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Review: the new Staybridge Suites hotel at London Heathrow airport

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This is our review of the brand new Staybridge Suites hotel at London’s Heathrow Airport.

IHG is on a bit of a roll at Heathrow at the moment.  We recently reviewed the (very nice) new Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express connected to Terminal 4.  Today I want to review the new Staybridge Suites London Heathrow Bath Road which has just opened.

Staybridge Suites is one of IHG’s ‘extended stay’ brands.  Rhys reviewed the new Staybridge Suites in Manchester in December which was the first time we’d ever covered one, but I was keen to take a look myself.

These are the features you can expect to find at a Staybridge Suites:

  • standard rooms with kitchenettes, but primarily 1+ bedroom suites with a separate bedroom and lounge / kitchen / dining area
  • limited hotel facilities, including no housekeeping at weekends unless specifically requested
  • evening social events
  • no restaurant and no bar but a pantry selling lights snacks and microwavable meals
  • free breakfast

Whilst in theory they are designed for contractors on extended stays, I think a lot of people book them purely because you get a lot of space for your money or because they need a room to accommodate children.  The average length of stay is probably shorter than you think and they don’t look twice if you only book for one night.

Review Staybridge Suites London Heathrow Bath Road hotel

Our stay at Staybridge Suite London Heathrow Bath Road was paid in cash.  We paid just £76 for a one-bedroom suite.

This is a dual branded building which is 50% Staybridge Suites and 50% Holiday Inn.  The Holiday Inn Heathrow Bath Road website is here.  The Holiday Inn was not open when I visited but will be any day now.  The hotels are totally separate inside.

Getting to Staybridge Suites London Heathrow Bath Road

Regular readers will know that I hate staying at airport hotels which are not directly connected to the terminals.

The Staybridge Suites is surprising easy to reach however.  From the Central Bus Station at T2/T3 it took just 6 minutes on the U3 bus which stops directly opposite.  You can also get a 105, 111, 140 or 285 bus to Newport Road.  This stop is further away.  From T5 or Hatton Cross you can get the 423 which stops opposite.

You have to cross a 4-lane road with no sort of pedestrian crossing to help you.  This could be tricky with luggage and/or small children and/or in darkness.

The local buses are free.  The £6 Hotel Hoppa bus also stops here.

My suite

Check-in was efficient and the woman behind the desk was exceptionally bubbly and enthusiastic.  This may be because she wasn’t used to seeing many guests – the property still seemed exceptionally quiet.  I was given a tour of the common areas and, as a Spire Elite, given two vouchers for a free drink and snack.  There is also a points alternative but there is a lot more value in the refreshments.

The hotel has a bit of an Orla Kiely feel as you can see from the corridors, which were pleasantly light and wide:

Review Staybridge Suites London Heathrow Bath Road hotel

Let me give you a tour of my suite, which was very spacious and – for £76 including breakfast – very good value.

The living area contained a round dining table with three chairs:

Review Staybridge Suites London Heathrow Bath Road hotel

…. and a kitchen unit.  The kitchen was very comprehensive – there was a fridge, a two ring induction hob, a kettle, a full set of saucepans, a full set of kitchen utensils, a dishwasher, a microwave, a sink, a full set of crockery for 4 people, glassware inc wine glasses and a cafetiere.  It was everything you’d expect and of course it is all brand new.

Review Staybridge Suites London Heathrow Bath Road hotel

The kitchen area has mock-wood lino flooring.  The living area is carpeted, as is the bedroom.

The living area has a long sofa which would happily seat four, an armchair, two tables, a lamp and a TV.  What the suite doesn’t have is a desk – you need to work at the kitchen table or in the business areas in the lobby.

Review Staybridge Suites London Heathrow Bath Road hotel

The bedroom is not huge but was perfectly pleasant with a 2nd TV.  The wardrobe contained 12 coat hangers so you won’t be short, although the inclusion of some drawers means that the space available for long hanging items such as dresses or coats is modest.  An iron and ironing board is provided.

The windows are far slimmer than they had to be.  The architect decided that slim windows would look more modern, clearly.  This may be true, but it also means that there is less natural light than there could have been.

