The best London Gatwick Airport hotels

The top airport hotels offer a combination of comfort and convenience, and they can best provide that if they’re actually AT the airport. For me, the most important feature of an airport hotel is the ease with which you can walk from it to the departure gate when you’re half asleep. I’m not interested in airport hotels which involve a bus or car journey to reach the terminal.

There are six hotels at London Gatwick Airport which are either inside or right next to one of the two terminals (North and South), and I’ve been to check them out for you, because I live nearby and I thought it would be a helpful thing to do. It’s really quick and easy to move between the two Gatwick terminals using the free shuttle train, so these hotels are convenient whether you’re using either terminal (read more in my post London Gatwick Airport travel tips). Each of the hotels is different – I hope that this post helps you to find the best one for you.

A note about room rates

Hotel room rates fluctuate according to demand and the lowest prices advertised sometimes seem impossible to find so, in order to compare room rates in a meaningful way, I went directly to each of the hotel websites and found the price for their cheapest room for a specific date several months ahead. These are the prices that I have used here – so please see them just as a guide.

Sofitel

The Sofitel is the most luxurious of the hotels at Gatwick, and is rated by the AA as four-star. It has 518 rooms, a gym, three restaurants and two bars, as well as an Executive Lounge. ESPA toiletries are provided for guests to use, and ‘Welcome drinks’ are offered to new arrivals in the vast and airy lobby each evening (if you go, see if you can spot the herb garden there). Some of the rooms have great views of the airport.

Where is it? It’s by the North Terminal.

Parking? You can book to park in the hotel’s adjacent car park, which has more than 500 spaces.

Food and drink? There are tea and coffee making things and fridges in the guest rooms, and 24-hour room service is available. Some fridges are stocked with complimentary drinks, and in some rooms these are chargeable. The buffet and à la carte breakfast is £19.95 per person, free for under-eights. There’s a wide range of dishes on offer for lunch and dinner at the hotel’s three restaurants.

Wifi? There’s free wifi available for guests.

Family rooms? There are cots and extra beds available free of charge.

Cost? Rooms at the Hotel Sofitel London Gatwick cost from £103 per night.*

Here’s a quick video of some of the guest rooms at the Sofitel:

Hilton

The Hilton was purpose-built in 1981 and is enormous. It has 821 rooms as well as a gym, two restaurants, two bars, a Costa Coffee and an executive lounge. The rooms are spacious and well-equipped and there’s a huge central lobby, reception and bar area with comfortable places to sit. The Hilton is rated as four-star by the AA.

Where is it? The Hilton is next to Gatwick’s South Terminal, reached by a covered walkway via the short stay car park.

Parking? The Hilton offers parking packages with Gatwick parking providers which you can book with your room.

Food and drink? There are tea and coffee making things in the guest rooms and 24-hour room service is provided. A full English breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant is £18.95 per person, free for under-11s.

Wifi? Wifi is free for Hilton Honors members – this is free to join, and entails handing over some of your personal details.

Family rooms? Extra beds and cots are provided free of charge. The hotel has some great family rooms, for example a spacious deluxe family room with a king size bed and two small doubles – have a look at my room tour video (below) to see what that looks like.

Cost?* Rooms at the Hilton Hotel London Gatwick Airport cost from £75 per night.*

Here’s a short video which I made to show you some of the rooms at the Hilton:

Hampton by Hilton

The Hampton by Hilton is the only one of these hotels to offer a complimentary breakfast to all guests. The hotel has a gym, a bar and a Starbucks. The reception areas are light, spacious and modern. You can read my full review of the hotel here – I stayed there once with my family before an early flight.

Where is it? The hotel is right next to the North Terminal, connected by a covered walkway.

Parking? The Hampton by Hilton has its own car park, and you can book to leave your car there while you’re away.

Food and drink? A hot breakfast is included in the room rate. There are tea and coffee making things in the rooms. There’s a bar which serves snacks, and a Starbucks by the reception area.

Wifi? There’s free wifi for guests.

