Hotel after flight - Heathrow

[Silverage]

I'm being persuaded that a Florida holiday is due next year but I'm at the time of life now that the return overnight flight kills me and I'm a bit of a hazard on the 3 hour drive home.

I see that Virgin offers a return flight that gets back to the UK at 5am. This would be midnight Florida time so I reckon I simply stay awake on the flight (it's the 2-3 hours of interrupted sleep that's the killer I think), treat it as a bit of a late night and then check in to a local hotel and get 5 or 6 hours of sleep before making the drive home.

I've had a quick go on Google but I can't see any hotels offering this service without having to book for two days (bearing in mind that I want to check in at say 6am and leave at 12pm). Does anyone have any suggestions?

[captain_cynic]

Silverage said:

I'm being persuaded that a Florida holiday is due next year but I'm at the time of life now that the return overnight flight kills me and I'm a bit of a hazard on the 3 hour drive home.

I see that Virgin offers a return flight that gets back to the UK at 5am. This would be midnight Florida time so I reckon I simply stay awake on the flight (it's the 2-3 hours of interrupted sleep that's the killer I think), treat it as a bit of a late night and then check in to a local hotel and get 5 or 6 hours of sleep before making the drive home.

I've had a quick go on Google but I can't see any hotels offering this service without having to book for two days (bearing in mind that I want to check in at say 6am and leave at 12pm). Does anyone have any suggestions?

The best advice I'd give is to take a daytime flight.

However as that is not always possible, the phrase you're looking for is "day use" hotel. Plug "day use near Heathrow" into Google and see if that helps.

[alangla]

Travelodge let you check out at 12 noon as standard and you can extend it to 1400 for £15 (I’m looking at Heston Services just now, others might be different). Surely people turning up early in the morning in this sort of situation can’t be that unusual near an airport?

[craigjm]

Silverage said:

I'm being persuaded that a Florida holiday is due next year but I'm at the time of life now that the return overnight flight kills me and I'm a bit of a hazard on the 3 hour drive home.

I see that Virgin offers a return flight that gets back to the UK at 5am. This would be midnight Florida time so I reckon I simply stay awake on the flight (it's the 2-3 hours of interrupted sleep that's the killer I think), treat it as a bit of a late night and then check in to a local hotel and get 5 or 6 hours of sleep before making the drive home.

I've had a quick go on Google but I can't see any hotels offering this service without having to book for two days (bearing in mind that I want to check in at say 6am and leave at 12pm). Does anyone have any suggestions?

Just book any hotel where you can check in online and arrange a 12 noon checkout which is also standard for many. Many a time I have arrived at heathrow and got a hilton at 4am, arranged late check out and check out at 1pm

[//j17]

I'd check with the hotels what they classify as a "no show" before relying on a late check-out option. Often, even with an online check-in if you don't physically show up before a certain time you're classed as a no show and the booking's cancelled.

[craigjm]

//j17 said:

I'd check with the hotels what they classify as a "no show" before relying on a late check-out option. Often, even with an online check-in if you don't physically show up before a certain time you're classed as a no show and the booking's cancelled.

Agreed, to the OP if you want to make it easy, download the hilton honor app, join it and make the booking at a heathrow one and select the digital key option and it avoids the above as you will be deemed to be there based on the fact you checked in on the app and have the digital key. Means you can go straight to the room too when you arrive. You can also arrange the late check out on the chat option on the app.

[Puggit]

https://www.dayuse.co.uk

[AngryYorkshireman]

Puggit said:

https://www.dayuse.co.uk

I used this when getting back from Australia, got back at 9am, booked hotel 10am-5pm
Didn't actually use it in the end as I felt fine.

The best thing is you can (or could 3 years ago) actually cancel up until the check-in time.

[felicemaggie]

Just as a thought, the OP may want to consider (if costs are agreeable) using a taxi to get to and from Heathrow instead. This appears to be a market that is quite competitive, so the OP should get a decent price.

That would save a lot of money on parking at the airport, which is very high, even with companies such as Purple Parking (who are decent).
At least then, the driver can be waiting on arrival so there's no danger involved.

My wife and I used to book a hotel at Heathrow for the night after flying back in but these were also highly priced and not good value for money, in our opinion. Along with having paid for the parking too it ended up being around £800 extra for a 3-week holiday, not including the hotel we stayed in before departure.

Our taxi ended up being around £300 round-trip, so was better value for money & meant that we slept in our own bed the night before and night after the holiday. (We went to Southern California).

[captain_cynic]

Taxis aren't as cheap as they used to be.

They also tend to add on a few quid over the quotes price hoping that you won't argue. It's more expensive to take two taxis to Heathrow from Reading than to park. Can't imagine how bad it is from further afield.

[Silverage]

captain_cynic said:

Taxis aren't as cheap as they used to be.

They also tend to add on a few quid over the quotes price hoping that you won't argue. It's more expensive to take two taxis to Heathrow from Reading than to park. Can't imagine how bad it is from further afield.

