mwp1

£150 for the date I want in Sofitel , my usual hotel has always been the Renaissance , free bus 423, now chargeable, all hotels around £100 on bath rd for the same date , never used a taxi from T5 to the Renaissance.
so would it just be around the same cost for a hotel on the strip or near abouts as to just book into the Sofitel and avoid the hassle of taxis expense

i just don’t know what a return fee would be in a walk in taxi

TIA

KARFA

would you be happy taking a TfL bus? if you have many bags and cost centres in tow i guess that may not appeal. but if a bus is ok you can get the 423 from stop 7/8 (it's one of them, can't remember which) and just tap in with a contactless card or oyster card for the flat fare of around £1.60. the bus is around every 20-30 minutes and passes by most of the hotels on the strip.

alternatively did you have a search for the sofitel on lastminute as a secret hotel as noted here Useful bargain rates, discounts etc for the Sofitel at LHR T5

EDIT: or the HGI T2 is fairly easy to get to, one stop on the tube or HEX (tube stop at T2/3 would be closer than HEX). this is free, you do need to tap in and out though. probably a 5-10 minute walk from the tube to the HGI.

bisonrav

I'm a big fan of the Premier Inn on the Bath Road. You can use uber or just get a bus. It's clean, the beds are comfortable, and it's really inexpensive.

corporate-wage-slave

The bus fare is £1.55. Most hotels have a link up to an upscale mini-cab company and you're probably looking at £15 to £20 to the Bath Road hotels from T5. You may get it a bit cheaper on Uber but I gather they aren't quite the bargain they used to be thanks the HAL's car fee for entering T5.

mwp1

Think it’s just going to be Sofitel after a bit more research and the comments,with a 8:30am TATL flight from Lhr , cannot be be bothered with the hassle at that hour

mwp1

just looked at their price , exactly the same as booking.com
£15 cheaper booking via my Accor account , thanks anyhow

sofitel it is 👍

westmidlandsguy

Have you tried Last Minute? They often have Top Secret hotels which include Sofitel. I like Sofitel but I really like Premier Inn T4. I paid as little as £23 and the rooms are excellent. Novotel Bath Road is a good one too.

mwp1

Ive never got there secret hotel thing, do they just issue you one , once booked or just a few days before 🤔

DominicB

The Top Secret hotel is specific, and you get the details the moment you pay. I think I recall that the Sofitel is the only 5* property - certainly, there is a way of working it out from the advert. Of course, you don't get status benefits through LM.com, but if that doesn't matter, the top secret rates can be very good news.

chistery

Don't forget the cashback. Sofitel is usually between 10-16% on various sites.

GlasgowBlue

Booked this recently for a trip in Feb. £43 for a flexible booking. The Sofitel was coming in at £180 - £200 for the same date!

As you mention, while not exactly the height of luxury, it’s clean, comfy, cheap, you know exactly what you’re getting.

Even bookings for a day or two out are coming in at £40 -£50 for the Premier Inn at the moment.

DYKWIA

Indeed... virtually all of the below figure was earned at Accor hotels. One of the perks of working away

South London Bon Viveur

I will be trying the Moxy for the first time in a few days. Anyone been there? Like with airlines I try and stick with my preferred alliances, and Marriott has quite a few options, though I generally find the various hotels on the Bath Road to be uninspiring.

cheshirepete

Often use Sofitel for 1 nighters when coming down from MAN. You can’t really put a price on the location, especially if you’re carting baggage. Sofitel is more expensive now a days. As mentioned £180 which used to be more like £135. When PODS were operating it was always a bit of an adventure using Thistle which was generally sub £100.

What usually swings it for me even at £180 is the Free bar and snacks between 5.30 and 7.30, being Platinum. Essentially as the official Executive lounge is still closed, then also Free breakfast in the main restaurant. Last few visits I’ve always been upgraded to a Luxury room also. Also the usual drinks vouchers, and that all for 2 people. I sometimes also offset the higher price tag swapping 2000 points for circa -£35 a bundle.

For 2 people as Platinum:

Breakfast £40
2 hours of spirits circa 10 drinks for 2 £120
x2 vouchers main bar £16
Hot & Cold platter circa £20!?

not to mention room upgrade……

As you can tell, I continue to convince myself it’s worth it!

xenole

I looked at the Sofitel as part of a BA holiday booking and it was around £143 cheaper to stay at my usual HI on Bath Road and catch the 423 to T5 or the U3 to T3.

Begrudge paying anything like that, premium wise, even if it does save a little bit of travelling.
Probably a bit fancy airport hotel wise to be honest, but each to their own.

I've stayed at the Moxy a couple of times. Nice enough for the night and buses stop outside. Tesco Express and Domino's a few minutes away.
Functional, although no kettle usually. The light under the bed is a mixed bag opinion wise.
Probably more useful for T3 than T5, but if the price is right, it's a bit more comfortable than the Premier Inn down the road (TVs are too small for my liking , but at £35 or less sometimes, you can't go wrong if you don't want to spend £££).