Family rooms? There are family rooms which sleep four on a double bed and a sofa bed. Cots are also available free of charge.

Cost? Rooms at the Hampton by Hilton Hotel London Gatwick Airport cost from £84 per night.*

Breakfast at Hampton by Hilton Hotel, Gatwick Airport. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Premier Inn

This is the country’s biggest Premier Inn, and has 701 rooms. It’s a stylish budget hotel with a restaurant and a Costa Coffee, and it offers everything that you need for an overnight stay. The rooms are comfortable and the lounge, restaurant and cafe areas are welcoming and spacious.

Where is it? The Premier Inn is next to Gatwick’s North Terminal, a couple of minutes’ walk from the shuttle to the South Terminal.

Parking? The hotel offers room and parking packages with Gatwick Official Long Stay parking. This generally involves having to drive your car to a long-stay car park and getting a shuttle bus to the terminal. If you’d rather avoid the bus you could book your parking separately with a valet parking service.

Food and drink? There are tea and coffee making things in the rooms and the hotel has a Costa Coffee and a restaurant. A buffet breakfast costs £10.50 per person and under-16s eat for free – I’ve had a Premier Inn breakfast several times and have always found them to be very good.

Wifi? There’s free wifi available, but you can pay for high speed wifi if you need it – it costs £5 for 24 hours for up to three devices.

Family rooms? Extra beds and cots are available free of charge. Some rooms have sofa beds which can be used as extra beds.

Cost? Rooms at the Premier Inn London Gatwick Airport North Terminal cost from £50 per night.*

Here’s a short video to show you what it’s like inside the hotel:

Bloc Hotel

The Bloc Hotel offers sleek, modern rooms designed to make the best use of space. Each room has a touchscreen where you can control things such as the air conditioning, lights and blinds. Some rooms have windows with airport views, others have no window at all – I found these to be a little dark, but cosy. The bathrooms in most of the rooms are wet rooms. There are no communal areas in the hotel, apart from the reception desk.

Where is it? It’s inside the South Terminal, next to the entrance to the security gates.

Parking? The hotel offers parking packages with Gatwick Airport’s official valet parking service, which include Premium Security passes.

Food and drink? No food or drink is provided in the hotel, apart from bottled water in the rooms. Guests are given a  book of discount vouchers for some of the airport’s food, drink and shopping outlets. When I visited, the discounts included 20% off at Grain Store Café & Bar, 25% off at No1 Lounges and two breakfasts for £15 at Garfunkel’s.

Wifi? There’s fast, free wifi at the hotel for all guests.

Family rooms? Some rooms have bunk beds which pull down from the wall. Cots are available free of charge.

Cost? Rooms at Bloc Hotel London Gatwick Airport cost from £75 per night, or from £29 per room for day lets.*

Here’s a short video which I made of some of the rooms at the Bloc Hotel:

Yotel

Yotel is a compact budget hotel with cabin-like rooms. It has 46 rooms including premium, twin and standard. It has no communal areas beyond the ‘Mission Control’ reception desk. None of the rooms have outside windows.

Where is it? Yotel is below the South Terminal arrivals hall.

Parking? Yotel is partnered with Holiday Extras for guests to book parking.

Food and drink? Hot drinks and water are provided free of charge to guests, 24 hours a day – you just have to go to ‘Mission Control’ to get them. Continental breakfast costs £6.95 and is available at any time, as is a small menu of hot dishes such as pizza, panini and curry.

Wifi? There’s free wifi for guests.

Family rooms? The twin rooms have bunk beds and space for a cot, which is available free of charge.

Cost?* Rooms at the Yotel London Gatwick Airport cost from £65 per night or from £39 for four hours during the day (between 7am and 7pm).

Here’s a short video to show you what the cabins at the Yotel are like inside:

Over to you

What do you look for when you book an airport hotel? Is there anything else that you’d like to know about these hotels?

*See my note about room rates at the top of the post.

Disclosure: In case you were wondering…. this is an independent post and the images, videos, words and opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links, which means that if you clicked through and booked, I would receive a small commission.