Review Staybridge Suites London Heathrow Bath Road hotel

The bathroom was also a good size.  There was no bath which, for an extended stay property, was a missed opportunity.  The shower was very large but there was only one sink which was relatively small.  You do get a lot of counter space which is important if you are staying for longer and have brought full size products.

Toiletries were Gilchrist & Soames.  They came in bumper sized containers which are not meant to be taken away, although they are not bolted to the wall.

Review Staybridge Suites London Heathrow Bath Road hotel

You don’t get a washing machine, but there is a laundry room on the first floor:

Laundry room Staybridge Suites London Heathrow Airport hotel

There is also a modest fitness room.

There are some interesting touches to make the room look more like a home which it takes you a while to spot.  There is no marketing literature, at all, on display.  There is a clock on the wall.  The light switches and power sockets are standard domestic ones.   This is all done to give a more ‘homely’ feel to long stay guests.

Soundproofing is outstanding.

The public areas

There is no restaurant and no bar.  Literally within days the Holiday Inn next door will be open which solves the problem.  I was left with snacks from the pantry.  There is nothing else walkable from the hotel unless you head to the Leonardo Hotel nearby.

(It is worth noting that the ‘free drink and snack’ voucher given to elite IHG Rewards Club members includes 200 ml bottles of prosecco, although not spirits.  As well as the kettle and cafetiere in your room, there is 24/7 free coffee available from a machine in the breakfast area.)

There is a LOT of public space at the Staybridge Suites for milling around which is rare in new hotels.  On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights the hotel holds social events where you can get a free drink and meet other guests – unfortunately I was there on a Monday.

If you don’t want to work in your room, you can choose from this space:

Review Staybridge Suites London Heathrow Bath Road hotel

…. or this space:

Review Staybridge Suites London Heathrow Bath Road hotel

…. or this room, called The Den which has a smart skylight:

Review Staybridge Suites London Heathrow Bath Road hotel

Breakfast at Staybridge Suites London Heathrow

Here is the breakfast room, in a picture taken in the afternoon which is why it is empty.  I found the use of picnic tables for the bulk of the seating to be weird.  Breakfast runs from 6am to 9.30am which isn’t great if you want to sleep in.

Review Staybridge Suites London Heathrow Bath Road hotel

The buffet looks relatively small but actually contained everything I wanted.  There is a buffet here:

Staybridge Suites London Heathrow breakfast

…. and some hot items:

Staybridge Suites London Heathrow breakfast

Two things did annoy me.  Firstly, as the top picture shows, cereal is served from the usual domestic cardboard boxes.  This looks messy and is probably unhealthy, as most people end up putting their hands in the box to scoop out the contents once it gets low.  Secondly, fruit juice is poured from supermarket cartons – it wouldn’t have hurt to decant it into jugs.

It is worth noting that, even though the hotel was virtually empty, I couldn’t get a standard table to myself.  My only options were to eat at a stupid picnic table or eat in the lounge at a low table.  I did the latter.  Once occupancy picks up, table sharing for breakfast will be unavoidable unless they add some more furniture and rip out the picnic tables.

Conclusion

This was my first visit to a Staybridge Suites and I was impressed.  Everything is new and shiny, rates are low, you get a lot of space if you take a one bedroom suite (I paid £76 in IHG’s recent Flash Sale) and it is literally just 6 minutes on the bus from the Central Bus Station.

I am still happier in hotels attached to the terminal, purely for convenience, but if you want to save some money then Staybridge Suites London Heathrow Bath Road is worth a look.

My only criticism is whether, if you do need a place for a longer stay, Bath Road is where you want to be.  If you were seconded to Heathrow for a couple of weeks, would you prefer a suite here to staying in a traditional hotel room in a nearby town with shops, pubs and restaurants within walking distance?  Some people would, some wouldn’t.

As an IHG Rewards Club redemption Staybridge Suites Heathrow is currently 25,000 points.  This gets you the standard ‘Studio Suite’ and not the one bedroom suite which I had.  The new Holiday Inn in the same building (website here) is the same price.  This is fair pricing given typical cash rates of £100 and my standard valuation of IHG Rewards Club points at 0.4p.

