Hilton London Gatwick Airport {GBR}
#271
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: LHR, LGW
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 3,357
Staying here tonight. It's moderately busy. Lounge was pretty well managed and they seemed to have improved the food presentation at least. Cold selections of meats and cheeses along with veg and pasta small pots. This was accompanied with soup and 2 warm items, Asian bytes so-to-speak!
A choice of red, white, spirits, beers, soft drinks and Codornui Cava.
Main hotel bar very busy with big groups of summer holiday guests!
Overall a a good experience. Sadly I think the rooms require modernisation. They are beginning to look dated but otherwise very clean and acceptable before or after a flight.
A choice of red, white, spirits, beers, soft drinks and Codornui Cava.
Main hotel bar very busy with big groups of summer holiday guests!
Overall a a good experience. Sadly I think the rooms require modernisation. They are beginning to look dated but otherwise very clean and acceptable before or after a flight.
#272
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Egham, Surrey, UK
Programs: Mucci Champion des Champions, BAG4L, *A Gold, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, Hertz Gold, Avis President
Posts: 3,416
Had an early flight with BA so stayed at this property the night before. Very quick check in and an upgrade to a large King room. Very nice room which was in very good condition with large bathroom with separate bat and walk in shower.
The best bit for us was it was exactly a 10 minute walk from our room to Fast Track security so a few extra minutes in bed!
Evening service in the lounge starts at 6:30PM. Was very busy and noisy but managed to grab a spot down near the PC's. The ladies looking after the food and drink were superb. Dashing around clearing plates and glasses and ensuring that nothing ran out.
Food and drink was pretty good and certainly enough to make a light evening meal.
The best bit for us was it was exactly a 10 minute walk from our room to Fast Track security so a few extra minutes in bed!
Evening service in the lounge starts at 6:30PM. Was very busy and noisy but managed to grab a spot down near the PC's. The ladies looking after the food and drink were superb. Dashing around clearing plates and glasses and ensuring that nothing ran out.
Food and drink was pretty good and certainly enough to make a light evening meal.
#273
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 76
#274
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 706
Stayed there for 2 nights - pre-selected room on the App. Upon arrival, I asked about lounge access and the front desk agent upgraded me to the executive room as a Gold. Was also offered 2 bottles of water at check-in.
Lounge won't open until 2pm due to the holidays - we were offered breakfast in the Garden Restaurant. Breakfast spread is good - full English, bread corner, oak meals, salad. I found it is at par with Hilton Canary Wharf.
Room at the new wing is good - clean but a bit tired but I found it adequate. I left the room at about 1pm and found the room didn't get refreshed. I called and it was refreshed in about an hour while I am retreating at the lounge.
During 6:30pm to 8:30pm the lounge was kind of full. Full bar was offered along with canapes and a mushroom soup. Lounge attendant was nice.
Found the cheapest way to go to central London is to buy a roundtrip ticket on National Rail - 13.6 pound round trip plus a couple more with the travel card option. Oyster will cost 8.1 pound one-way. I believe oyster is capped at 19.3 pound daily. It takes about 45 minutes from Gatwick airport station to Central London with a change of train at Chapman.
I would stay there again.
Lounge won't open until 2pm due to the holidays - we were offered breakfast in the Garden Restaurant. Breakfast spread is good - full English, bread corner, oak meals, salad. I found it is at par with Hilton Canary Wharf.
Room at the new wing is good - clean but a bit tired but I found it adequate. I left the room at about 1pm and found the room didn't get refreshed. I called and it was refreshed in about an hour while I am retreating at the lounge.
During 6:30pm to 8:30pm the lounge was kind of full. Full bar was offered along with canapes and a mushroom soup. Lounge attendant was nice.
Found the cheapest way to go to central London is to buy a roundtrip ticket on National Rail - 13.6 pound round trip plus a couple more with the travel card option. Oyster will cost 8.1 pound one-way. I believe oyster is capped at 19.3 pound daily. It takes about 45 minutes from Gatwick airport station to Central London with a change of train at Chapman.
I would stay there again.
#275
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Silver, HH Diamond, Radisson Gold, IHG Gold, Marriott Gold, Shangri La Jade
Posts: 264
Found the cheapest way to go to central London is to buy a roundtrip ticket on National Rail - 13.6 pound round trip plus a couple more with the travel card option. Oyster will cost 8.1 pound one-way. I believe oyster is capped at 19.3 pound daily. It takes about 45 minutes from Gatwick airport station to Central London with a change of train at Chapman.
Also, all of the fares you refer to are the off peak fares. (after 9.30am)
#276
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Programs: BA Exec Gold, IHG Platinum, Hilton Honors Silver
Posts: 391
Staying here tomorrow night ahead of an early BA flight from South terminal on Friday morning. How long does it reasonably take to get from the hotel to the BA check in desks at South terminal? We will have checked in online but have baggage and will need passports checked as it's TATL. Just trying to work out if we should go and check the bags in then return for breakfast or if it's just not worth the effort to do that.
Thanks
Thanks
#277
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: NW London and NW Sydney
Programs: BA Diamond, Hilton Bronze, A3 Diamond, IHG *G
Posts: 6,322
Staying here tomorrow night ahead of an early BA flight from South terminal on Friday morning. How long does it reasonably take to get from the hotel to the BA check in desks at South terminal? We will have checked in online but have baggage and will need passports checked as it's TATL. Just trying to work out if we should go and check the bags in then return for breakfast or if it's just not worth the effort to do that.
