Review: ibis Styles London Heathrow Airport hotel – it’s new, cheap, funky and friendly

This is my review of the new ibis Styles London Heathrow Airport hotel.

Whilst Rob was enjoying the sun in Italy, I got to ‘enjoy’ the Piccadilly Line sauna towards Heathrow.

ibis Styles invited Head for Points to have a look at their new hotel at Heathrow Airport and to find out more about their concept.  I was a little uncertain about what to expect – ibis hotels have a reputation for being spartan – but I was very impressed by what I found.  Here is my review.

What is ibis Styles?

ibis Styles is Accor’s economy and design brand.

Unlike ibis Budget hotels, every Styles hotel has got their own unique interior design, reflecting the area it’s in. Located right next to Heathrow Airport on Bath Road, ibis Styles London Heathrow is all about aviation.

Room rates at ibis Styles always include breakfast and free fast wi-fi.

Where is ibis Styles Heathrow?

There are only two airport hotels connected to Heathrow Airport – the Hilton at Terminal 4 and the Sofitel at Terminal 5, plus the box-like Yotel inside T4. The other hotels are a little bit (occasionally, a lot) further out but well connected with local buses and the Heathrow Hoppa airport hotel shuttle bus.

I took the Piccadilly Line to Hatton Cross and got on the 285 bus to Nene Road. The ibis Styles Heathrow is right across the road from the bus stop.  It is worth mentioning that local buses in the Heathrow area are free of charge so don’t touch in with your Oyster card.

(Rob ran this article back in March on which bus routes serve which hotels at Heathrow.)

Reception / Check-in

The reception area is bright and airy:

Next to the entrance is an interactive screen where you can access hotel information as well as flight departure times.

My room

I stayed in one of the seven biggest rooms. Most of these are accessible for people with reduced mobility.

The bed was comfortable and the pillows weren’t too thick.

The sofa in the corner can be turned into a bed for two which makes this room perfect for a family of four:

The room had no wardrobe, only some hooks and hangers, but as you are most likely to only spend one night at an airport hotel this is no problem.

The bathroom was very practical with a shower, sink and toilet. The duck in the window next to the mirror is one of three designs that you can find throughout the hotel’s bathrooms.

There was a 3 in 1 shampoo / shower gel / face wash in the shower, which I only used to clean my make up brush – after my experience in Liverpool I decided to start carrying my own shampoo around.

A kettle and complimentary bottles of water are stored in an aluminium travel case next to the bed.

Other rooms

This is a standard family room at ibis Styles Heathrow with a double bed and a sofa bed. As the picture shows, the design of all the rooms is the same.

This picture shows a standard room which doesn’t have a sofa bed. The flight related artworks above the beds vary from room to room.

Restaurant

The ibis Styles Heathrow restaurant is open for breakfast (free for all guests) in the morning and serves a la carte for lunch and dinner. Kids portions are 50% off.

At the far back of the restaurant is another aviation related artwork.

Here is the proof that I don’t always eat burgers and steaks – I actually used to be a vegetarian until I moved to London ….

I had a very pleasant tomato soup and a salad for dinner.  And some wine.

Breakfast

If your flight is very early, you can order a small breakfast from 4:30am.  If you’ve got more time, you can enjoy a breakfast buffet from 6:30 until around 10:30. The hotel is apparently quite flexible about this, depending on the schedule of the guests. If a large number of people are still eating at 10:30 they won’t start putting things away.

If you prefer a cooked english breakfast, you can order it for an additional charge of £5 but as I was happy with the buffet selection I didn’t order hot food.

Bar

Here is a picture of the bar which is in between reception and the restaurant.

You can get free coffee and tea all day.

Conclusion

I was very impressed by the ibis Styles Heathrow. Bearing in mind that this is a 3* property, there is nothing to complain about. On the contrary I found the service to be excellent, the design fun and really enjoyed my stay.  I would happily stay there again.

Breakfast and fast wi-fi are included in the room rate and there is free coffee and tea all day. The only thing you could be spending money on when staying at the ibis Styles Heathrow is lunch, dinner or a drink.

If we’re honest, the overall standard of hotels at Heathrow – as with many major airports – is not great, irrespective of brand or star level.  I think you’ll find the new ibis Styles to be a lot better than many higher star-rated properties and if you give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

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

The hotel website is here if you want to know more.

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