Yotel Gatwick Airport

...I found out about the Yotel being actually in the South Terminal and fairly close to the transport train between the terminals, I thought that I would give this hotel a try.

I checked in for my flight at about 9 30pm the evening before departure, and then went over to the South Terminal to find the hotel. I found it easily, near the shuttle exit, and since I hadn't booked to have my room until 10pm, I had a coffee first in the very ...
...to the hotel. The self-service check-in counters in the hotel were not working that evening, but this was only about a week after the hotel opened, so I suppose this can only be expected. Instead, there were some people in a place called 'The Galley' (which also doubles up as a 24hr food servery) who checked me in.

The Room:

I was staying in a single room, similar to the one pictured. Although very compact, there was ... more

I had a flight leaving from Gatwick at 0650, so thought that rather than getting up at 3am, I would stay overnight in a hotel at Gatwick. My flight was from the North Terminal, so initially I was looking for a hotel there so it would be a shorter transfer in the morning. However, when I found out about the Yotel being actually in the South Terminal and fairly close to the transport train between the terminals, I thought that I would give this hotel a try.

I checked in for my flight at about 9 30pm the evening before departure, and then went over to the South Terminal to find the hotel. I found it easily, near the shuttle exit, and since I hadn't booked to have my room until 10pm, I had a coffee first in the very conveniently located Costa just next to the lift that goes to the hotel. The self-service check-in counters in the hotel were not working that evening, but this was only about a week after the hotel opened, so I suppose this can only be expected. Instead, there were some people in a place called 'The Galley' (which also doubles up as a 24hr food servery) who checked me in.

The Room:

I was staying in a single room, similar to the one pictured. Although very compact, there was ample space for me to stay there. The bed was long enough (which, for me at 6 foot 4, is saying something), and behind a glass screen there was a shower, toilet and basin. There was also a fold-down desk and fold-up chair, so one could theoretically do some work there. Although the bedspace is only half the height of the room, the rest of the room is a normal height, with plenty of (vertical) space to walk around (however, there wasn't a huge amount of horizontal space to walk around). The purpose of having the bed only half the height of the room is to save space, because the rooms alternate up-down up-down along the corridor, so I guess by putting the beds higher or lower they can fit more rooms in...

Although there weren't any windows to the outside world, there was one in the door that looked out on the corridor. The window was double glazed and had a blind on it, which could prevent any sound or light getting into the room for the corridor, which I suppose is quite useful with people coming and going at all hours... There was also a widescreen interactive TV at the end of the bed, which also had internet access, and could be controlled using the wireless keyboard in the room.

Double Rooms:
There were also double rooms in the hotel, which I saw through the windows along the corridor. They looked fairly similar in style, but the bed looked as if it folded up electrically into a seat (a bit like the seats on Club World on British Airways I guess) to save space, and the room was obviously slightly bigger.

Pricing:
I think I paid about £80 for the 8 hours I had booked the room for, which is not hugley cheap, but still cheaper than most rooms at airport hotels I think. For the money though, you get a clean, comfortable room, so I would say that it is good value for money.

Conclusion:
This hotel was perfect for my needs. Needing only a bed and a bathroom without much extra space for a short night, this was just what I was after. The only disadvantages I can think of are the absence of any outside light, and if you are claustrophobic, you might not like it... Also, it was a bit of an effort to climb up to the bed in my room, so could be a problem if you are on crutches etc. However, I had a good, if not very long, sleep, and felt thoroughly refreshed as I walked straight past the long check-in queues at 5:30 am. If I ever need to stay at Gatwick again, I will definitely consider the Yotel 

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