondes list.

When the flight moves

Flights slip. Tell the desk the moment yours does, and the booking moves with it where her diary allows. Three hours of warning or more and a move or cancellation is free, except the travel share of a travel deposit, which is never returned. Under 2 hours, 50 percent is payable. Steps and timings are on the booking page. Send your flight and your hotel.