If you wish, you can store your bags in the breakfast restaurant to avoid needing to go back to the room. (But the storage cupboard is by the front entrance and not very visible from the tables - though I don't worry about theft in the UK.)
I think it depends on the timings of your flight and whether you plan to wake up early or as late as possible. Part of the walk is somewhat exposed to the outside, so in December I prefer to get some food in me first and only go out in the cold and dark once; in May it will be bright at 0530 and less cold so I wouldn't mind doing that walk 3 times.
#278
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Programs: BA Exec Gold, IHG Platinum, Hilton Honors Silver
Posts: 391
Flight is 9.40 so not ridiculously early. Will see where the room is and decide from there. I had thought it was same Terminal as BA then found out I was mistaken so started to wonder how close we were actually going to be
Both early risers and we are club world so should be shorter check in line (hopefully). Likely we will do the walk 3 times - just to kill time!
Both early risers and we are club world so should be shorter check in line (hopefully). Likely we will do the walk 3 times - just to kill time!
#279
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, TK Elite, HHonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 7,676
Flight is 9.40 so not ridiculously early. Will see where the room is and decide from there. I had thought it was same Terminal as BA then found out I was mistaken so started to wonder how close we were actually going to be
Both early risers and we are club world so should be shorter check in line (hopefully). Likely we will do the walk 3 times - just to kill time!
Both early risers and we are club world so should be shorter check in line (hopefully). Likely we will do the walk 3 times - just to kill time!
#280
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,475
You also have the option of checking your bags (some or all of them) the evening before at LGW, and collecting your boarding passes. Available after 16:00 hrs until about an hour before the last BA flight of the day (usually an EDI or GLA, both of which are about 21:30 departure). This applies to almost all airlines at LGW, the exceptions essentially being the one a day airlines which don't have a check-in point in the evenings. South Check-in is 10 minutes or less from the hotel reception, some of it is on a moving walkway.
#281
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Montral, Canada
Posts: 1,610
Found the cheapest way to go to central London is to buy a roundtrip ticket on National Rail - 13.6 pound round trip plus a couple more with the travel card option. Oyster will cost 8.1 pound one-way. I believe oyster is capped at 19.3 pound daily. It takes about 45 minutes from Gatwick airport station to Central London with a change of train at Chapman.
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#282
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: NW London and NW Sydney
Programs: BA Diamond, Hilton Bronze, A3 Diamond, IHG *G
Posts: 6,322
I'm sure you posted with good intentions, but apart from this first statement, the rest of the post is inaccurate or just incorrect.
The ticket machines sell most common tickets, but they may not always sell the best value ticket, and often they invite you to purchase a more expensive ticket when a cheaper one, which is hard or impossible to find, is also valid.
In many cases, an Oyster or contactless bank card will be the best value. For these, off-peak and peak times are simply based on the time you touch in at the ticket barriers of the origin station. If you touch in between 0634-0928 and 1604-1858 on working days, you will be charged the peak fare.
There are no off-peak paper one-way tickets. There is no afternoon peak period for paper tickets on this route.
Off-peak paper return tickets are valid for any train that arrives at a London Terminals station after 0950. Off-peak paper travelcards are generally valid from the 0933 departure to London Bridge. These tickets can be used to enter stations until 0430 the next morning. There may be some obscure tickets with different restrictions.
Your prices are out of date by several years.
A one-day travelcard does not allow unlimited travel between Gatwick and London. It allows one return trip from the origin to the destination and unlimited travel within London zones 1-6.
A typical weekday's daytime schedule includes are 4 Gatwick Express-branded trains and 5 Southern-branded trains every hour to Victoria. There are also 4 Thameslink-branded trains per hour to London Bridge, and 2 to 4 Thameslink-branded trains per hour to Blackfriars/Farringdon/St Pancras and onwards.
The ticket machines sell most common tickets, but they may not always sell the best value ticket, and often they invite you to purchase a more expensive ticket when a cheaper one, which is hard or impossible to find, is also valid.
In many cases, an Oyster or contactless bank card will be the best value. For these, off-peak and peak times are simply based on the time you touch in at the ticket barriers of the origin station. If you touch in between 0634-0928 and 1604-1858 on working days, you will be charged the peak fare.
There are no off-peak paper one-way tickets. There is no afternoon peak period for paper tickets on this route.
Off-peak paper return tickets are valid for any train that arrives at a London Terminals station after 0950. Off-peak paper travelcards are generally valid from the 0933 departure to London Bridge. These tickets can be used to enter stations until 0430 the next morning. There may be some obscure tickets with different restrictions.
Your prices are out of date by several years.
A one-day travelcard does not allow unlimited travel between Gatwick and London. It allows one return trip from the origin to the destination and unlimited travel within London zones 1-6.
A typical weekday's daytime schedule includes are 4 Gatwick Express-branded trains and 5 Southern-branded trains every hour to Victoria. There are also 4 Thameslink-branded trains per hour to London Bridge, and 2 to 4 Thameslink-branded trains per hour to Blackfriars/Farringdon/St Pancras and onwards.
#284
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Newton Centre, MA, USA
Programs: DL 2MM Gold, AA Plat Pro; Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium (via SPG), IHG Plat
Posts: 2,192
#285
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Montral, Canada
Posts: 1,610
Many thanks for providing details on the off-peak hours.