Features

Stansted hotels

31 Aug 2006 by business traveller
Stansted Terminal Building

Stansted is the third-busiest airport in the UK, with over 22 million passengers a year passing through its single terminal, and is the second-largest point of entry into the UK after Heathrow. The new airport was opened in 1991 on the site of the original 1942 runway. At the time, it was seen mainly as a potential overspill for carriers such as BA, as Heathrow and Gatwick boomed, with Sir Norman Foster’s stylish terminal building providing the temptation. European deregulation provided a different business model, and as a result of competitive landing fees for start-up and low-cost airlines, the future was assured.

“This is Europe’s fastest-growing major airport,” says Terry Morgan, managing director, BAA Stansted. We’re at the heart of Europe’s low-cost flying revolution and, unlike some revolutions, this one is definitely here to stay.”

It seems things might come full circle as well: in contrast to the low-cost airlines, business-class only Eos and Maxjet started transatlantic flights from Stansted last year, and have plans to expand their services both in terms of frequency and destinations. These high-class new entrants have also helped the Radisson SAS Hotel at Stansted, the only property linked to the terminal.

“Our proportion of US guests has increased since Maxjet and Eos started,” says Tim Cordon, general manager of the Radisson Stansted. “We offer arrivals packages with both Maxjet and Eos, where they can get a good deal on a day rate or use our shower facilities to freshen up.”
Airport access

Though it is over 30 miles from the centre of London, Stansted is relatively well connected, served by regular trains from central London, including the Stansted Express, which takes around 45 minutes. By road there is always the risk of being stuck in a traffic jam on the M11 as your flight takes off, but Stansted has an advantage over Heathrow: once you are on the slip road you are taken swiftly onto airport land instead of trailing through the suburbs.

Where to stay

With the low-cost airline schedules involving early starts and late arrivals, what are the options for an overnight stay? There are three “on-airport” hotels: Radisson SAS, Hilton Stansted and Express by Holiday Inn. The Radisson SAS opened in 2004 and is the only hotel with a covered walkway that is linked directly to the terminal, while the other on-airport hotels are a shuttle bus ride away. It’s interesting that for such a “low-cost” customer base, a four-star hotel can do such big business. Aside from Maxjet and Eos customers, who is staying?

Radisson SAS Stansted’s Tim Cordon explains: “We have carried out research and found that a large number of people who book low-cost flights are then happy to splurge on a good hotel. In terms of marketing, we have found that our web-based offers are very important, as when a passenger books a flight online (as is particularly the case with low-cost carriers) they also tend to book their hotel online as well.”

Much like Gatwick, there are also various options off-airport, and for anyone who wants to escape the airport rush, there are several countryside hotels options, only a few miles from the terminal.

The future

Stansted is expanding, and an application for a second runway is expected to be put forward in 2007. Meanwhile, a project by the name of Generation 1 is under way to meet the natural rise in passenger and flight numbers over the next 10 years. It is expected that business travel alone through Stansted will increase from 4.14 million to 5.5 million by 2015.

Terry Morgan says: “The government has recognised the need to meet the demand for future growth by identifying Stansted as the airport for the first new full-length runway in southern England for over half a century.”

There is not enough room for another hotel to be linked directly to the terminal building, but Tim Cordon says: “I wouldn’t be surprised if a few new hotels open in the next couple of years, especially with BAA’s planning permission for the new terminal which is currently at the consultation stage.”

A spokesperson for Stansted BAA told Business Traveller that currently there are no immediate plans for more hotels, but in the future, bearing in mind the airport’s expansion, they would be factoring in more hotels to the plans – these would most likely be on-airport. Clearly stylish Stansted’s star is still rising fast.

WHERE TO STAY

ON-AIRPORT

Radisson SAS Hotel London Stansted
Waltham Close, Stansted, tel +44 (0)1279 661 012, stansted.radissonsas.com

Opened in 2004, this £50m development is a modern corporate hotel with open plan corridors and a huge atrium. The Radisson is the only hotel within walking distance of the airport and is linked to the terminal, short-term car park, and Stansted Express train station by a covered walkway.

