The Sofitel London Heathrow connects directly to Terminal 5 via a walkway and is the only 5-star hotel at Heathrow Airport. It offers several bars, including a Perrier Jouët bar and the Sphere lobby bar, and restaurants, including the fine dining La Belle Epoque. We chose to stay at the Sofitel London Heathrow because of their new parking-inclusive package.
Location
Our arrival was simple. We followed the signs to the Sofitel and then to the mammoth-sized parking area underneath the hotel. From the parking area, we took a lift to the main reception, where we checked in. You can easily walk to Terminal 5 from the hotel. You don’t even need to cross any roads. Just walk down the corridor, and take the lift to the entrance of London Heathrow Terminal 5.
Style & Character
The hotel itself has an impressive and busy entrance with orchids and fountains. The rooms above are split into six wings adjoined by open-air walkways that sit under massively high glass atriums. Hotel rooms either look outwards to the airport or inwards over a part of the hotel. For example, some rooms overlook the restaurants, others the marble foyers and reception areas. Our room (room 6108) looked out to the roadway coming into the airport. Since none of the rooms look onto the runway or planes, there is little to choose between the inward-facing and outward-facing rooms.
Rooms
The room we had was pretty standard for an airport hotel; all be it with plenty of space, upgraded finishings and amenities, and superbly quiet quadruple glazing (double glazing, then a gap, then double glazing again). The blackout curtains were excellent, and the bed was large, so it was easy to get a good night’s sleep. The black marble bathroom (see pictures below) had a walk-in shower, and bath with a TV screen in the wall and offered ESPA toiletries.
For the night we were staying, the room price came in at around £170 GBP including taxes for the standard classic room (26 m²/277 ft²) with a queen-sized bed and £255 GBP including taxes for our luxury room (32 m²/341 ft²) with a king bed and Club Millésime lounge access. All rooms come with free Internet access.
Service & Facilities
There was also a spacious 24-hour fitness studio with free access for hotel residents, which we didn’t try.
Food & Drink
La Belle Epoque (pictured above) is excellent. The food we tried was outstanding, the staff were both kind, and they seemed to be incredibly proud of the food they are serving. The price for the “Menu Degustation,” at £59 GBP per person for seven courses (plus £35 GBP per person for an optional wine pairing), was outrageously good value when we had it although the price may have risen since.
Highlights included the poached Scottish lobster with tempura frog’s legs (sad for the frog but superbly tasty for me!), the delicious confit of Norwegian sea trout, and the Granny Smith apple mousse at the end, which seemed to have absorbed the flavor from a thousand apples. If you are doing an overnight stay at London Heathrow, a meal at La Belle Epoque meal is simply a must-do.
Club Millésime Airport & Hotel Lounge
Club Millésime airport & hotel lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5 is a landside airport lounge. It is located in the Sofitel hotel and is reached by a walkway from the main terminal.
What made our room enjoyable is that it included Club Millésime Lounge access. Guests at the Sofitel in a luxury room or suite automatically get access to Club Millésime. Guests in standard rooms can upgrade to use the lounge for £75 GBP per person. This lounge was a Priority Pass lounge for a while but is no longer available with your Priority Pass.
The lounge isn’t big, with seating for around 40 people, but it provides a space to relax and includes internet access, food and drinks. The complimentary continental breakfast was a decent spread with a buffet choice of scrambled eggs and sausages, smoked salmon, bread and jams, cereals, fruit, berries, yogurts, smoothies, and juices, coffees, and teas from a machine. I can’t comment on the afternoon tea, as I did not experience it. There was a good selection of beers (bottles of Peroni, Asaki, and one other), wines, and spirits in the evening. The food offering was not huge and served on very small plates, but there was just about enough to fill you up with noodle vegetable dishes, chicken skewers, fried fish, greek salad, cheese, biscuits, and nuts.
Conclusion
It is worth mentioning that the Sofitel is the best luxury airport hotel for all terminals at Heathrow. For example, the most convenient hotel for terminal 4 is the Hilton connected to terminal 4, but it is somewhat dated. If you chose to stay at the Sofitel instead, you could take the free bus from bus stop 7 to terminal 3, which takes about 15 minutes. The Sofitel is also the best airport hotel for terminals 2 & 3. The only other option for terminal 3 is the Bath Road hotels, which are a pain to get to. Your best bet is to stay at the Sofitel at terminal 5 and then take the Heathrow Express trains, free for travel between Heathrow central station (terminals 2 & 3) and Terminal 5. There is a train every 15 minutes. Frequent London Underground trains also run between the terminals, but the transfer is only free if you use a Transport for London Oyster card.
Finally, if you are waiting about between flights, you can book a room at this Sofitel for day use only.
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