Review: London Heathrow Marriott Hotel

To wrap up the first stop on my trip to Europe, I spent a night at the London Heathrow Marriott Hotel in anticipation of an early flight to Prague. I opted to stay at the airport so I could have a more fulsome lounge experience in the morning.

I managed to explore most of the hotel’s facilities during my short stay, including the on-site restaurant, the Executive Lounge, and the pool area. As far as an airport hotel goes, it was fairly well-appointed.

Here’s a review of my stay and the property.

London Heathrow Marriott Hotel – Booking

As with the rest of London, it’s hard to find a bargain when staying at a hotel. I was fortunate to get an attractive travel agent rate at the hotel, which I had to monitor for and book quickly when it became available.

Regular cash rates for the London Heathrow Marriott Hotel range from £120–190 ($183–290 CAD), with an average rate of around £160 ($244 CAD). As always, last minute bookings or any time when the hotel is busy will result in higher prices.

For bookings with Marriott Bonvoy points, expect to pay between 30,000–40,000 points per night. Based on our current valuation of 0.9 cents per point, there’s not a particularly compelling argument for a points redemption.

If you happen to have a spare Free Night Award available that’s about to expire, you could redeem it for a night here. Otherwise, you can likely squeeze more value out of it at a higher-end hotel.

London Heathrow Marriott Hotel – Location

The London Heathrow Marriott Hotel is conveniently located just a few minutes away from Terminal 2, and about 10 minutes by car from Terminal 5.

There aren’t too many sights or locations of interest around here. There are a number of other hotels in the area, which is in the town of Harlington. 

Aside from taking a taxi or ride-share from the airport, you can access the hotel using public transportation. You’ll need to take a mix of the subway and buses, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to sort out.

London Heathrow Marriott Hotel – Check-In

I arrived at the hotel in the early evening, after enjoying a cask ale in Camden. I decided to use up the rest of the credits on my Oyster card, and I found it relatively easy to find the hotel using public transportation.

As I entered the hotel, I found a massive open-air lobby lounge that was bustling with activity. Located so close to such a major airport, I’m sure the hotel is often quite busy.

The lobby lounge has a variety of seating available. The space blends into the bar area at the hotel’s restaurant, Carluccio’s. 

After poking around the lobby lounge, I headed over to the check-in desks, which are located just to the left of the main entrance. After a quick wait, I was welcomed up.

The staff member went over the various facilities available at the hotel, and confirmed my Platinum status. They were happy to confirm an upgrade to a Superior King Room, which is a step up from the base-level Deluxe Rooms, but below the Executive Rooms, Junior Suites, and Ambassador Suite.

I didn’t bother putting much effort into “suite-talking” this time, given that my solo stay was quite short and the potential options weren’t too intriguing. 

Wanting to head to the Executive Lounge before the evening hors d’oeuvres service closed down, I quickly headed up to my room on the fifth floor.

London Heathrow Marriott Hotel – Superior King Room

The hotel had a renovation that was completed in 2016. As you walk through the hallways, you’ll notice a refreshed look compared to the older style of some Marriott hotels, but not quite as refreshed as recently renovated hotels.

The Superior King Room had a simple layout, with much of the room visible upon entry.

The king bed occupies most of the space, with both reading lights and lamps located on either side of the bed.

Next to the bed and beside the window is a blue chaise longue, which had a wooden writing desk.

On the opposite side of the bed is a flat-screen TV, with a desk that was host to the coffee maker and other beverages to its left.

Moving back towards the entrance, there’s an open closet with a luggage rack, a safe, a bathrobe, an ironing board, and an iron.

The bathroom is small, but functional. The toilet sits between the sink and the door, and the walk-in shower takes up the entirety of the back wall.

The shower had large, refillable bottles with shampoo, conditioner, and body wash by This Works. You’ll also find some single-use This Works amenity bottles next to the sink, as well as some soap.

Overall, the room was entirely functional for a short stay close to an airport. I didn’t wind up using the desk, but it appeared to be a good setup for getting some work done in comfort.

The room was also very quiet, and I didn’t hear any spillover noise from the airport or the hallway. The room is equipped with sound-proof windows.

London Heathrow Marriott Hotel – Executive Lounge

Guests with Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Titanium, or Ambassador Elite status, or anyone staying in a qualifying room, can enjoy access to the Executive Lounge.

The Executive Lounge is located on the main floor of the hotel. It’s accessed with a key card after walking through a small hallway adjacent to the elevators.