You can read our full series of London airport hotel reviews here.

The Staybridge Suites London Heathrow Bath Road website is here if you want to book or find out more.

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Category

Airport Hotel Reviews (London), IHG One Rewards

Comments (88)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Henry Young says:
    15 Feb15 February 04:24

    This kind of a service combined with storage and shipping of clothes and other personal items is really all that one would require never to actually need a fixed home base. It is surely the future for those wanting a more mobile life style ?

    • John says:
      15 Feb15 February 06:41

      Until you lose your entire possessions in a self-storage fire

    • Dr Tom says:
      15 Feb15 February 09:19

      With the many hotels deals out there, I’ve certainly thought about it.

      The problem is, what do you regarding all the organisations that require you to have a “real” address?

      • sunguy says:
        15 Feb15 February 10:32

        That one is quite easy – thats what Mailboxes ETC and the like are for….e.g. for one near the HFP office:

        Mr Green,
        Suite 4900,
        155 Minories
        Aldgate
        City of London

        • Stuart_f says:
          15 Feb15 February 13:12

          A colleague of mine is nearing retirement and has decided he wants to build a houseboat and live on that. He too is facing issues with not having a permanent address. The mailbox suggestion doesn’t work – you can’t register to vote using one of those services, not only does the gov.uk site tell you that they aren’t allowed it seems to enforce it – the postcodes are blacklisted.

        • Russ says:
          15 Feb15 February 13:52

          Yep he’ll need to purchase/lease a residential mooring and yes he’ll still have to fork out for council tax.

        • Alex Sm says:
          15 Feb15 February 22:44

          I worked for the elections and we had a number of voters perfectly registered on boats. This problem is not a real problem

    • will says:
      15 Feb15 February 14:50

      I think it’s sort of new for us but Americans have been staying at these types of places for a long time now. Personally I think it’s amazing and I try to stay with a kitchen and washing facilities whenever possible.

      I would not wish to live in one and have my clothes mailed to me out of choice however.

  • riku2 says:
    15 Feb15 February 05:04

    I don’t think I would be worried about the breakfast cerial in cardboard boxes. I’ve never put my “hands in the box to scoop out the contents” – when there is only a little left you lift up the box with one hand, turn it upside down and gravity makes the contents fall out of the top (which is now at the bottom).
    I would be more worried by the bread and pastries since people will touch those when taking or cutting. Having tongs nearby will not make much difference especially in Britain (visit Lidl in the UK and half the customers will take unwrapped bakery items from the tray with their bare hands).
    Even at a normal hotel I often buy my own things to eat breakfast in the room and for sure with your own kitchen you can have a proper breakfast in your own room, not sharing tables, having people touch your bread, cough over all that unshielded food on the table.

    • Shoestring says:
      15 Feb15 February 06:34

      But it’s not as if they touch other bakery items, turning over a few to find the best one. You just pick up your chosen bread roll or pastry & pop it in your bag. Fingers/ thumbs are very efficient gripping devices whereas tongs are clumsy.

      • riku2 says:
        15 Feb15 February 06:58

        I’ve seen the person in front of me in Munich Senator lounge touch four or five bread rolls before deciding which one to take from the basket. Even those that take one roll/pastry often touch neighbouring ones when taking theirs.
        The same for biscuits in the BA lounges now they are in glass jars instead of individually wrapped. Many put their hand into the jar .. and then wonder why you give them an annoyed look.

        • Anna says:
          15 Feb15 February 12:17

          Why do you think BA has the jars of biscuits – it’s a double cost saving measure?! They don’t have to buy individually wrapped biscuits and not knowing how long the ones in the jars have been there or who else has touched them is going to put people off eating them full stop. Having said that, my son is very partial to the Black Forest cookies and has never suffered any ill effects from them!

          On that general subject … has the ice cream fridge ever re-appeared (re-stocked) in the T5 lounge?!

        • Lady London says:
          15 Feb15 February 15:32

          + 1 Anna. It’s cheap to have cookies in jars like that.

          Someone running work restaurant catering once told me those little sachets of sauce and salt and pepper are provided free to the catering companies by the suppliers just as “part of doing business”. So I bet they’re not even paid for.

