HOTELS • June 2016
Sleeping in style at the airport
Give your holiday a flying start – and no more fretting that you’ll miss your early morning take off – by staying at the airport the night before. Air travel writer and blogger Harriet Baskas, of stuckattheairport.com, offers some inspired options around the world
Schiphol, Amsterdam
Opened in February 2016, Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is accessible from the international terminal via a covered walkway. As well as a glass-topped atrium, trendy restaurant and full-service spa, guests will find original art by local artists and clever, Dutch-inspired architectural touches in guest rooms and throughout the public spaces.
Heathrow, London
Beyond the four-star Sofitel London Heathrow T5 (connected to the terminal via a hallway) and the Hilton at Terminal 4, Heathrow is home to a short-stay Yotel (pictured).The hip chain has branches inside Gatwick, Amsterdam Schiphol and (come July 2016) Paris Charles de Gaulle airports, and offers ship cabin-inspired rooms with comfy beds, efficient bathrooms, Wi-Fi, power points and flat-screen TVs.
Denver International
Click the image above to go behind the scenes at the hotel and see it being built.
The new Westin Denver International Airport is connected to the main terminal via a welcoming, landscaped and art-filled plaza. The first hotel to open at Denver airport, this new Westin sits on top of a recently opened commuter rail station offering inexpensive, efficient transportation from the hub to downtown, 25 miles away.
Changi, Singapore
Terminal 3 at Singapore’s Changi Airport is where you’ll find the Crowne Plaza, which Skytrax recently crowned the World’s Best Airport Hotel for the fourth year in a row. As well as staff who go beyond the expected to please, the hotel has a landscaped outdoor pool, 24-hour fitness club and full-service spa.
Vancouver International
Overlooking the runway at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), a Fairmont hotel sits above the US departures terminal. Recently named Best Airport Hotel in North America by Skytrax for the third year in a row, the hotel has a day-spa, mechanised three-lane lap pool and extra touches such as a fish freezer (and fish butler), handy for anglers on their way home from fishing trips in Alaska and British Columbia.
Narita, Tokyo
For those on tight schedules who don’t mind tight quarters, 9h (nine hours) offers capsule-style, private sleeping pods (pictured) and shared bathroom spaces at Narita International Airport. Lockers, towels, ‘loungewear’ and toothbrushes are provided.
Munich
Germany’s Munich Airport has a five-star Hilton between the two terminals, a Novotel on airport grounds and two Napcab sleep/work cabins inside Terminal 2. In March 2016, Moxy Munich Airport (pictured) opened as well. Located about five minutes from the terminals, the hotel is part of Marriott International’s new millennial-focused brand, offering ‘a budget hotel with the soul of a boutique hotel’. Translation: cozy, tech-enabled rooms (basic rooms are 18sqm/194sqft, with complimentary Wi-Fi and a 107cm/42-inch flat-screen TV) and an emphasis on hip, shared public spaces.
This article has been tagged Destination, Hotels