There are 500 rooms, including 430 standard rooms, 46 business class rooms, 12 junior suites and 12 suites. The hotel has five satellite check-in points (three were manned when I arrived at 6.30pm). Two self-service kiosks were being fitted when I stayed – they are part of a trial by Radisson SAS, enabling customers to identify themselves, obtain their card key, pay their bill and print out a receipt. At the time of writing these had yet to go live, but should do so in the near future.

The rooms are themed. Ocean (floors one and two with cool blue and green decor), Chilli (floor three: funky reds and yellows, with eclectic seating and mirrors, a little too much for my taste), and Urban (floor four: modern boutique style with muted red and brown decor). All rooms have flat-screen TVs with pay per view movies, tea and coffee-making facilities, iron and ironing board, trouser press, laptop safe, and a desk with complimentary broadband and wifi internet access (this is a feature of all hotels within the brand).

My king-size bed was comfortable, although the thin pillows and duvet were disappointing, particularly as I found the air conditioning difficult to operate. The bathroom was spotless and bright, with own brand shampoo, shower gel and body lotion – the hotel has also introduced “Verde” amenities for all business class rooms and suites. Views vary between landside (ie: hotel car park and grass area), terminal, runway or internal views of the atrium. The internal views are still fairly bright, but I would not choose to stay in these rooms – firstly, they overlook the bar area, and secondly, the room windows are in direct view of the open plan corridors on each level, meaning you have to keep your curtains shut to maintain privacy. Each floor has a communal shoeshine and ice machine.

The hotel has a good choice of food and beverage outlets, from the Italian Filini and Spanish TaPaella’Ya restaurants, to the fine dining New York Bar and Grill. I sampled the last of these, and was impressed by the crispy duck salad with baby beetroot and the delicious pecan cheesecake – though the portions are enormous. The hotel has created a unique centrepiece to its atrium area, with a 20m glass-framed wine tower surrounded by a bar. The tower holds up to 4,000 bottles which is impressive in itself, but what really sets it apart are the “wine angels” who attach themselves to pulleys and perform acrobatics while deftly selecting your chosen bottle from the tower.

For meetings, the hotel has 26 rooms, all with natural daylight, wifi access, air conditioning and video-conferencing capabilities. The largest of the rooms holds 400 people theatre-style, and boardrooms hold up to eight delegates. There is also a business centre with photocopier, fax and a complimentary internet terminal for those without laptops.

Just to the left of reception is PACE, the hotel’s health and fitness centre. There is a 10m pool, heated spa bath, and sauna and steam rooms, along with a gym with cardiovascular equipment and free weights, studios for fitness classes, and four rooms for spa treatments. Facilities are available on a complimentary basis to residents, while annual memberships are available for non-guests.

Verdict This is the only on-airport hotel at Stansted and has comprehensive facilities and comfortable rooms (duvet apart). The wine tower makes for a great conversation piece, and the spa facilities are a welcome bonus.

Price £130 for a standard room (room only), rising to £155 for a business class room, including buffet breakfast.

Mark Caswell

Express by Holiday Inn Stansted Airport
Thremhall Avenue, Stansted, tel +44 (0)1279 680 015, expressstanstedairport.co.uk

Opened in January 2005, this hotel is the closest to the airport, and is situated just off the A120. The hotel runs a shuttle bus to and from the terminal (there is no charge from the airport to the hotel, but a £2 charge applies going the other way – children under 16 go free). The shuttle runs from 4am to midday every 20 minutes in the morning, and 4pm to midnight in the evenings (to coincide with the majority of the flights leaving and coming into Stansted).

