I've stayed at some of the world's most luxurious resorts – but I prefer an airport hotel

Telegraph

18-02-2025

I've had the privilege to stay in some of the best places on the planet – Aman resorts, private islands and mountain retreats reachable only by helicopter. But, believe it or not, I often get more excited by airport hotels. They are functional and low-key fabulous, because if you're in one, you're likely going somewhere that's worth getting up early for. They have a unique ambience.
The author JG Ballard once said his favourite building in England was the Hilton London Heathrow Airport at Terminal 4, designed around a vast atrium in 1990 by Michael Manser. Ballard called it 'part space-age hangar, part high-tech medical centre… a white cathedral, almost a place of worship'. He considered it 'a machine… a huge departure lounge, as befits an airport annex. Sitting in its atrium one becomes, briefly, a more advanced kind of human being'. Which is precisely what an airport hotel should make you feel. It's such a beauty that planning permission to extend it was refused, because it's just perfect as it is.
I seldom splurge on a pre-departure overnight stay in London, because I live close enough to the Elizabeth line to get me to Heathrow at warp speed. But I've indulged in the Sofitel at T5 when an outbound flight is at an absurd hour that's neither late night nor early morning. And apart from feeling robbed by the food and wine – ambitiously priced for a captive market – it's been worth it for the extra hour of sleep and lack of stress.
Contemporary airport hotels can create a destination of sorts in their own right. I'm frequently reminded of an episode of the Australian sitcom Kath and Kim in which Kath and Kel discover they've won a free mystery flight and decide to use it for their honeymoon. They then discover it's for a trip to Kyabram, just 40 minutes from their home in Melbourne. They go regardless, their flight is cancelled and they have the time of their life over a long weekend in the airport, shopping, eating and blagging their way into the Qantas business class lounge using an old video club membership card.
An exotic, legitimate option for an airport-only stay would be the Crowne Plaza Changi in Singapore, generally considered the best airport hotel in the world, designed in modern landmark fashion by Singaporean architecture firm WOHA and extended in 2016 to house an extra 243 rooms, built in just 26 days. That's remarkable in itself, along with the tropical landscape gardening, swish bedroom interiors and outdoor pool that anyone would be happy to sit by for a few days.
The most famous airport hotel in the world is undoubtedly the TWA at JFK, which in 2018 took over the futuristic space base of an Eero Saarinen building from the 1960s. Its exterior silhouette is as thrilling as the red-and-white interior, riffing on an era when flying was actually glamorous. It has appeared in countless films and was the most in-demand, oversubscribed building back when it was only accessible as part of the annual October Open House New York festival. Brooklynites book staycations here regularly, to hang out at the rooftop pool bar and spa – at a cost of £40 for a miserly hour and 45 minutes. Again: airport economics.
My favourite airport hotel in the world might be the Andaz Delhi Aerocity, which I have used numerous times to bookend trips into and out of India. Indian arrival and departure times can be a cruelty, which makes the luxury of the Andaz comforting and reassuring. It would be a beautiful hotel to spend a week in, wherever it was. The pool is fabulous, despite the perennial Delhi smog, and the restaurants and bars are great. That breakfast buffet is the business. And you're five minutes from Indira Ghandi International, so there's no stress about dystopian traffic jams.
Then there are airport hotels that serve as elaborate lounges, offering rates for a few hours rather than an overnight stay. If you have an eight-hour layover in Bangkok, the Hyatt Regency, which has a pool, Japanese and Chinese restaurants, and a non-stop breakfast buffet to fit in with your own personal circadian rhythms, is as good as it gets. It's right in the terminal, and you can get a bed for £115. I binge on dim sum, crash out for a few hours, shower, and then head, refreshed, for boarding.
If you're penny-pinching, you could opt for the Avagard Capsule Hotel, in the basement, which gives you a seven-hour daytime slot for two for £39, and you can still use any of the Hyatt Regency dining rooms. I'm not, it must be said, a fan of a capsule. Far too much like the hypersleep chambers in Alien for me – just before John Hurt starts choking and his chest explodes.
Two other things worth noting about airport hotels – one bad, one good. Most of them aren't actually attached to the departure wing you will want the next morning. They are often a short drive away by shuttle bus, and the road planning in the area makes walking perilous or impossible. In some cases, you'd be as quick just getting public transport to the airport. But a great thing, often overlooked, is that they make for thrifty alternatives to city-centre stays. Weekend nights during the Edinburgh Festival this summer are currently selling for £219 at the Moxy by the airport, while at its sibling in the middle of town, they're £322.
If you're fine with half an hour on the tram to get to your venue, that's a solid saving. And of course, if you're flying in or out, you're right there. Well, an 11-minute walk or seven minutes and £4.50 on the Airport Express. Go for the former, get your steps in, and put the money towards a marked-up Pret sandwich in the terminal instead. Or plan ahead, and pocket some pastries from breakfast.