Features

First base

30 Apr 2014 by GrahamSmith

Can airport hotels be a viable alternative to city-centre properties? Michelle Harbi reports from our recent reader debate


The term “airport hotel” does not tend to conjure up huge excitement in the minds of most travellers. More a convenience than a choice, we usually book into them if we need to get our head down before an early start or a quick stopover.

But are there benefits to staying at such properties beyond their proximity to the terminal? And, in fact, can they work as a base for your whole trip?

That was the topic debated at our recent editor’s lunch, which was attended by a cross-section of our readers. The event took place at Mosimann’s in London and was sponsored by Hong Kong’s Regal Airport Hotel (regalhotel.com).


NEED FOR SPEED

Without a doubt, the main factor that would make an airport hotel a valid option for travellers visiting a city is its transport links to downtown. Regal manages to capture many customers because of the city-state’s speedy Airport Express Line.

John Girard, the hotel’s general manager, said: “It’s only a 20-minute ride downtown. They’re very comfortable, brand new trains and only two stops – you can go to [the first one] in 19 minutes and [the second one], in the middle of the island, in 21 minutes.”

For people with business to see to in the vicinity of London’s Heathrow Express terminus at Paddington, it may suit them to stay at the airport and commute in via that similarly quick service, rather than sit in London traffic in a taxi or take the Tube.

For one reader, though, nothing compares with being centrally located. “I want to be near my meetings,” he said. “It’s my top priority to be very central. If I have 30 or 45 minutes to spare, I want to be able to pop back to the hotel and use the internet and facilities.”

Still, as another participant pointed out: “Bear in mind that not all business people are based in the centre of town. For people who are in the airport corridor for Heathrow, for example, to be able to meet someone at an airport hotel rather than the city is a big plus.”


BETTER BY DESIGN?

One area that you may expect an airport hotel to fall down on is in its design, particularly for younger travellers. As one reader put it: “If you ask people my age what they think of airport hotels, I expect a lot would suggest that they’re quite sterile places to stay.”

That may be about to change with the roll-out of brands such as Marriott’s budget lifestyle offering, Moxy. Launching at several European airports soon (see below), Moxy properties are targeted at “Generation Y” travellers and will feature contemporary design, floor-to-ceiling “art walls” in the guestrooms, good technology, “inviting social spaces” and “plug and meet” public areas, Marriott says.

You may also get more space to spread out. Girard pointed out that guestrooms are often bigger in airport hotels to accommodate people’s luggage. “You won’t get the expanse that we offer [in city-centre hotels],” he said. “We have a huge atrium lobby, for example, that gives you a feeling of freedom. Many hotels today, particularly in smaller cities such as Hong Kong, can be a bit cramped.”


CUT THE COST

What’s more, you are invariably getting that space at a lower price. Airport hotels are generally cheaper than their central counterparts, which may be a lure for people heading for expensive cities such as Singapore, where soaring room rates mean that many people may find it hard to find affordable hotels midweek. If the price still stacks up when one considers the extra cost and time of commuting into town, it may be an option.

Ultimately, there will always be high demand for such hotels. As one reader said: “If you’re going somewhere where you need to have a stopover and there’s no airport hotel at all, like Nairobi, it’s a pain in the neck. You have no alternative but to face the one-hour drive into town and the one-hour drive back, with the worry about what the traffic’s going to be like. I don’t think we could ever do without airport hotels, that’s for sure.” 


To attend the next editor’s lunch, email Emma Gordon at egordon@panacea publishing.com, stating your name, job title, company and topics of interest.


NEW AIRPORT HOTELS

Bloc Hotels opened the Bloc Gatwick last month. Located just before security in the South Terminal, its 245 high-tech rooms are controlled entirely by your smartphone. Measuring between 9.5 sqm and 32 sqm, they cost from £59 per night, with three-hour day rates starting at £29.

The Hampton by Hilton London Gatwick Airport North Terminal opened in January. Located 40 yards from the check-in desks, it has 192 rooms, a round-the-clock snack area, 24-hour gym and boardroom. 

The Courtyard by Marriott Aberdeen Airport was unveiled last July. It is less than five minutes’ walk from the terminal and has 194 rooms, an all-day restaurant and bar, a 24-hour “market”, a meeting room and a small gym.

Marriott International’s Moxy brand will launch with Moxy Milan Malpensa Airport at Terminal 2 in September. Moxy Munich Airport is expected to open five minutes from the main terminal next spring, while Moxy Frankfurt Gateway Gardens (five minutes from the airport) is due to open next summer. A Moxy hotel is also anticipated to launch at the yet-to-open Berlin Brandenburg airport in autumn 2015.

The Crowne Plaza JFK Airport New York City opened in January. The Doubletree by Hilton at JFK became a Radisson property in October.

The Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is to be replaced. Due to open next year, a new futuristic cube-shaped Hilton is being built alongside the existing property with 433 guestrooms and a covered walkway to the terminal.

The Kempinski Munich Airport will become the Hilton Munich Airport in January.

Loading comments...

Search Flight

See a whole year of Reward Seat Availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Be up-to-date
Magazine Subscription
To see our latest subscription offers for Business Traveller editions worldwide, click on the Subscribe & Save link below
Polls