Bad. I’m near Lincoln, earlier this year my ex-wife did exactly this and it was £300 each way. There were 6 of them and luggage so it was some minibus affair. The alternative would have been paying to park two cars and two lots of fuel so it was going to be expensive either way.

[alangla]

A super off peak single train ticket from Heathrow T5 to Lincoln is £79.40 and seems to be valid on pretty much anything after 8am. That’s Heathrow Express, tube and the train from Kings Cross. If there’s only 2 of you it might be an option and a 2 together railcard would bring it down more. Appreciate you might not want to faff about carting luggage onto the tube though, especially if you’re knackered. On the way to Heathrow you can probably get an advance for £66 or so.

[Puggit]

captain_cynic said:

Taxis aren't as cheap as they used to be.

They also tend to add on a few quid over the quotes price hoping that you won't argue. It's more expensive to take two taxis to Heathrow from Reading than to park. Can't imagine how bad it is from further afield.

Yep, what was £55 before Covid suddenly became £90 after it. Crazy prices now.

[captain_cynic]

Puggit said:

captain_cynic said:

Taxis aren't as cheap as they used to be.

They also tend to add on a few quid over the quotes price hoping that you won't argue. It's more expensive to take two taxis to Heathrow from Reading than to park. Can't imagine how bad it is from further afield.

Yep, what was £55 before Covid suddenly became £90 after it. Crazy prices now.

Last trip was £75+ each way, would have been cheaper to pay for parking for a week (£140 from memory) but I didn't want to drive after a 27 hour flight from Oz.

In retrospect I would have been fine.

At least from Reading you've the Rail Air bus, unless you've a first thing in the morning flight like me.

[alangla]

captain_cynic said:

At least from Reading you've the Rail Air bus, unless you've a first thing in the morning flight like me.

That bus seems to run at least every 40 minutes from 0240 onwards, first one arrives Heathrow before 0400 and I think the first flight isn’t till about 0600

[captain_cynic]

alangla said:

captain_cynic said:

At least from Reading you've the Rail Air bus, unless you've a first thing in the morning flight like me.

That bus seems to run at least every 40 minutes from 0240 onwards, first one arrives Heathrow before 0400 and I think the first flight isn t till about 0600

Your problem is getting from wherever you are into Reading Town Centre (or Winnersh triangle).

I've taken it before, not bad for a bus but getting into the town centre at 4 AM isn't easy and the bus easily takes twice as long as the drive.

Also it doesn't go to T4, otherwise I probably would have used it last time.

[Sixteen Stone]

Silverage said:

I'm being persuaded that a Florida holiday is due next year but I'm at the time of life now that the return overnight flight kills me and I'm a bit of a hazard on the 3 hour drive home.

I see that Virgin offers a return flight that gets back to the UK at 5am. This would be midnight Florida time so I reckon I simply stay awake on the flight (it's the 2-3 hours of interrupted sleep that's the killer I think), treat it as a bit of a late night and then check in to a local hotel and get 5 or 6 hours of sleep before making the drive home.

I've had a quick go on Google but I can't see any hotels offering this service without having to book for two days (bearing in mind that I want to check in at say 6am and leave at 12pm). Does anyone have any suggestions?

I used to do the Heathrow / three hour drive home on a regular basis. There are plenty of stop off places on most roads so if I felt myself flagging a stop, a mug of coffee and a bacon sarnie did the trick. Home before I knew it. Shower, sleep, sorted.

[ExBoringVolvoDriver]

Sixteen Stone said:

Silverage said:

I'm being persuaded that a Florida holiday is due next year but I'm at the time of life now that the return overnight flight kills me and I'm a bit of a hazard on the 3 hour drive home.

I see that Virgin offers a return flight that gets back to the UK at 5am. This would be midnight Florida time so I reckon I simply stay awake on the flight (it's the 2-3 hours of interrupted sleep that's the killer I think), treat it as a bit of a late night and then check in to a local hotel and get 5 or 6 hours of sleep before making the drive home.

I've had a quick go on Google but I can't see any hotels offering this service without having to book for two days (bearing in mind that I want to check in at say 6am and leave at 12pm). Does anyone have any suggestions?

I used to do the Heathrow / three hour drive home on a regular basis. There are plenty of stop off places on most roads so if I felt myself flagging a stop, a mug of coffee and a bacon sarnie did the trick. Home before I knew it. Shower, sleep, sorted.

I drove back from Heathrow to West Yorkshire after a similar flight from Miami earlier this year. I had to have 3 stops en route for a coffee and a little kip but it wasn’t too bad

[AndyAudi]

A suggestion

Treat it as a late night

Instead of driving get the train & get someone to drop you off/pick you up

Piccadilly line to King’s Cross & then North with LNER 1st class. Life’s easier now suitcases have wheels!

[shirt]

ExBoringVolvoDriver said:

I drove back from Heathrow to West Yorkshire after a similar flight from Miami earlier this year. I had to have 3 stops en route for a coffee and a little kip but it wasn t too bad

i was wondering where the OP lived as i have done heathrow to leeds in under 3 hrs.

surely given the combined cost of hotels and parking, a train/connecting flight/alternate airport is the answer?