The lounge may be accessed around the clock. Inside, you’ll find a few different seating areas.

Immediately upon entry, there’s a room with banquette seating, small tables, and modern dining chairs. On the textured wood-panelled wall, there’s a flat-screen TV. 

In the main part of the lounge, you’ll find a mixture of tables set up for dining in pairs. There are also two high-top tables close to the buffet area.

There’s a single Mac computer perched on a table that functions as a business centre. Should you need to print any documents, there’s a printer nearby.

When I arrived at the Executive Lounge, most of the evening hors d’oeuvres service had been pecked away at. There were some cheeses leftover, as well as some desserts.

Without many options left, I settled for some cheese and a red velvet cake. 

Drinks are also included in the evening hors d’oeuvres service. You are free to help yourself to a variety of soft drinks, draft beer, red and white wine, or one of the cocktails of the day.

The evening lounge attendant was absolutely fantastic. I enjoyed a nice conversation with him after he mixed me up a cocktail.

I came back to the Executive Lounge at the crack of dawn to check out the breakfast offering. I arrived right when it opened up, so everything was fresh and fully stocked.

The breakfast buffet included a variety of pastries, waffles, bread, fresh fruit, cold cuts, sausages, bacon, baked beans, and scrambled eggs. For drinks, you can help yourself to some juices, teas, or coffee from an automatic machine.

The breakfast selection was substantially greater than the evening hors d’oeuvres service. I wanted to save some room for eating at the airport, so I just opted for a cappuccino and something small. 

London Heathrow Marriott Hotel – Other Facilities

The London Heathrow Marriott Hotel also hosts a fitness centre, swimming pool, sauna, and steam room. The facilities, which are collectively referred to as the Leisure Club, are located on the hotel’s ground floor, with access close to the main elevators.

The fitness centre is small, but there are quite a few machines packed into the space. The majority of the equipment is for exercising, but there are also some strength training machines.

I came down to the pool area first thing in the morning to make use of the facilities. For me, there’s no better way to start the day than by having a sit in the sauna, steam room, and hot tub.

While the fitness centre was bustling, I had the whole pool area to myself. 

Aside from the Executive Lounge, you can dine in the hotel’s main restaurant Carluccio’s. There’s also a grab-and-go area, called Carluccio’s To Go, where you can get take-away items.

I decided to pop by the restaurant to use up a $10 USD food and beverage credit that I chose as my welcome amenity. I was still quite hungry after visiting the Executive Lounge, since there wasn’t much there.

Carluccio’s is a large area that takes up most of the hotel’s main floor. The official dining area is located away from the lobby lounge, but the bar wraps around to the lobby area.

After glancing over the menu, I decided to order some calamari and a Peroni beer. The calamari was light and tender, but otherwise ordinary.

If you need to buy any last minute knick-knacks, there is a gift shop located in the hotel lobby.

The hotel doesn’t offer a complimentary airport shuttle. Rather, there’s an automated kiosk in the lobby, and you can arrange for either a private or shared shuttle with Hotel E-shuttle using the machine.

Rides to London Heathrow start at £7 ($11 CAD), and the service appeared to be easy to book.

I wound up taking transit to the airport, which was partly out of spite for there not being a shuttle, and partly because I wanted to use up the credits on my Oyster card. 

At first, I was baffled by the fact that an airport hotel didn’t offer a shuttle. When I checked to see how many other hotels offered a shuttle, I came to realize that no other hotels offer a shuttle service.

Apparently, the airport authorities have banned hotels from operating free shuttles. Rather, passengers are encouraged to use a paid service, such as the Hotel Hoppa or the Hotel E-shuttle.

There used to be a free transit zone around the airport, but that was lost to the pandemic. It took me a few extra minutes to get to the airport using public transportation, but I was happy to have saved a few dollars by doing so.

Conclusion

The London Heathrow Marriott Hotel is a spacious hotel with an on-site Executive Lounge, restaurant, swimming pool, and fitness centre. Despite its proximity to the airport, the hotel is very quiet.

While my stay at the hotel was quite short, it was entirely suitable. I appreciated having access to the Executive Lounge as a Platinum Elite, which was a good spot to relax in and enjoy some complimentary food and beverages.

Should I find myself in need of an airport hotel in London, I’ll likely give another property a try. While there’s nothing that’s preventing me from returning, I’d like to find out how other hotels in the area stack up against the London Heathrow Marriott Hotel.