For business travellers keen to secure a restful night’s sleep ahead of an international work trip, the award-winning airport parking operator and retailer Airport Parking & Hotels (APH.com) has compared six airport hotels well-suited for travel from London, Manchester, and Birmingham. I would write something like ‘Although there are some great recommendations from APH.com its best to shop smart and do an online comparison to see which is most convenient to you, and to see where you can get the best rate, whether it be for the hotel or the parking. But if you’re prepared for your trip and have already done your research, you may already know that FHR have a best price guarantee on airport parking at Gatwick airport (if you’re traveling from here), but as stated above, have a look around to ensure you’re finding the best deal for your parking and nights stay.

The research is available in the Know Before You Go Section of the APH website at www.aph.com/businesstravel and looks at the location of each hotel and the resulting ease of access to the terminals, plus the in-room and hotel lobby facilities for corporate travellers.

Walking Distance to Departure
To avoid the anxiety of a departure day dash to the terminals, four of the hotels researched are located within walking distance to the check-in desks, including the four-star Crowne Plaza Hotel at Manchester Airport and the Novotel at Birmingham Airport. Likewise, the four-star Sofitel at London Gatwick is located within walking distance from the North Terminal and the South Terminal can be reached via a short monorail ride. However, if your company has already booked excellent rooms for you elsewhere in the city beforehand, or you need to get around for a number of events quickly, then you may want to consider the services of Britway Airport Transfer to ensure that your meetings are kept on time, leaving you with less to stress about.

In-Room Conveniences
For business travellers keen to catch up on emails, Wi-Fi and in-room work desks are provided at all six of the properties researched. However, guests at Manchester Airport’s Britannia Airport Hotel should note that although complimentary Wi-Fi is provided in public areas, in-room access is charged at £7 per 24 hours, per device, once the two 20-minute complimentary sessions per day are used. Other in-room offerings include tea and coffee making services and irons at the majority of hotels researched, excluding at Birmingham Airport’s Ibis hotel, where an ironing room is instead located on the third floor. Other convenient facilities provided for business travellers includes a USB charging hub in rooms at Ibis Birmingham Airport and a shoe-shining machine plus safe large enough to accommodate a laptop at Novotel Birmingham Airport.

Zone Out Before You Check-In
To shake off any stress ahead of an important business meeting, the Crowne Plaza Felbridge Hotel at Gatwick provides guests with an indoor heated swimming pool and gym, plus a five-treatment-roomed Chakra Spa, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and tennis courts. Likewise, the Britannia Airport Hotel at Manchester Airport boasts three nearby golf clubs, including the Northenden Golf Club. Londoners who want to enjoy the Sussex countryside prior to several hours spent on a plane should consider the four-star Crowne Plaza Felbridge Gatwick, which is nearby to Ashdown Forest and just 15 minutes’ drive away from the airport, plus the new APH Gatwick park and ride car park.

Office Facilities Away from The Office
Professionals who need to print or copy documents ahead of arriving at the check-in desks can make use of the business centres at four of the airport hotels, including at Manchester Airport’s Crowne Plaza hotel, which also offers business centre support staff from 8:30 am – 6 pm. Should business travellers need to gather their team prior to flying off, all six of the airport hotels researched offer conference rooms available to hire, with the capacity ranging from seven people at Birmingham Airport’s Ibis Hotel to 500 delegates at Gatwick’s Crowne Plaza Felbridge.