With an early morning flight to Washington from Heathrow, we wanted our holiday to start as stress-free as possible. That meant skipping the 3-hour drive from home in the early hours and checking into an airport hotel the night before instead. We’ve done this before and it makes such a difference—everyone gets a good night’s sleep, and the holiday feels like it starts that little bit earlier.
With so many hotels to choose from at Heathrow, it can feel overwhelming trying to decide which one is best for families. But we’re so glad we chose the Hilton London Heathrow Terminal 4 — and here’s why it’s an excellent option for anyone flying out of Heathrow with kids or teens in tow.
What’s it like?
The Hilton Heathrow T4 is directly connected to Terminal 4 via a long, covered walkway (you can reach the hotel from the terminal in about a five-ten minute walk)—meaning no shuttles, no taxis, and no stress on departure day if you’re flying with airlines such as Etihad, Qatar Airways, or Air France. While we were flying from Terminal 5 with British Airways, we took the free H30 bus, which runs every 20 minutes between Terminals 4 and 5 and only takes around 15 minutes.
What was even better was that the hotel offers park and fly packages in its secure on-site car park which meant us not having to worry about having to drive and finding a car parking space in the morning at the airport before our flight.
We arrived at the hotel in the evening, parked in the large on-site car park, and headed into the vast five-storey glass-fronted building. The atrium-style lobby of the Hilton is bright, airy and instantly impressive – and contains the hotels restaurants, bar and small self service store.
From the moment we arrived, it was service with a smile, check in was fast and efficient and we were welcomed to the hotel as Hilton Gold guests. This high level of customer services continued throughout our stay and really makes a difference.
Bee My Guest – A Fun and Unique Family Experience
One of the biggest surprises of our stay was discovering Hilton’s new ‘Bee My Guest’ programme—a family experience designed for children aged 0–12 but with lovely touches the whole family can enjoy, that cleverly blends fun and education in this one of a kind experience. It starts for families with their own personalised check-in area, which I thought was a really special welcome for families with younger children.
Hilton London Heathrow T4 has a garden oasis home to 160,000 bees that live in its four beehives, and the Bee My Guest theme runs throughout the stay.
One of our interconnecting rooms was bee-themed, with bee-themed bedding, playful décor and a welcome pack with age-appropriate treats. The girls may be 14 and 16 now, but they still loved their bee themed room which is nothing like they had experienced at any other hotel room.
For families with younger children, there’s even a specially written storybook provided as an e-book (Daisy’s Buzzing Adventure) you can also buy a hard copy of the book at the hotels market shop with 80% of the proceeds of the £9.99 book going to the British Beekeepers Association Apiary and Education Appeal which I though was a nice touch.
There was also a fun interactive treasure hunt, uncovering hidden clues and being able to win prizes. Learning about bees and their importance to the planet, I thought this was such a fun addition to an airport hotel stay and adds something extra to make the stay feel special for kids—especially before a long-haul flight.
Our Family Interconnecting Rooms
There are 398 rooms here and we checked into a family interconnecting room—a king room and a twin room which had an incredible bee theme, and between us we had over 500 sq ft of space. With two teenagers and several suitcases, the space was very welcome.
As regular readers will know, I’m a big fan of interconnecting rooms, especially as the kids get older. It gives them independence, gives us a break, and with Hilton’s fast, free WiFi and large wall mounted flat screen TVs in both rooms, the girls were more than happy chilling out with their iPads while we relaxed next door.
Our rooms had a modern and contemporary design and filled with thoughtful touches. The illuminated map of Europe on the wall and the dot-matrix-style airport-inspired dot-matrix displays displaying the room numbers are small details, but they add to the airport vibe in a fun and family-friendly way.
The Hilton Serenity beds were, as we have come to expect, really comfortable—with thick duvets, soft pillows and blackout curtains ensuring a great night’s sleep. Despite being right next to one of the world’s busiest airports, we didn’t hear a thing thanks to the triple-glazed windows.
Both of our bathrooms were clean, contemporary, the children’s bathroom had a large walk-in rainfall shower and our interconnecting room had a shower over bath but both had large illuminated mirrors and plenty of counter space.
Whilst the adults bathroom had the standard Hilton Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries, I loved the fact that the toiletries in the kids room were Childs farm, it’s these little family focussed touches that really make a big difference at this hotel.
As for amenities, our rooms had all of the amenities you’d expect from a Hilton hotel such as air conditioning, robes and slippers, Nespresso machines, mini fridge, iron and ironing board and in-room safe. There was also a spacious work desk and loads of plug sockets in the room, including USB ports —perfect for recharging all our gadgets before the flight.
Executive Lounge
One of the amenities that we have come to look for in hotels is those that have executive lounges especially when travelling as a family —and the lounge at Hilton T4 didn’t disappoint.
Located off the main lobby, the lounge is not the largest but really stylish but welcoming, it’s ideal for families and a brilliant perk when staying in an executive-level room or have Hilton status.
The lounge is quiet, comfortable and a real bonus if you’re arriving after a long drive or flight. It’s absolutely worth the upgrade, especially when travelling with children or teens.
All day refreshments are available from 6:30am until 10pm and include tea, coffee, soft drinks and light snacks such as fruit and biscuits.
Between 6pm and 8.00pm each evening, they had a choice of canapés, soft drinks and house wines, beers and spirits, so after a long day travelling to London it was the perfect place to unwind and relax.
Breakfast at OXBO Kitchen
Breakfast the next morning at the OXBO kitchen, the hotels main restaurant was included with our stay and it was fantastic with really attentive staff. Breakfast here was one of the best we have experienced at any Hilton in the UK. From fresh fruit and pastries to a full English breakfast, there was plenty of choice to set us all up for our long travel day ahead.
One little touch I really liked here that would be perfect for families with younger children was their LITTLE OXBO kids’ corner, while parents can unwind nearby. Here children can choose from a variety of options including pancakes, waffles, cereals and fruit smoothies which were still a hit with our teens.
If you are in a hurry, there was also the Oxbo quick service serving drinks and snacks to purchase located off the lobby area.
Where is it?
The Hilton’s location right by Terminal 4 is unbeatable, taking five minutes to walk via a covered walkway to the check-in area. Even if you are flying from Terminal 5 like we were its also a great choice. We took the free H30 bus which leaves every 20 minutes from the bus stop just outside Terminal 4 at bus stop 11. The bus journey to T5 took about 15 minutes and other options include the Piccadilly or Elizabeth train line via terminals 2 and 3, but this takes longer.
If you wanted to explore London whilst staying here, it’s less than an hour away on the new Elizabeth line.
Overall and is it family friendly?
Definitely, from the moment we arrived, the whole family was taken care of. The level of service received during our stay was exceptional and this high level of customer service is a credit to the hotel management because it really does make a difference to your stay. It was been several years since our last stay here but I was pleased to see that the rooms were just as good as before, in fact I would say the kids rooms are even better with the bee theme and the already impressive public areas have been improved.
If you are looking for an airport hotel to stay at when flying from Heathrow, you won’t be disappointed with the Hilton London Heathrow T4, this is one of the best choices for families in Heathrow.
It’s proximity to Terminal 4 and with good transport links to the other Heathrow terminals makes it a good choice. Their park and stay packages are really good value and often cheaper than booking your hotel stay and parking separately. We highly recommend it – but go for the bee themed rooms if travelling with kids, they will love it.
Ready to book?
Prices at the Hilton London Heathrow T4 start from £400 for a family connecting room with a park and fly package with 8 days parking when booking direct at the hotel.