Review: Courtyard by Marriott Luton Airport hotel

This is our review of the Courtyard by Marriott hotel at London Luton Airport.

This is our first review of a hotel at Luton Airport. I chose the Courtyard on this trip, partly because – with the brand about to open at both Heathrow and London City in the next few weeks – I wanted to get feel for what it offered.

With the opening of a new people-mover between the train station and terminal as well as a new ‘Luton Express’ rail service in 2022, you may find Luton Airport more attractive than you do at present.

We paid for own room and the hotel did not know we were reviewing it. You can see the Courtyard Luton Airport hotel website here.

Getting to the Courtyard Luton Airport

There are five hotels at Luton Airport: the Courtyard, a Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, an ibis and ibis Budget. Additional hotels are slightly further and include a Premier Inn.

The Courtyard is the newest of the lot and consequently sits furthest from the airport terminal. It opened in 2018.

Getting to the terminal requires a half-mile 13 minute walk that takes you along the main airport access road and underneath the taxiway that connects the terminal with the runway.

Alternatively, take the 100 or A local bus service that operates regularly from the Holiday Inn bus stop just up the road. This will whisk you to the terminal in a matter of minutes.

The Courtyard Luton Airport

First impressions of the hotel are good: it looks smart from the outside as you can see above.

On the inside, a fairly basic but well executed hat theme livens it up:

Whilst not particularly large, the hotel makes good use of space on the ground floor with several meeting rooms and a small open-plan business centre:

A seating area with airport departures:

A number of check-in desks:

The ‘Market Place’:

…. and a small restaurant / bar:

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The hotel also has a gym but this was closed during my stay.

Check in

Check-in was quick and easy. As a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite I was asked whether I wanted bonus points or $10 credit as my welcome amenity. I chose the credit which I immediately spent in the Market Place.

How close is the hotel to the runway?

Very. Take a look at this screenshot from Google Maps and you can see that it is maybe 250m from the end of the runway:

Despite this, the Courtyard doesn’t have any runway views. The runway is built on raised ground and is above the hotel no matter what floor you are on.

Here is the view from my room, with the runway up the hill:

I’ll be honest – take-offs are not completely silent. They are clearly audible, although not particularly loud. Luckily, although Luton Airport has a licence to operate 24 hours a day, night flights are few and far between.

The rooms at Courtyard Luton Airport

I was put in a standard king room on the 6th floor:

The rooms are a decent size and come with a good amount of storage space including a luggage rack and wardrobe:

You also get a desk and chair:

As well as an odd side table with perching seat – I’m not exactly sure what this adds!

You get your usual range of amenities including (empty) mini fridge, kettle with instant coffees/teas, ironing board, hairdryer, safe etc:

The bathroom

The bathroom features a frosted glass door and window, which adds a nice glow to the room when the light is on. The shower is basic but functional with just one non-rainfall shower head:

I particularly liked the cubby hole under the sink, which seemed like a good use of space:

More annoying was the flush on the toilet, which was obscured when you raised the toilet lid.

Toiletries are by Nirvae Botanicals and I was pleased to find a soap dish too (my personal pet peeve):

How was the Courtyard Luton Airport?

This was my first stay in a Courtyard hotel but it won’t be the last, not least because the chain is increasingly popping up at airports.

Rob reviewed the new Courtyard at Inverness Airport earlier this year and a Courtyard is due to open at both London City and Heathrow in the coming weeks.

Courtyard seems to be a decent option if you are looking for a good value but clean and well run hotel. The fact that many in the UK are new builds only makes them more attractive.

The Courtyard Luton Airport is a Category 3 hotel which means you are looking at between 15,000 and 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, depending on the season.

Cash prices are just under £100 for a night in June, so you are getting acceptable value for your Bonvoy points at our valuation of 0.5p per point.

The Courtyard Luton Airport website is here if you would like to book or find out more.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (December 2021)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card usually comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

You can also earn American Express Membership Rewards points with American Express Gold (20,000 bonus points), the American Express Rewards Credit Card (5,000 bonus points) and – for small business owners – American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus points) and Business Platinum (40,000 bonus points).

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points. 

(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.)