Staybridge Suites - London Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3

Another weekend, another trip to London and its busy airport. 

This time we picked Staybridge Suites, which is on Bath Road. This hotel is in the same building as a Holiday Inn, 1 bus stop away from Heathrow Terminals 2&3. These hotels are operated by the IHG group.

First - to get there - take bus 105 (or 111, 278, 285, or an Uber - you can’t walk as there’s no pedestrian path) one stop to Newport Road. Cross the road. Carefully as it’s busy and not very pedestrian-friendly. If you drive, you have to pay for your parking (at reception, I believe).

Check-in is at 2 p.m. We stayed for 3 nights. We paid no deposit for the room.

The hotel has a very welcoming atmosphere and includes a small area that sells alcohol, snacks, toiletries, and other useful bits called “The Pantry” - you pay at reception, and whilst the prices are a bit higher than the shops I can see the value since it’s extremely convenient and you do not have to exit the hotel. 

The ground floor has the reception, the above-mentioned pantry, a library area where you can find some all-in-one computers and desks, a room called “The Den” which was engaged during our stay (I think it is a conference room), the buffet area with seating which extends into a large and comfortable lounge area. There is also a library where you can find some all-in-one computers and a desk area. There’s plenty of live information for the airport and transport to the airport. Everything is well furnished and looks good. 

There’s a fitness room and laundry room on the first floor. If you want to clean your clothes, you can purchase a washing capsule from “The Pantry” for £1. 

The room we stayed in was a studio suite on the 4th floor - these rooms come equipped with an induction stove, toaster, dishwasher, microwave oven, coffee press, pots, pans, plates, dinnerware, on top of your usual facilities (mini fridge, kettle, tea, coffee). You can pick up some complimentary seasoning (salt, paprika, pepper, chilli flakes) at “The Pantry”. I love this and wish more hotels would do it. The room was clean, well lit, very well presented. There is a TV which disappointingly only supports Android screen mirroring and nothing for iOS/macOS. There’s a (not very long) floor-to-ceiling window, but the view is a bit disappointing, though I’m sure that varies. You can see planes flying out every two minutes. I haven’t felt like sound isolation was lacking, even though it’s noisy as hell outside!

The bed was comfortable enough - but we did not sleep very well. After 3 nights I felt like we left more tired than when we arrived.

You can make a comfortable makeshift desk area if, like me, your social anxiety forbids you from working downstairs.

Room service happens daily during weekdays but for weekends you need to arrange 24h prior. I had a quick interaction with one of the cleaning ladies - she told me she does not speak any English (Clean? Yes, please!) - that being said, I think they do a very good job and I have had no problems with the language barrier.

We booked breakfast included, and this was buffet - varied and nice - nothing spectacular, but enjoyable and in my opinion well worth the extra money. Some frozen stuff here and there, but plenty fresh (or at least looked and tasted good enough to fool me). Staff are busy greeting people in the morning and they are very friendly (maybe too friendly for a groggy morning person like me) - asking for feedback on food, service, stay. There are a couple of coffee machines which you are free to use outside of breakfast hours (6:30 to 10:00). There is complimentary tea, milk and other options.

Since you have your own small kitchen in every room, you can choose to cook something - shopping options in the area are not ideal, but you can work something out from local shops (no major brands in the immediate area, I think M&S is the closest). Of course, they offer their own in-house delivery straight to your room - it’s not too expensive, but mainstream food delivery apps will likely give you a bit more per pound.

IHG also has a free loyalty scheme - I’m sure the benefits change, so I won’t list them, but I believe one of the perks (at the time of writing) is free late check-out. Speaking of, check-out is at 12 p.m. (the late check-out is at 2 p.m.). The free late check out is subject to availability and the person who booked the room needs to sign up to IHG rewards. I also had a conversation with a receptionist about this where I felt she was a bit rude for no particular reason, although I have also worked long hours with shit pay so I won't take it personal - no fault of the customer!

There’s a lot of value here - and I enjoyed my stay. You will get a very good experience for a relatively low cost (for London) - you may get lower costs in other places. I’ve not experienced every hotel in the area (yet), but it definitely felt like I got a good deal - so I’m happy. I’d say this is a 8.5 out of 10. I'm deducting points due to the bad sleep.

We’ve paid £260 for 3 nights, with breakfast included. This works out at just under £87 per night, with more potential savings if you take full advantage of the kitchen and equipment provided. Definitely getting my stamp of approval!