We found the check-in quick and efficient and we were soon in our room. The room was of a reasonable size and had a large bed (English king) and a desk with chair. High-speed internet access is available, but is chargeable at £15 per day. We also had a kettle with tea and coffee making and a mini bar. The bathroom had the usual things, toilet, vanity area with sink, bath, and shower. All are perfectly adequate for a night’s stay.

The hotel has a couple of restaurants, but they are very expensive; they also have room service, which is even more so. We decided to venture into the main terminal and found a pub, which served very nice food at reasonable prices – well reasonable by airport standards! We had our breakfast in a different terminal after checking in for our early morning flight to Canada.

Overall, if you want a hotel that is physically connected to the airport, then this is your only choice and it is a decent hotel. We paid £89 for the room for one night, which by English airport standards is quite good, but compared to our more luxurious Canadian hotels we later stayed in, very expensive.

The location of the hotel is excellent. Attached to terminal 4 at Heathrow (LHR), it is a short from the airport to the lobby. If you arrive in terminal 4, follow the signs to the Hilton. If you arrive somewhere else, take the free Heathrow Express to the terminal, and proceed as above. There are free pushcarts at both the hotel and the airport for those of you with bags.

The hotel itself is designed well. The lobby is open and airy, with the registration desk at the entrance. There seem to be several employees working at the front, allowing lines to move quickly. The hotel has five floors, with the top two reserved for the premium Hilton Honors members.

My room on the third floor, was spacious and bright, although it did overlook the highway. The bathroom was large, with a decent selection of amenities. The room itself was well-lit and, as is typical of European rooms, one or two switches control all of the lighting in the room. Give yourself about a week, as that is how long it will take to figure out how to use everything. TV had a fairly wide selection of British and European programming, as well as Videos on Demand for approximately $12.

Food is plentiful at the hotel. Room service is available 24 hours per day, as well as the in-room bar. While the food arrived quickly, I would recommend looking else to eat. The club sandwich I ordered was covered in dressing, while the soggy Caesar Salad must have been sat in a bowl all day. The hotel does have several restaurants, including Asian and American restaurants, as well as the Brasserie, which serves a moderately sized buffet. Unfortunately, the buffet was the culinary highlight.

One of the more endearing attractions at the hotel is the free on-site gym. There is plenty of cardiovascular and weight training equipment, as well as a small pool kept at a balmy temperature. Massages are also available.

The hotel also offers easy access to downtown London, by way of the airport next door. Taxis are not cheap, so I would advise taking either the tube or the Heathrow express. The tube takes 45 minutes, but it does offer visitors a traditional public transportation trip through the big city. The comfortable Heathrow Express takes 15 minutes and costs 13 pounds (about $21), letting visitors off at Paddington Station, where you can buy a bear for the kid at home, or the kid at heart.

While I would not normally recommend an airport hotel to the average tourist, this one may be an exception. Given the easy access to Heathrow or downtown, you may be able to save yourself a few bucks during your trip to jolly old England.