Priceline Hotel: 4* London Airports (North Heathrow Airport) Holiday Inn London-Heathrow M4 Jct 4

[lindisfarne]

A friend recently booked this; I thought I'd report it because it shows the Holiday Inn London Heathrow (Sipson Road, West Drayton) is now considered a 4 star by Priceline.

38 pounds for one night (Jan 29, 2015); taxes/fees are 11.26 pounds.

 

Initial bid: 34 pounds, North Heathrow

2nd bid accepted: 38 pounds (increased price), added South Heathrow area. Didn't use a perfect bidding strategy but still got a good price, other than the fact the Holiday Inn was a bit of a surprise.

[thereuare]

There are a few different Holiday Inn properties in this region and i think the Priceline Hotel List is correct/up-to-date.

Holiday Inn London Heathrow Ariel is 3* rated and in the South Heathrow Airport zone

Holiday Inn London-Heathrow M4 Jct 4 is 4* rated and in the North Heathrow Airport zone

Can you please confirm with your friend which Holiday Inn she received and confirm the star rating.

Thanks.

[lindisfarne]

Yes, you are correct.  It was the Holiday Inn M4/J4. 

 

As a warning to others: it turns out there are at least 4 or 5 Holiday Inns in the Heathrow area, and even the bus/shuttle drivers can get a little confused about which one you need.  Have the exact address and name of the Holiday Inn.  The Holiday Inn M4/J4 can be reached on public transit quite easily. You'll need an Oyster Card to pay for the bus; they don't take cash; you can purchase it at (almost?) any tube station, including Heathrow underground station, in the ticket machines (you may be able to purchase it at Central Bus Station but I didn't verify; the tube & bus station are connected via an underground tunnel).  Go to the London Transit website for more information.  The 222 bus goes by the Holiday Inn M4/J4 hotel quite often - every 10 minutes or more frequently until 8 pm, then less frequently (but still fairly frequently) until 11 pm or midnight.  You end up walking about a block from bus stop to hotel, but it's through a parking area and the hotel is easily seen; the stop is by the "Plough" pub. Just be sure you're waiting for bus on the correct side of the street - you wait in front of the Plough pub to get to Heathrow; bus drops you off on the opposite side of street when coming from Heathrow..  From Heathrow Central Bus station (just ask someone there where you catch the bus), you can take the 105 (or a few other buses) to a stop (I believe it was Nenes street, but double check) where you transfer to the 222 (the area is very safe); you'll need to walk about 100 ft to the stop where you catch the next bus (first bus seems to be free, but then you'll pay for the 222; check with bus driver of first bus to be sure).  If you're coming from central London, you can go to the Hounslow West tube station, then catch the 222 across the street from the station (just make sure you're going in the correct direction to get to the Holiday Inn).  Do the opposite if you are going into Central London.  The ride is about 18-20 minutes between the hotel and the tube station.  Ask the bus driver to let you know where to get off and they'll be happy to point out where you go to make the transfer.

 

You can also take the Hoppa Bus from Heathrow to the Holiday Inn; check that site for more info. It is a private bus shuttle that goes to area hotels. It costs a little more than the public bus, but goes straight to the door so would be nice if you have a lot of luggage.

 

The Holiday Inn M4/J4 is just a bit marginal as a 4* - I'd consider it more of a 3 1/2*.  The room was functional but fairly small. It feels cramped with 2 people.  Priceline books you into rooms with two single beds - you can ask at hotel whether you can get a double bed, but it's not guaranteed. Room had a safe, but no outlets on either side of bed (only outlet was about 10 feet from head of bed)  Hotel fitness area is quite limited.  There are a few on-site eating options (an Asian-style restaurant plus a more general restaurant).  The lounge area seems to get quite noisy in the evening, although perhaps that depends on what conferences are being held there.  Wifi is free if you're an IHG member (Holiday Inn's loyalty program) although connecting can be a headache (you may have to get the front desk to give you free vouchers to connect to the wifi).  The hotel is in a quiet location - lots of open space around the hotel (well, for London, it was "lots").

[AaronJB]

Thank you for the follow-up! Your detailed notes about transit are greatly appreciated. Sorry to hear that the hotel was a little underwhelming, but glad it was an okay stay overall.

 

 

[lindisfarne]

To clarify: go to Transport for London to get bus info (The London Transit website has info for other buses (another bus system?) it seems).

Here's the link for the 222 bus schedule: www.tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/222