        • Alex Sm says:
          15 Feb15 February 22:49

          I wouldn’t probably reveal a big secret if I tell you that most people wash their hands before touching food, be it their own or someone else’s

      • Andrew MS says:
        15 Feb15 February 09:50

        Yes , and think of all the germs on the tongs !

        • Fraser says:
          15 Feb15 February 10:55

          Can’t stand unnecessary individual wrapping, tiny sauce sachets etc. So wasteful.

          Hygiene concerns are legitimate but Gwyneth Paltrow from Contagion is eating breakfast, not much risk of serious illness or death. That’s why we have immunities.

    • the_real_a says:
      15 Feb15 February 15:26

      I was recently in Portugal and the Lidl bakeries have some sort of scoop system that makes it impossible to handle the bakery items. One must play the game of using the handle to push the products into a slide at the side where they can be retrieved. In fact by the end of the 2 weeks i was ready to perform key hole surgery.

      • Lady London says:
        15 Feb15 February 15:34

        Still not foolproof though. many of the glass doors can be openable and it’s still possible to reac in the sides and get stuff. better than the usual open cough-all-over trays and baskets though.

      • riku2 says:
        15 Feb15 February 16:16

        I have seen that long handed paddle system in Lidl Germany, it did take a while to understand it and I was trying to pull open the front glass door before realising you have to use the paddle to push the item you want through the side. I haven’t seen it in many of their shops though (a couple in germany, none in sweden or finland and none in the UK) so perhaps they gave up on the idea because customers could not understand it.

  • Shoestring says:
    15 Feb15 February 06:32

    I can’t see that no bath = a missed opportunity. Baths are pretty disgusting – you wallow in your own diluted filth in a soapy scum with no effective way to rinse it off. Whereas showers are inherently better at cleaning off surface dirt, bacteria, dead skin & other unwanted microbes.

    • John says:
      15 Feb15 February 06:41

      I have a shower after my bath

      • Shoestring says:
        15 Feb15 February 07:55

        You’d need to – otherwise you leave the bath dirtier than when you went in. Awful things that belong in the Victorian age.

        I’m not a bath person.

        • Froggee says:
          15 Feb15 February 08:08

          I’m pretty confident that my small children leave the bath much cleaner than they are when go into it. This sort of format appeals to people with young kids but no bath is a pain. It’s okay for one night but would not do e.g. one week somewhere like this.

      • Mike says:
        15 Feb15 February 08:06

        I second the ‘shower after bath’.

        In any case, baths aren’t about washing to me (and I assume a lot of others). They are about relaxing after a hard day.

        Shower before work, bath after…

        • TripRep says:
          15 Feb15 February 09:25

          +1.

        • Anna says:
          15 Feb15 February 12:20

          Indeed, a bath is a treat for the senses first and foremost, although I agree that children definitely come out cleaner! Harry – by any chance are you not a great fan of shared swimming pools either?

      • TGLoyalty says:
        15 Feb15 February 13:32

        I always shower before a bath.

        Echo other comments its about relaxing not getting clean.

  • Paul says:
    15 Feb15 February 06:43

    I use the local buses a lot at LHR as my wife has parking at a location on the bath road and it’s handy for weekends away and the tube into London.

    I see a lot of people using these buses with bags trying to avoid the nonsense of £6 for the hoppa. For a family of 4 using this bus adds £50/night to the cost of a room. This is insane pricing as is doing nothing to get people off the roads.

    Heathrow is the prime rip off Britain destination and as an introduction to the U.K. is shameful. I used the hex on a 90 deal last Tuesday with no operational toilets. Walkways andvtravellatorsvwere closed in T3 and the filthy central area tunnel down to one lane causing delays. It’s a shoddy decrepit airport and really needs new management and some bulldozers.

    • Joe says:
      15 Feb15 February 10:03

      What absolute nonsense you speak. The central tunnel is down to one lane because it is being completely modernised. Any half wit could see that. T5 is superb. T2 arguably better. Compare it to any established airport of its age and – whilst far from perfect – its doing a very good job and more importantly is progressing and modernising.