There are 183 rooms, in a mixture of twin, double, family and accessible. In keeping with the Express by Holiday Inn brand, all rooms are a standard size, and there are no executive rooms or suites. In October the hotel will begin work to add another 72 rooms, with the extension due for completion in May 2007 – this will make the hotel the largest Express by Holiday Inn in the world.

Rooms measure 15.5sqm, and are located over three floors above reception and the restaurant. They have either an internal courtyard or car park view. They are simply but tastefully decorated, with wall prints and light wood furnishings. All rooms have satellite TV with pay movies, telephone, tea and coffee-making facilities, hairdryer, doubled glazed windows with blackout curtains and a work desk. There are no safes in the rooms, but a limited number are available next to reception. An iron and ironing board are also available on request. There is wired internet access in all rooms (£2 per hour), and guests can also connect through the TV for £4.99 per hour. To make the most of limited space, the bathrooms have shower cubicles only, and there is an ingenious “dual-door” system – the main door to the bathroom also swings round to become the door to the separate toilet, meaning that the basin area can be used by a partner while the toilet is occupied. Accessible rooms have low-level lights switches, fully accessible bathrooms, and vibrating pads under the pillows that act as fire alarms for hard-of-hearing guests.

Unusually for a brand which describes itself as “limited service”, the hotel has a restaurant serving light snacks including baguettes, burgers and pizzas, and main course meals such as lamb shank (£13.95) and pan fried salmon (£12.95). Continental breakfast is also served in the restaurant area (adjacent to the lobby), and is included in all room rates. There is a bar in the restaurant, open to guests and non-residents.

Again, the hotel has more business facilities than you would expect from this brand. There are six meeting rooms in total – three holding up to 10 people boardroom-style, two with capacities of 30 theatre-style, and a larger room (which used to be two separate areas until the hotel realised the potential for larger meetings in the area) which holds up to 70 theatre-style. All rooms have wifi access (this is also available in the ground floor public areas at £2 per hour), air conditioning, natural daylight, and unlimited tea and coffee facilities. Flip charts, LCD and overhead projectors, and DVD/video players are also available. In addition the hotel has a very modest “business centre” – effectively a desk with internet connections and a photocopier/fax machine, situated left of the reception area.

Verdict A great budget option and the hotel still feels new and contemporary. It is not for those who want 24-hour room service and leisure facilities, but this is reflected in the competitive pricing. Parking at the hotel is on-site, although an overflow car park is used when this becomes full.

Price £85 including continental breakfast.

Mark Caswell

Hilton London Stansted Airport
Round Coppice Road, Stansted, tel +44 (0)1279 680 800, hilton.co.uk

A low-storey building, the Hilton was originally a value-for-money Harlequin hotel, and was one of the first hotels in the Stansted area. For the last 14 years it has been a four-star Hilton.

Located on the other side of the A120, slightly further out from the airport terminal building than the Express by Holiday Inn – although still no more than a 10-minute shuttle bus ride – the hotel makes no charge for incoming guests, but a £2 fare applies for the return trip to the airport.

There are 239 rooms, of which 28 have recently been upgraded to deluxe rooms. There are two suites, 11 family rooms, three DDA (fully accessible) rooms, and another three rooms which can be adapted for guests with accessible requirements.

As well as the main reception area there is also a Hilton HHonors check-in desk for members of the loyalty club. When I arrived there were four sets of guests waiting to be checked in, but as there was no one using the HHonors desk those in front of me were invited to check-in there, so the queue moved swiftly and I was checked in within a few minutes.

I was staying in one of the suites at the hotel – they must have originally been two separate adjoining rooms, one of which has been converted into a lounge area, as I was given two door keys to rooms 201 and 203 which confused me slightly at first. All rooms are a standard 17sqm, with the deluxe rooms having upgraded decor, as well as complimentary water, wine, fresh fruit, chocolates and bathrobes/slippers. All rooms are triple glazed, and have either a courtyard or car park view, air conditioning and a fan, and include a desk and lamp, tea and coffee-making facilities, iron and ironing board, hairdryer, trouser press, radio, and a TV with pay movies and computer games available.

