IMH

That's exactly right.

No, it didn't. That said, a hotel breakfast isn't something we're interested in at T5. Coffee in our room is enough to fuel us for the walk to the terminal and the queues at security, after which a bite in the lounge is generally more relaxing.

BenSenise

I agree about hotel breakfasts in general but our flight out isn't until late afternoon so we won't be going to the lounge until after lunch. Thanks for the info.

sarahlouise06

I'm staying here in August for one night before an early morning flight; would I have free use of the spa as I'm a guest in the hotel? It would be lovely to have use of the spa to unwind!

NotThatGuy2012

Arriving 22:00 with Standard Room. Will anything be open to use the Platinum drink vouchers? Room service?

No use for them the next day since departing 07:00 for champagne & breakfast in the BA Concorde Room.

IMH

We returned last week for our ninth or tenth stay here. For the first time we experienced a couple of minor hiccups.

We were upgraded to a king "superior" room, so the computer system would appear to have recognised my Platinum status, but the front desk agent didn't. When I asked whether a drinks voucher was waiting for us in the room, as has sometimes (but not always) been the case in the past, she seemed perplexed and asked whether I had current "Le Club" status: apparently her screen was telling her it had expired in 2012. She happily took my word on the matter and gave me a voucher, though.

I was also asked if I'd like a newspaper delivered the following morning. I said that I would, but by the time we checked out at 8:15 the following morning it hadn't arrived. This was cheerfully remedied as soon as I mentioned it, but was another indication that things weren't running as smoothly as we're used to at this property.

Our room (410*) was on floor 1, right next to the escalator and walkway that connect the airport terminal to the hotel reception area. This made it necessary to draw the curtains before switching any lights on.

Toiletries are now from "The White Company". Nothing special in my opinion, but my wife liked them and having conditioner in the rooms is an improvement.

The "Sphere" bar should be open until midnight.

starflyergold

You are right there, cheap stuff dressed up as luxury

IMH

Careful. Remember:

starflyergold

Quite. It's only 155 days til xmas

BertieD

We are planning to stay a night at Heathrow in September before flying out of T5 for our honeymoon.
Seems that this hotel is worth the money and the lack of aggravation with shuttles etc in the morning. (Though our flight doesn't leave until midday).
Any tips on getting the best from our experience?
TIA

IMH

Welcome to FlyerTalk, BertieD -- although I'm not sure it is the best internet source for the kind of advice you may be seeking.

Seriously, without knowing where you'll be coming from, if you're not flying until lunchtime then it might be worth considering a London hotel that's convenient for the Piccadilly line. That would open up lots of options for a nice meal the evening before your flight. The T5 Sofitel is nice as an airport hotel, but not nice enough to justify getting to the airport 18 hours before you need to be there.

BertieD

hahaha - yes IMH - I see your point!
We fly in to LHR to fly out again which is why I wasn't going to venture into the city.
BTW - not to hijack this thread but we're spending 6 days in Texas if you want to share a top tip or two (of the travelling/hotel kind )
But perhaps I'll post somewhere more appropriate before the moderators get me!

starflyergold

The mods around here are pretty understanding However Texas is out of Accorland

IMH

That makes a lot of sense if you're arriving late, tired after a long flight and/or battling jet lag. If none of those apply then I'd still rather pop into town. If you do stay at the Sofitel you should realise that T5 dining options are pretty limited, although the hotel's own restaurants generally get good reviews.

Do -- there are likely to be plenty of great suggestions, most of them more helpful than anything I could offer.

How different things looked just four and a half years ago: "DALLAS—Accor North America, one of the nation’s largest owner/operators of economy lodging, announces the opening of 70 Motel 6 and Studio 6 locations in 2009...."

lkar

Not much to add to the other reviews, except to note we had a good stay here. We booked adjoining rooms at the 50 percent off for the second room for families rate. The rooms were good sized -- more than we needed for one night at an airport hotel -- and the fixtures and amenities were fine. Nice shower. Comfortable bed. We picked this hotel because we had a one evening layover, flying into T5 from BCN in the evening and out of T3 the next morning. With only one evening in London, time was of the essence.

We landed around 2:45, cleared customs around 3:30, made the short walk to the Sofitel with our luggage cart and were checked in by 3:45, were on the Heathrow Express just after 4:00, and in a cab at Paddington by 4:30. We took a late train back and were in bed just about 10 to 15 minutes after the express train arrived back at T5. In terms of maximizing our short time in London and getting us a full evening of sightseeing (we did an evening near Parliament, the Eye and nearby attractions, and a fun dinner), it would have been very hard to beat. We also got a full night sleep.

Access to the express is fantastic -- basically, the hotel is connected by a walkway that starts one level above the arrivals hall in T5 and you don't even need to go into the terminal itself to get to the tube or the express -- you just take the elevator down one level and you're basically right at the lifts that take you down to the train platforms.

Getting to T3 in the morning was pretty easy though the express was crowded at 7:00 a.m. -- there were luggage carts right in the hotel lobby, which we took down to the express for the quick ride to T3. I am platinum in Accor, but frankly didn't care much about the amenities given that we wanted to maximize our time in London and only use the hotel to sleep. We were told we had access to the lounge, which I looked at very quickly in the morning, and it had a nice selection of pastries and a sturdy looking coffee machine. (I didn't want to linger, because we had access to the BA First Lounge in T3, and I wanted to spend time there and not in the hotel.) I don't know if I had that access by virtue of my status, or because I got upgrade, or something else. There were no freebies in the rooms, other than one bottle of still and one bottle of sparking water in the refrigerator. That was a nice touch. I paid for the room in the morning with accor vouchers obtained by redeeming points. That was rapid and easy at check out. The porters were friendly and very efficient. The rooms were nice. What they would have been if we had not been upgraded is not something I can say.

I can't speak to whether this hotel is worth it if you're flying out early in the morning as compared to a less expensive hotel nearby that requires a shuttle or bus. I think it's hard to beat. In our circumstance -- where we had a single evening layover and really didn't want to waste any time but instead to cram some London visiting in -- it was perfect. I believe there's a Hilton adjacent to T4, which probably makes more sense if you're using that terminal.

United747

I had a nice stay here as a platinum member. I was upgraded from a classic room with a queen bed to a superior king with lounge access. As others have said, rooms are nice. Although, I had a "view" of the atrium for the walkway to T5.

The lounge was pretty underwhelming. It may have just been when I went, but all they had was a few bowls of nuts and a small cheese board, nothing else. There were two computers and a printer, but the printer was broken. There was a bank of refrigerators with soft drinks, and beer. Then a bar setup with wine and hard alcohol. It was never really busy, but I only went twice to grab some water.

Don't get me wrong, it was just fine. But since I do not drink, all I really needed from the lounge was water, I am not the best person for a review. I would have eaten if there was more food though.

I never checked it out for breakfast, but the check-in agent made it sound like it was a very limited selection. She basically told me to eat in the restaurant (I booked a rate with breakfast included).

In conclusion, I have seen better lounges. Sadly (or not), the Marriott in Madison, Wisconsin has a nicer concierge lounge! I probably made it sound like I had a bad stay, but it got the job done. Nice, comfy bed, quiet room, and nice bathroom. That is all I really needed.