      • Save East Coast Rewards says:
        15 Feb15 February 11:13

        What is happening with the central area tunnels? The smaller side tunnels have been closed since around 2012. I see both sides here – the Hotel Hoppa is a rip off, I deliberately try and avoid it, but I think Heathrow has modernised and generally I’m happy to travel through it, particularly with status.

  • Memesweeper says:
    15 Feb15 February 07:29

    I stayed last week and got the same suite as you Rob 🙂 Can’t fault the place other than it’s very quiet and has no bar. Staff are great.

    Breakfast from 0600 is standard with hotels near the airport which is nowhere near early enough for a very early flight. And if it wasn’t a very early flight I’d not be in an airport hotel! The is another bus to T5 from across the road, I think it’s the 7 (not London red but still free).

    • Lady London says:
      15 Feb15 February 15:38

      What is it about American hotel chains and them loving brown everywhere and dark wood (even plastic imitation dark wood?). TBH all the “brown” in the photos and the lack of light is making me think twice about staying there when I had planned to.

      The narrow windows might be more about keeping heat in or out at lower cost for the temperature control system. Do the windows even open? I tend not to return to hotels where at least one window doesn;t open even partly. Over time these get disgusting and positive allergy-generators because of the amount of fake perfume in cleaning aerosols that are used in them and all the other sprays that are used in the room.

  • Liz says:
    15 Feb15 February 07:45

    We stayed in our first Staybridge Suites during our Route 66 trip and loved it. I now try and use them when we can on our road trips. We try and only take one case in to our hotels at night if we are only staying one or two nights but when we get to a Staybridge we lug everything in, spread it all out and do a repack? I prefer the breakfasts to HIX as they normally have fresh fruit. Got a few booked for our upcoming trip.

    • Russ says:
      15 Feb15 February 10:43

      Yes I’d imagine knowing they have a laundry on site when you’re traveling for a prolonged periods is also very useful.

      • Lady London says:
        15 Feb15 February 15:40

        Most 3 star hotels in chains seem to , in the USA. also I noticed even in Europe Hampton seems to be bringing them in. The ones in the US cost practically nothing. Makes a lot of sense if you’re constantly on the road for work and in the US, will definitely influence my choice of hotel.

      • Liz says:
        15 Feb15 February 19:02

        Laundry on holiday – that’s a swear word! No housework when on holiday!

  • Chrisasaurus says:
    15 Feb15 February 08:12

    Sorry I need to ask – and possibly we need bells for those who do – who puts their hand into a packet of breakfast cereal beyond the age of about 4?!?

    And if they do that what in earth else did their parents neglect to teach them?

    Enquiring minds want to know – so they can stay in different hotels to them!

    • Sussex Bantam says:
      15 Feb15 February 08:29

      +1 – I’ve never done that and I’d be mortified if my children did.

      Just tip the thing up and gravity does all the hard work for you !

    • Anna says:
      15 Feb15 February 12:26

      This whole discussion is making me laugh – how many cornflakes can you even pick up by hand lol?! They waxed paper inside cereal boxes is more than adequate for allowing the last bits to slide effortlessly into your bowl, although I have to confess that in the past I have underestimated how much cereal was actually left and ended up with an overflow situation!

    • The Savage Squirrel says:
      15 Feb15 February 13:44

      When things are running low, if you scoop with your hand but with slightly open fingers you will pull out the last of the cornflakes/etc that are of decent size while the nasty little bits and dust at the bottom of the packet that are not pleasant to eat will be left in the bag by the sifting effect of your semi-open fingers. These can then be thrown away.

      Lest you think I am a complete savage (and especially if Mrs Squirrel reads this) I’d like to make clear that I only do this when only one serving remains and then dispose of the remains in the bin.

  • Yorkieflyer says:
    15 Feb15 February 08:22

    I wonder when a Staybridge Suites is opening in the Maldives?

    • Prins Polo says:
      15 Feb15 February 09:11

      Or even better – Bora Bora. Perfect place for that guy who brought canned foods and a burner on a self-catering South Pacific dream holiday.

    • Anna says:
      15 Feb15 February 12:30

      That would be awesome, although it might defeat the object if you had to pay $400 to get the seaplane back to Male to do a supermarket shop!

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