Bathrooms have combined bath/showers, shaving mirrors, and Crabtree and Evelyn amenities have recently been introduced. Of the 239 rooms, 109 currently have broadband internet access (£15 for 24 hours), and all have TV internet access (10p per minute, although guests can log onto the hilton.co.uk website free of charge).

Caffe Cino is situated in the lobby area, serving coffees and pastries. It is open from 5am to 5pm, so guests departing for early flights can purchase a light breakfast here. Amy’s restaurant is open for continental breakfast from 6am weekdays and 5am at the weekends (full English buffet breakfast begins at 6.30am) – when I stayed there was a good selection of cereals, pastries, fruit and hot breakfast, as well as complimentary newspapers available at the entrance. Lunch is served from 12.30pm and dinner from 6pm, with a choice of either bar style food such as jacket potatoes and baguettes or full à la carte fare with main courses starting from £12.95. There is also a pleasant outside area (accessible from both the restaurant and the swimming pool) with wooden tables and chairs and a barbecue area. Room service is also available 24 hours.

There is a business centre next to reception, open Monday to Friday 8am-7pm, with the usual facilities and internet access (two internet kiosks are also available on the ground floor near the lift area – charge cards can be purchased at reception with prices from £3 for 15 minutes to £15 for 90 minutes). There are 16 meeting and conference rooms, ranging from the eight meeting rooms set up for 10 people boardroom-style, up to the Albury Suite, which holds up to 250 people theatre-style (this and two other rooms can be opened up to accommodate the same number for a dinner dance event) – all have natural daylight and air conditioning. Video, web and audio conferencing facilities are all available for hire, and there is wifi internet access throughout the reception and meeting areas (provided by BT Openzone at £6 per hour or £10 per 24 hours).

The Living Well Health Club on the ground floor includes a gym with free weights as well as cardiovascular and resistance equipment. There are also separate adult and child swimming pools, a sauna, solarium, spa bath and steam room. In addition there is a Bellisimo Hair and Beauty Salon franchise.

Verdict This Hilton is still a popular choice after more than a decade – the shuttle bus makes it easily accessible from the airport, and the addition of deluxe rooms will appeal to those looking for that little bit extra.

Price £101 for a standard room, rising to £121 for a deluxe room.

Mark Caswell

OFF-AIRPORT

Best Western Stansted Manor Hotel
Birchanger Lane, Birchanger, tel +44 (0)1279 859 800, stanstedmanor-hotel.co.uk

This three-star hotel opened in 2001, and in 2003 became part of the Compass Hotels brand (although it is advertised as a Best Western Hotel due to its membership of the Best Western marketing group). It is located in 34 acres of Essex countryside, just outside Bishop’s Stortford in the village of Birchanger and around 10 minutes from Stansted airport by taxi (around £10).

There are 70 rooms over three floors – the majority are twin and double rooms, although there are four junior suites and one executive suite. All rooms have satellite TV with pay movies, tea/coffee facilities, trouser press, hairdryer, iron and ironing board, and broadband internet access (£7.50 for 24 hours). There is no air conditioning, although all rooms include a freestanding fan. Junior suites also have a pull-out sofa bed for extra guests. Most rooms have views of fields and hillsides – a pleasant change for an airport hotel.

For food there is Wyndham’s Restaurant and Bar on the ground floor. The dining room has large Palladian windows with views of the surrounding grounds. The restaurant offers a variety of fish and meat dishes and starts at £12 for a main course. The same restaurant also offers continental breakfast from 5am and full English breakfast from 7am. The adjacent bar is spacious with large picture windows which open to an outside patio area, and snacks such as fish and chips and sandwiches are served here. The bar area offers complimentary wifi internet access.

