My review of the new Premier Inn hotel at Heathrow Terminal 4

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This is our review of the brand new Premier Inn hotel at London Heathrow Terminal 4.

There is now a Premier Inn hotel at Heathrow Terminal 4, with a covered walkway connecting it to the terminal, which opened three weeks ago.

For the first time, you no longer need to pay a premium price to stay in a hotel which is directly connected to the airport. I only paid £49 for my room (flexible rate) and, pre-opening, they were available pre-paid for as little as £29.

In the past, you have had to choose between the premium priced Sofitel at Terminal 5 or the Hilton at Terminal 4. To save money you had to look off site. My favourite option is the new ibis Styles which I reviewed last year, but this requires a slow trip on the expensive Hoppa Bus or one of the free local buses. Rob is a fan of the Hilton Garden Inn at Hatton Cross, one tube stop before the airport.

The Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4 looked like it would tick all of our boxes – brand new rooms, low prices and a direct connection to the terminals. We wanted to know whether this hotel is a good choice for an early morning or late night flight so I checked in for the night to review it.

(EDIT: We have a newer, 2019, review of the Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4 which you can read here.)

How do you get to the Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4?

The tube ride from Kings Cross was one of the worst ever. I don’t know what happened to the Piccadilly Line over the last few years, but it just seems to be getting busier, slower and hotter each time I take this tube line and there is always a big chance of the destination being changed just before getting close to the airport.

Once I got to Heathrow Terminal 4 it was fairly easy to find the Premier Inn hotel. With luggage it’s best to get the lift up to the departure area, then turn right and keep walking until you get to the walkway which leads to the Hilton Terminal 4 and the Premier Inn.

I timed the walk. It was 5 minutes from the tube station to the check in area and a further 7 minutes along the covered walkway to the Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4 reception.

Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4 review

As you walk through the doors you find two armchairs in front of you. The reception area is to the right.

Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4 review

The Premier Inn check in area had a bunch of self check in terminals, which I had never used in a hotel before, as well as receptionists who were happy to help. I entered my name for the reservation to come up, had the option of adding prepaid breakfast and / or dinner – which I didnt, and after a short while my keys came out of the machine.

Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4 review

My Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4 room

The room had a double and a single bed (not sure why they put that in):

Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4 review

There was a good size desk with sockets, a coffee and tea station with kettle and much hated instant coffee.

The wardrobe was open with only a few hangers, but as the Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4 is an airport hotel you wouldn’t have much to unpack anyway.

Wifi was free, but extremely slow. If you require faster wifi you can purchase Ultimate Wifi for £5/24 hours which promises to be 8x faster.

Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4 review

The bathroom was a good size with shower / bathtub and a 3 in 1 shampoo / conditioner / shower gel mounted to the wall.

I used it to wash my hair as I had left my shampoo at home and it was, surprisingly, ok.

This was the view from the window. As you can see the Premier Inn is a triangular shape. The hotel only has one bank of lifts which means if you are unlucky, you have to walk quite a bit until you reach your room.

Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4 review

Dining and drinking at the Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4

There was a Costa Coffee on the ground floor which is open 24/7.

Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4 review

The Premier Inn also has a restaurant ‘Thyme’ which is a bit further down to the right and a bar which is to the left.

Breakfast is served from 5:30 am – 10:30 am. The Premier Inn breakfast costs £10.50 and continental breakfast £7.95 but as I had to leave the hotel at 5 am I had breakfast in the BA lounge instead.

Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4 review

Getting to your plane

The Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4 hotel is, not surprisingly, perfectly placed for Terminal 4 departures.

For Terminals 2 and 3, the best option would be to walk into Terminal 4 and take the Heathrow Connect train to Terminal 2 and 3.

Terminal 5 is trickier. Taking the train is complicated, requiring either a Heathrow Connect with a transfer to a Heathrow Express or a tube to Hatton Cross and then a change to another tube back to Terminal 5. It is easier to take the Hoppa Bus from outside the Hilton next door, a local bus or ask the hotel to book you a minicab (£9). I chose the latter.

Conclusion – do we recommend Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4?

The Premier Inn at Heathrow Terminal 4 is next to the Hilton (which Rob reviewed in 2015) and an ideal choice when flying from Terminal 4.

The hotel is brand new, the room was a good size, the bed comfortable and the walk to Terminal 4 less than 10 minutes. Even when flying from Terminal 5 it’s worth considering the Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4 due to the cheap rates compared to the Sofitel. My room was £49 (flexible rate) but you can get a room from as little as £40 if you prepay.

The Premier Inn website is here. I don’t think that you can book Premier Inn hotels via any third party site with a loyalty scheme, so that means you cannot benefit from Hotels.com Rewards or Expedia Plus Rewards. Premier Inn itself does not have a loyalty scheme.

Hotel offers update – December 2021:

Want to earn more hotel points? Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.

Want to buy hotel points? There is currently a special offer running with IHG Rewards (80% bonus to 4th January 2022) and World of Hyatt (30% discount, equivalent to a 43% bonus, to 30th December 2021).

Category

Airport Hotel Reviews (London)

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Clive says:

13 Jun13 June 08:10

“a tube to Hatton Cross and then a change to another tube back to Terminal 5.”

