Britain’s airports are getting busier – and so are the hotels that service inbound and outbound business travellers. It’s all thanks to a combination of pent-up demand, improved confidence levels and the lifting of travel restrictions in more destinations.
International tourism recovered to 65% of pre-pandemic levels at the end of 2022 as the sector continues to bounce back from the pandemic.
Between January-September 2022, Europe welcomed 477 million international arrivals, 68% of the global total. This recovery is reflected in airport hotel performance; occupancy was just 4.5% short of pre-pandemic levels, compared to 8% in urban hotels.
Benefits
Business travellers are re-discovering the benefits of an airport hotel stay. While sleeping opposite a busy airport runway isn’t every traveller's idea of ideal preparation for an important meeting or early flight, the the convenience of airport and hotel being so near to one another and flexible check-in and check-out times can be a godsend for weary business folk. Proximity alleviates the stresses of airport transit, so there are no worries about missing your flight. Convenience doesn't come at the expense of quality either, with all of the familiar business amenities , like ultra-fast Wi-Fi, executive lounges and meeting rooms, providing an ideal temporary workspace during a layover to keep travellers connected.
Airport hotels are also becoming more popular as meeting venues as they offer the convenient opportunity to fly into a location, without the need for time consuming and awkward onward travel solutions.
Experience
Hotel operators are re-thinking the guest experience at new and under-construction airport properties. For example, at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, the TWA hotel offers travellers the opportunity a nostalgic experience that’s like travelling back in time to Kennedy’s Camelot.
Built around the 1962 TWA Flight Center, the hotel features a rooftop infinity pool, 50,000 sq. ft of meeting space, museum exhibits on the Jet Age, and even a Twister Room where guests can play a wall-to-wall version of the game.
So, how are airport hotels around the UK evolving? Let’s start at the second largest airport for international traffic (with 3.5 million seats), London Heathrow.
London
Hyatt Hotels’ recovery has been fuelled by leisure travel demand and is expanding in more airport markets, focussing on the Hyatt Place and Hyatt House brands.
Hyatt Place London Heathrow Airport is located in the middle of the airport and has 341 triple glazed rooms with panoramic views of the runway. The hotel was voted the best in Hyatt UK & Ireland in 2022 for cleanliness, quality of rooms and convenience during check in process. Sustainability is high on the agenda too, with electric vehicle charging points and digital key entry.
The hotel also boasts some of the best meeting space in Heathrow. The Blue Sky Suite is a versatile and spacious venue with great views over the northern run.
Regional UK
Meanwhile, Manchester Airport's newest Holiday Inn hotel is aiming to change perceptions. The 280-bedroom hotel, just by Terminal 2, is the newest in the Holiday Inn stable, with some distinctly non-Holiday Inn features.
The £45m hotel is part of the Airport City development and is the first new hotel to open at Manchester Airport for eight years. Atop the seven-storey building is the Glo sky bar, with views across the terminal on one side and over Manchester and beyond on the other.
The huge new Holiday Inn is right next to Terminal 2 and boasts a stylish restaurant, plus sky bar opening soon with views of planes flying in and out of Manchester Airport.
The term ‘airport hotel’ can sometimes be misleading. Not all are located on-airport but sit a short cab ride away. Sandman Hotels operates hotels just a few miles from Aberdeen, Glasgow, and London Gatwick airports.
At Gatwick, the Sandman Signature hotel has 151 airconditioned bedrooms including family suites and twins. The business centre includes six conferencing spaces that can accommodate up to 200 delegates; an on-site restaurant and bar, fitness centre and large swimming pool.
The brand’s new Sandman Signature at Edinburgh Airport hotel is scheduled to start construction in 2024 and is on-airport. Standing on four acres of land, the property will boast 237 guest rooms, an onsite bar and restaurant and a conferencing centre, with 200 onsite parking spaces. Guests are a tram ride from the terminal, and thereafter to Edinburgh city centre.
With passenger traffic predicted to keep rising throughout 2023, the outlook for Britain’s airport looks bright, with the stigma behind airport hotels changing as the needs of business and destination travellers are better fulfilled.