The Birchwood Suite is the main conference room in the hotel. This room has large boardroom-style tables, overhead projector, laptop computer and data projector. There is also a drop-down screen, 28-inch TV with VHS and DVD capabilities, broadband internet ports and wifi access. The Birchwood Suite can hold up to 35 delegates theatre-style and 20 for a boardroom meeting. Several guestrooms can also be converted into meeting rooms, typically seating 10 delegates boardroom-style.

The Stansted Manor also offers a marquee for larger events, situated next to the hotel’s car park. The main area holds up to 200 people while the bar section holds 75 – there is wifi internet access available. The hotel has no leisure facilities to speak of but guests are free to wander about the surrounding land owned by the hotel.

Verdict A relaxing choice for business travellers wanting to stay off-airport.
Price Rates for a double room start at £120.

Matthew Rutherford

Manor of Groves Hotel, Golf and Country Club
High Wych, Sawbridgeworth, tel +44 (0)1279 600 777, manorofgroves.co.uk

The long driveway slicing through part of an 18-hole golf course pulls a veil of mystery over this Georgian house hotel. It is hard to believe it is only 10 miles from the airport. Set in 150 acres, Manor of Groves Hotel is a welcome alternative to staying on-airport. The hotel is popular with local businesses and fly-in meetings, as well as for weddings.

The atrium lobby and reception area is modern (four years old) with a bar immediately to the left and comfortable chairs and tables on the right.

There are 80 rooms, all with traditional decor, dark wood furniture, desk, table and marble bathrooms with power showers. There is Sky TV and broadband internet access (£12.95 for 12 hours and £25.90 for 24 hours) available as well as tea and coffee-making facilities. There is no air conditioning. In the old part of the hotel there are several four-poster bedrooms.

I was staying in a standard room, which overlooked the car park and the hotel entrance and therefore was close to the lobby bar. I thought it may be a problem on a Saturday night, especially with the window open, but in fact I heard no noise from the wedding party. The room was comfortable and I ordered room service, a decent Cajun chicken sandwich with chips, and a paper for the morning.

There is wifi access in all public areas, charged at the same price as wired access. For meetings there are extensive conference facilities within the Georgian house, plus a recent addition called The Exchange, a separate conference facility next to the golf club which can hold up to 500 people.

The hotel has a Parisian restaurant called the Brasserie, which also serves breakfast, as well as another bar with a pretty terrace overlooking a hedged garden (which was closed for a wedding party when I visited at the weekend).

Unlike many on-airport hotels, the Manor of Groves has the space for extensive leisure facilities and houses a 280sqm foot health, beauty and leisure centre which includes a 20m pool. When I stayed in August the pool had far too much chlorine in it so goggles are strongly advised. There is a hot tub and modern “Techno” gym. There are steam rooms, saunas, a solarium and E’Spa treatments available.

The biggest bonus has to be the grounds with the golf course. The Club House (next to The Exchange) has a pro golf shop and bar which serves simple fare such as baked potatoes and sandwiches with a range of fillings, as well as pastries and pies. The bar is open until 10pm and has an outside terrace overlooking the fairways and the 18th hole.

Verdict The hotel is comfortable and relaxed and feels far from the madding crowd. It is a welcome break from staying on-airport. It is does not have the sassy feel of some more modern hotels, but the staff are friendly and the facilities are excellent.

Price Rates start at £89 including breakfast.

Felicity Cousins

OTHER OPTIONS

Days Inn Stansted
J8, M11, Birchanger Green, Bishops Stortford, tel +44 (0)1279 656 477, daysinn.com

Open since 1995 and one mile from Stansted (taxi from Stansted is around £9), the 57–room Days Inn has wifi access in the reception area through BT (£3 for 20 minutes), and rooms have air conditioning and satellite TV.

PRICE £89 including breakfast.

De-Salis Hotel Stansted
Hall Road, Elsenham, tel +44 (0)1279 817 821, desalishotels.com

The 29-room De-Salis has a new restaurant, Monsoon offering Indian cuisine with a western twist, and a nine-hole golf course. Free wifi is available in public areas. The shuttle from Stansted costs £2.

