Review: the Hampton by Hilton London Gatwick Airport hotel

This is my review of the Hampton by Hilton London Gatwick Airport hotel.

Rob had sent me to Bordeaux to review the InterContinental Bordeaux – Le Grand Hotel. As I had an early morning flight, the logical conclusion was for me to have a look at the Hampton by Hilton London Gatwick Airport the night before.

It’s so easy to find that I had problems finding it. Let me explain.

I took the train from central London to Gatwick’s south terminal and then the transit to the north terminal. I couldn’t see any signs for the Hampton by Hilton and somehow ended up in the departure area (and decided to have my flight ticket printed as BA was having issues with their app).

When I went back down, I finally saw signs (in between a lot of easyJet orange) pointing towards the end of the easyJet check-in. The hotel website could have simply said ‘follow the orange’.

Check-in was quick and simple and the staff were friendly.

The room had everything you need when spending just a few hours awake in a hotel:

A bathroom with shower. Toiletries were limited to shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and soap.

A window facing construction works.

A kettle and instant coffee – oh how I love instant coffee …..

A decent sized TV.

A desk – I bought a new small laptop for travel reasons so the size was ok.

And most importantly a comfortable bed.

The two hours that I was awake, I spent at the bar.

I really wanted to eat a salad but ‘unfortunately’ I ordered food after 10pm, was therefore too late for the healthy option and my dinner looked like this:

I had to get up at 5:30am – way too early for me to eat breakfast. But did have a look at the breakfast room which looked ok. The red plastic trays however were bothering me a bit …..

Continental breakfast is being served from 4am. After 6am you can get proper English breakfast which, judging by the number of serving containers, should not have left you hungry.  Breakfast is FREE at Hampton by Hilton hotels which is a major selling point.

There was no time for that though.  I decided to have a bite in the ‘BA alternative’ No 1 Traveller lounge instead …. not my greatest idea ever as you will see.

My verdict on the Hampton Gatwick Airport hotel

As a Hilton HHonors redemption you are looking at 30,000 points per night.  Based on Rob’s valuation of 0.3p per point, this is not a bad place to spend them.  A room is typically £100 midweek and £90 at the weekend.

The Hampton by Hilton Gatwick Airport hotel did its job.  It was new, it was clean, the room was an acceptable size and, most importantly, it was an easy walk to and from the north terminal.  I didn’t want to be messing around with shuttle buses at 5.30am and with the Hampton it wasn’t necessary. Job done.

You can read our full series of London airport hotel reviews here.

You can find out more about the hotel, and book, on this page of the Hilton website.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit and debit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

There are two dedicated Hilton Honors debit cards. These are especially attractive when spending abroad due to the 0% or 0.5% FX fee, depending on card.

You also receive FREE Hilton Honors status for as long as you hold the debit cards – Gold status with the Plus card and Silver status with the basic card. This is a great reason to apply even if you rarely use it.

We reviewed the Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card here and the Hilton Honors Debit Card here.

You can apply for either card here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 30th April 2025, the annual fee on the basic Hilton Honors debit card is halved from £60 to £30. The sign-up bonus is also easier to earn – you need to spend £1,000 either in the UK or abroad within three months. The usual bonus rule requires you to spend the full £1,000 outside the UK.

NEW: Hilton Honors Plus Debit

10,000 bonus points, Hilton Gold status and NO FX fees Read our full review

NEW: Hilton Honors Debit

2,500 bonus points, Hilton Silver status and 0.5% FX fees Read our full review

There is another way of getting Hilton Honors status, and earning Hilton Honors points, from a payment card.

Holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card.  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton Honors points is 1:2.

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