Sometimes, a stay at Heathrow is unavoidable. If you want a treat and are flying from Terminal Five, there is little to beat the Sofitel, which is on the airport and really is an airport hotel. It’s easy walking distance to the terminal and makes for a very pleasant stay.
But if your budget is more modest, I’d suggest the excellent Premier Inn at Terminal Four. This can be reached for free from Terminal 5 and only takes a short while to get there. (Note that there is an official ‘Premier Inn Terminal 5’ but this is a bit misleading as it’s not on the airport and still a couple of miles away).
How to get to and from Terminal Four to Premier Inn Terminal Four
This is very easy: there is a covered walkway linking the hotel to the terminal. Walking time well under ten minutes.
How to get to the Premier Inn Terminal Four from Terminal Five
This is the option we took. It’s an easy transfer from Terminal Five, which is where we landed and where we had to return to the next day.
Take the short walk outside from Arrivals – on the same floor, ground – and follow the bus sign. On the left-hand side you should find bus stop 7. 490 and 482 are your targets; they both run regularly. (check on Google Maps). Go to the stop after Terminal Four – Starlight Way. The Premier Inn is a one-minute walk across the road – you should see it from the bus stop. We had room 261. A long walk from the lift, but Brucie bonus is it was whisper quiet.
If you don’t have a free bus pass (national with red rose), then pay for the bus by tapping your credit card on the bus – £1.75 as at August 2026
Good food
I usually loathe eating in the Premier Inn restaurants, or similar, but our meal was nice. I had a halloumi bao bun with coriander and sweet chilli sauce and a quaffable non-alcoholic Spanish beer. Paul’s fish and chips were pronounced good. The staff were friendly and helpful – hard to believe we were at a normally soulless London airport hotel.
How to get to Terminal Five from Premier Inn Terminal Four
After a good sleep (we bought one of their beds a few years ago), we had an even shorter walk to the bus stop, which didn’t involve crossing the road. Just leave the hotel and turn right and walk a few yards along the road. The journey takes around 15 minutes.
Note: The Hotel Hoppa runs a commercial shuttle service to and from most hotels, but at £7 for a single (price at August 2026), it’s much cheaper to get the local bus.
Also note: Travel between terminals is free at Heathrow. You can use the inter-terminal buses or even the tube. So it’s actually possible for all travellers to get to the Premier Inn Terminal 4 without spending anything. We prefer the 490/482 bus as we have bus passes and it’s less walking with cases.