PRICE Rooms from £72.

Down Hall Country House Hotel
Matching Road, Hatfield Heath, Hertfordshire, tel +44 (0)1279 731 441, downhall.co.uk

This 90–room hotel was converted from a 1322 English manor in 1986 and is nine miles from the airport. Rooms have wifi access through T–Mobile (£5 per hour or £10 for 24 hours). There are 26 fully equipped meeting rooms that can hold up to 200 delegates. Shuttles to Stansted Airport are available from 3am-9am and 7pm-11pm and are free for guests at the hotel.

PRICE £99 room only or £109 including breakfast.

All prices quoted are for a fully flexible internet rate for a midweek stay in early September

PARKING

All Stansted car parks are BAA-owned. There are three options: National Car Parks (NCP) for short stays, eParking for mid stays, and Pink Elephant for long stays.

Short stay

The NCP is around 200 metres from the terminal and parking is free for 15 minutes. Up to an hour costs £2.80, six hours costs £9.30 and a full day is £21.50. Call +44 (0)870 606 7050, ncp.co.uk.

Mid Stay

For longer stays there is eparking, which is slightly further away from the terminal but provides a transfer bus which takes around five minutes.

Parking costs £13.40 per 24 hours (but there’s a minimum of a two-day stay required). Put your credit card in at the gate on arrival and then again upon departure, and the correct amount will be deducted from your account. You can save money by pre-booking with an off-peak price of £10.40 and a peak price £11.30. Call parking reservations on +44 (0)870 850 2825, eparking.uk.com.

Long Stay

The Pink Elephant car park is the farthest away from the main terminal and therefore a cheaper option for longer stays. It costs £7.80 per day and pre-booking is available (at a rate of £7.20 per day). There is a courtesy bus, which leaves every 20 minutes with a journey time of around 15 minutes, though you are advised to allow 45 minutes from entering the car park to get to the terminal. Call +44 (0)870 060 9020, pinkelephantparking.com.

Valet

If you are in a rush, try Valet Parking Stansted, which is available 0600-2200 (although if your plane is late, they will wait). Drive up to the terminal and they will meet you and park your car about five miles away. On your return, call and your car will be brought to the pick-up area in front of the terminal. Prices are £53 for up to four days. Anything over 15 days (which costs £119) should be quoted over the phone for an accurate price. Call +44 (0)870 760 5014, airport.valetparkingstansted.co.uk. Similar services include stanstedparkandfly.com; airparks.co.uk.

GETTING THERE

By Car

Stansted Airport is 38 miles northwest of London. It sits just off the M11 on Junction 8A and has a one-hour drive time catchment population of 12 million. For more information call the Highways Department +44 (0)8457 50 40 30 or visit highways.gov.uk.

By Rail

The Stansted Express leaves from Liverpool Street station and also further north from Tottenham Hale tube station. It takes around 45 minutes and runs from 0430 to 2255, leaving at 10, 25, 40, and 55 minutes past each hour, Monday to Friday. A return ticket costs £25; single £15. Call +44 (0)845 8500 150; stanstedexpress.com.

By Coach

National Express Coach A6 connects London Victoria to Stansted Airport daily every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day. The bus stops at several places including Baker Street, Marble Arch and Hyde Park Corner and takes an hour and a half costing £10 single and £15 return. National Express coaches also leave from Norwich, Oxford, Birmingham, Heathrow, Gatwick and Brighton. Call +44 (0)8705 74 77 77, nationalexpress.com.

A slightly cheaper option is Terravision Coaches leaving from London Liverpool Street (taking one hour, £7 single, £12.50 return), and London Victoria (taking 75 minutes, £8.50 single and £14 return). Call +44 (0)1279 680 028. Booking online is cheaper. terravision.it.

 

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