Why not change at T2/3? The first stop after T4 on the tube.
Yan says:

13 Jun13 June 08:39

Bus 482/490 (free) stop just outside hotel, one stop to Hatton Cross, 6 stops to T5
- Clive says:
  
  13 Jun13 June 09:30
  
  6 stops? I thought it only stopped at the cargo centre on the way to T5?
  The problem with the bus is it’s a bit awkward if you have heavy cases and have to stand up with them downstairs. Tube or train, both changing at T2, is easy with luggage.
Ian says:

13 Jun13 June 08:44

Apart from Gatwick, where the rooms are tiny, we’ve always had a positive experience with Premier Inn. Last week we stayed at the new (Buchanan Galleries) one in Glasgow and even there at this time of year the air con was working fine. I suppose it needs to as otherwise you can’t air the room at all. It has very small windows that are sealed shut. Saver (pre-paid non-flexible) deals at Premier Inn can be very good value if you’re able to book ahead.
- Genghis says:
  
  13 Jun13 June 08:49
  
  Indeed. V good value. I’ve booked the Premier Inn again for Xmas when we go back up north. £29 a night for a hotel that opened late last year. It’s v decent.
Oh! Matron! says:

13 Jun13 June 08:54

There’s something new and considerable being built at Hatton cross I noted from yesterday, here:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4660696,-0.4214176,17z

Ideas?
- pauldb says:
  
  13 Jun13 June 10:33
  
  The land between Faggs Rd and Dick Turpin Way has Planning Permission (since 2011) for a 583 room hotel (Hampton level, but no brand yet). The open land further west and east seems to have early stage planning under way: broadly car showroom, petrol station, trade outlets, retail and, to the east, possible hotel.
  - Oh! Matron! says:
    
    13 Jun13 June 10:48
    
    Well, Basement is in (a least two stories below ground). There will need to be a bridge or something, as crossing that road will be treacherous!
Mark says:

13 Jun13 June 09:27

Showing £29 for a family room in July, but if you need parking too, forget it!

We have very limited car parking spaces available which must be pre- booked by calling the hotel directly. Parking is charged at 25 GBP per day. Please book early to avoid disappointment. Sat Nav: TW6 3AF
Billy says:

13 Jun13 June 09:48

Another hotel tenuously claiming to be directly linked to the terminal… a seven-minute walk indicates it is barely that. You can say you are linked to the terminal if you are say, bloc or Yotel at Gatwick, anything else is false advertising.

I stay in Premier Inn’s when I have to. I find them awful and I am at a loss as to their popularity. Consistently dirty rooms – permanently understaffed but I suppose cheap wins.

And is that a bit of snobbery about being ‘surprised’ that the shampoo was fine?
- Rob says:
  
  13 Jun13 June 10:03
  
  I think if you ask 50 women whether they would generally recommend ‘3 in 1’ shampoo / shower gel / conditioners to do a good job with their hair, almost all would say no. My wife travels with her own hair products when she knows she’ll be staying in something akin to a Premier Inn, Holiday Inn Express.
  
  Are you sure you’re not confusing Premier Inn with Travelodge? My own experience with Premier Inn is very, very positive and I am happy to recommend them to friends. They put their money where it matters – bed, shower – and simply cut out (in general) restaurants etc. They are also not that cheap, in general. The only downside I found is that they are very popular and the rates tend to creep up to a point where they are matching four star hotels – but I’d rather stay in a new Premier Inn than a dated four star.
  - Genghis says:
    
    13 Jun13 June 10:16
    
    Going a bit off topic but for men I highly recommend the L’Oreal Men Expert 5 in 1. When I’m travelling that’s all I take for shaving and moisturiser and a back up for hair and shower gel if the hotel toiletries aren’t up to scratch.
  - Billy says:
    
    13 Jun13 June 10:52
    
    Travelodge’s used to feel like suicide booths.
    I can’t remember that last time I stayed in a Premier Inn that was clean.
    In fact, here’s a picture of something on the curtain at one of their Inverness places (where we waited for 15 minutes to check in as the one member of staff on duty (who looked about 17) had to change a mattress!).
    
    https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4257/34470821663_19289d0431.jpg
    
    Probably still better than most Hiltons though.
- Clive says:
  
  13 Jun13 June 11:50
  
  Bizarre to question cleanliness on a new build opened three weeks ago…
Rob says:

13 Jun13 June 10:02

As mentioned, 482/490 is super easy for access to T5 or the underground in general. You can get to bus stop through car park on the ground floor. That saves the long walk to the tube station. Plenty of space for luggage on the bus I took and it was single level.

Also, probably quicker taking the same bus to Hounslow West for access to Piccadilly Line rather than going round the T4 loop! You have to pay to Hounslow West though whereas T5 bit is free!
1nfrequent says:

13 Jun13 June 10:36

“I don’t think that you can book Premier Inn hotels via any third party site with a loyalty scheme, so that means you cannot benefit from Hotels.com Rewards or Expedia Plus Rewards. Premier Inn itself does not have a loyalty scheme.”

If your employer is linked with Corporate Perks (perksatwork.com) then Premier Inn hotels are bookable through there, in which case you benefit from Wow Points which can be redeemed against gift cards or used for purchasing goods/services through the site. I find that they’re available through my employer’s Corporate Pricing part of the site (which in turn books them through booking.com) but it may be that they’re only available because corporate policy puts us in Premier Inns when we’re on the company shilling. Pricing through there is usually the same as booking through the Premier Inn site direct but occasionally you do get a small discount as well as your Wow Points.

I offer that up because at least it’s a way of getting something back for using this chain but obviously only if you have a participating employer. Worth having a look anyway.

1F
- Genghis says:
  
  13 Jun13 June 10:46
  
  And is that a way to pay by credit card and avoid the Premier Inn credit card fees?
  - 1nfrequent says:
    
    13 Jun13 June 21:50
    
    Sorry but off the top of my head, I can’t remember. It’s been a few months since I had to book on it. Best bet is to do a dummy booking and see what happens.
    
    1F
  - Talay says:
    
    14 Jun14 June 05:30
    
    Can you pay Premier Inn by PayPal and link that to your Amex card ?
    
    I tend to avoid such things for the credit card cover but with a cheap hotel without benefits I think it is a reasonable trade off.

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