Heathrow Hotel T3

[MermaidEyes]

Can anyone recommend a hotel that's right near to Terminal 3 at Heathrow? Doesn't have to be particularly fancy as we only need it for an overnighter before an early morning flight. There will be several adults but no transport so we'll need to be able to get to the terminal easily the next morning. I have looked at the Hilton Garden Inn which appears to be the only walkable hotel to the airport but it's pretty pricey!

I always stay in the Raddison Red, it is not walkable but only takes a few mins in an Uber, it’s also on a bus line.

Thanks @Wolfpa Any idea if there's likely to be Ubers around at the crack of dawn on a Sunday morning?

I have never had an issue, the first bus in the morning is 05:11 so also an option

Brilliant, thank you.

You can't walk into the terminal: it's really annoying but there's an underpass. There's a constant stream of free buses instead through. They run past all the hotels around Bath Road. London buses are free to the airport within that zone - so probably no need to bother with an Uber or shuttle.

Lots of choices on and around that road - it's like an extension of the airport.

I stay at the Premier inn terminal 4 - it is walkable to terminal 4 ,and then very easy to get down to the Elizabeth line for transfers to terminals 2 and 3 or 5. I prefer it to having to get buses, and because I can do it all on my own times pretty much. (Picadilly line also an option, but it is at the other end of the terminal and not the same place as Elizabeth line, so you have to check times before you choose your underground station!). There is a bus option, though, the hotel hoppa, but you have to pay for it. There might be a public bus as well, but less good for luggage. I find it much cheaper than the other hotels, as if you book early enough you can get a good rate. You can pay for breakfast there, but there's also a Costa in the lobby which I use for coffee and then I have breakfast when I've been through security, more for something to do while I wait.

That's really useful information - thanks!

The Heathrow Ibis Central is a good option for a night before you fly (or return). It is not luxury, nor does it pretend to be, but it’s clean and comfortable, has a reasonable licensed restaurant and a bus stop for the terminals outside the door.

Don't some hotels have a minibus shuttle service?

The Hilton Garden Inn is the walkable one. It's at T2 but you go to T3 through the underground walkway. It's about 15 mins.

The other one is the Aerotel - I paid for (adult) dd to stay there last time she booked a stupidly early flight and she said it was ok! It's at T3 arrivals but it's one of those that you book by the hour for people who have long layovers etc so not as nice as the Hilton I think

Just had a quick look online and there are 2 Hilton garden inns and it's the one called T2/T3

The Hilton is only walkable to TN4 from my memory. TN3 is in the central airport but with no on site hotels. The budget hotels cluster on the Bath Rd and there are shuttles and tons of local buses constantly all day and night. Takes about 10-15 minutes in the early hours depending if it’s a multi hotel hoppa bus.
The Premier Inn or Ibis used to be cheapest.

If you stay at a different terminal and plan to get tube...it's a shit service on a Sunday. We nearly missed our flight to Japan....

As above Hilton Garden Inn T2 is walkable safely through the car park, have done it several times. Nice hotel with a good bar with runway views.

@MermaidEyes

Agree with a few comments upthread…

If you can’t get into one of central area hotels then one of the four over at T4 (Prem Inn, Hilton plus there are now two newer ones) is usually a good bet, avoids buses .

OTOH agree with the comment that if the OP is on a very early weekend departure tube/Elizabeth line timings need careful research.

There is the Aerotel in T3

Aerotel London | Airport Transit Hotel - Aerotel

The free travel zone around Heathrow ended a few years ago.

Yep, I’m no longer a regular there but I thought free travel on TfL buses for the general public around the perimeter ended around the time of Covid and I haven’t heard of it coming back, though I think there are some concessions for “Heathrow Team” members.

Here’s a link to the free travel map, which also has basic tube/train times:
https://www.heathrow.com/content/dam/heathrow/web/common/documents/transport/Heathrow-free-travel-map.pdf

Thanks for all the replies. I'll check out the Premier Inn and Aerotel as they sound doable. Definitely don't want to be too far away from our terminal, and definitely not doing the tube at 5am on a Sunday if we can help it 😆 hence why we would prefer somewhere walkable distance (which only seems to be the Hilton Garden Inn) or a short bus/taxi hop. There will be several if us in the party with a load of luggage so trying to please everyone for convenience too.

The two I mainly use:
. Radisson Red/Conference centre is a good one (two hotels connected). Close, gas a shuttle bus and quick to the terminal.
. Renaissance Hotel. Across the road. Close, has a shuttle bus and quick to the terminal.

Both have good rooms and services and decent parking. Very easy to get through.

They both use the Hoppa shuttle busses that run twice an hour. About £8 per journey.

Taxis are roughly £18ish

And if you wanted to get a normal bus, the bus stop on the main road, Nene Road stop BM takes you to the Heathrow bus terminal for £1.50.

I would avoid the Ibis Styles next to them both. Booked there last year and had them cancel my booking whilst I was stuck on the M25 in traffic because they were "oversubscribed".

We stayed at the premier inn and then jumped in the airport hoppa bus at 5.20am.

I stayed at the ibis on Bath road

Ps we book the long stay parking at terminal 3, it's really simple that way rather than messing with taxis

We don't have transport, we'll have a taxi to take us to the airport hotel the night before the flight

The holiday inn express terminal 4 is walking distance there, I presume there's early shuttle buses between the terminals