hotels near/at Heathrow - getting to the terminals….

There are a few hotels at Heathrow that are within walking distance of one of the terminals, and the terminals are connected via the Underground. I prefer that situation to being on a bus route; I'd be less confident the buses would run frequently.

I've only stayed at the Premier Inn T4, which is usually very reasonably priced. With your T3 departure, a hotel located at that terminal would be more convenient. Google Maps shows a Hilton Garden Inn and an Aerotel right at the terminal. I think I remember others on the forum have stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn.

Here's a list of threads mentioning (I hope) the Hilton Garden Inn at Heathrow within the last two years: https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=2y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=heathrow+hilton+garden+inn+terminal+3

You might find that hotel listed on booking.com. It probably would be less expensive to book it on the corporate website, but the booking.com reviews can be useful.

The Hilton Garden Inn is connected to the terminal via a walkway, so that would be the one I'd recommend.

Normally I'd arrive at Heathrow 3hrs prior.

Another vote for Hilton Garden Inn. More £££ than I usually pay for a hotel but so worth it for the convenience. Checked out, walked across the 2nd story parking lot, through the tunnel to Terminal 2 to Air Lingus baggage check and gate.

On our visit last fall, we had a very early morning departure. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn because it was walkable to our terminal. Like most airport hotels the cost was higher simply because of the location, but it was worth it for us. I believe most of the hotels on the perimeter are connected to the airport by a bus service, but have no idea about their frequency.

I also stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn a few weeks ago. The room was pleasant enough, it served its purpose of somewhere to sleep for the night prior to an early morning departure. The main attraction is the couple of minutes walk to the the airport terminal.

Previously I've stayed at some of the perimeter hotels on Bath Road. There are no shuttles anymore as far as I'm aware so you'd either have to get a taxi (expensive) or the bus which is regular but nowhere near as convenient as being within walking distance to the terminal.

There are a number of local buses that serve Heathrow and the local area. Details are available on the Heathrow website here.
https://www.heathrow.com/transport-and-directions/by-coach-or-bus/local-buses

The reason why there is no shuttle service is because the bus network does the job.

Obviously staying at a hotel connected to the airport is more convenient but the perimeter hotels still have good access.

It depends what you call a shuttle but the Hotel Hoppa bus service still runs to all off site Heathrow area hotels. This is the full timetable booklet (indexed for ease of use)- https://www.hotelhoppa.co.uk/media/1731/hoppa-dl-booklet-jul25.pdf

From the other Hilton Garden Inn (the one on the Great South West Road, near Hatton Cross Tube station) for instance you use service HHL to Terminal 3- first departure 0427, so for a 10am flight you would use the 0558 departure arrive 0610, or the 0643 arrive 0655.

The fare is £6.80 each to/from any of the hotels or £13 for a family including at least one child- up to 2A and 3C.

For any of the hotels on the Bath Road there is also very frequent 24/7 public bus service straight in to the Central Bus Station- which serves Terminals 2 and 3.

If you don't want to stay at one of the expensive options within the airport, there are many hotels along Bath Road (the northern perimeter road). We stayed at the Ibis Styles Heathrow and really liked it. It is the closest hotel to the airport access road, and there is a nice pub (the Three Magpies) across the street.

I would not recommend Hotel Hoppa. Too expensive, and you could find yourself stopping at up to six other hotels before getting to yours. Just not worth it. We took a cab from the airport to the hotel, and that was less than GPB 15. In the morning, we took a regular city bus from the stop right across the street from the hotel, less than 5 minutes.

I have stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn at Terminal 2 & 3 many times. I'll be there again on Wednesday.

It's an easy 5 -10 minute walk from the hotel to the check in area of Terminal 3. ( All enclosed in an underground walkway with moving sidewalks.)

Staying there may cost more than a perimeter hotel but it also means extra sleep since you don't have to take transportation to the terminal.

There is also a budget Aerotel at Terminal 3 but I have never stayed there.

It's worth looking at the rates for the Premier Inn T4 if the cost of the Hilton Garden Inn seems expensive. These are the rates for a room for 2 people on the night of Tuesday, November 25 (randomly chosen):

Fully refundable until 1 PM on day of arrival: £78
Refundable until 3 days before arrival: £68
Non-refundable: £57

The rates would probably have been somewhat lower if I had checked earlier for November 25 arrival, and they would certainly be higher for later booking. Rates are likely to be higher during busier periods, but they are usually better than what you'd find at just about any centrally located London hotel. The fully flexible rate has a more-generous cancelation policy than you'll find at most hotels. This place is such a good deal (usually) that I just automatically move out to Heathrow for my last night in London if I'm departing from that airport.

There's an internal walkway from the hotel to Terminal 4. The walk may take 10 minutes; I've never timed it. Then you hop on the Underground from Terminal 4 to your departure terminal.

This is a large hotel. I think it opened not long before the pandemic. It is similar to every other Premier Inn I've stayed at, with a large, comfortable bed and a separate day bed the hotel will set up for sleeping if you book a twin room. It's air conditioned. I don't remember airport noise, and my sometimes-roommate, who is very noise-sensitive, has never complained about noise.

Thank you ALL for the advice. While the convenience is excellent Hilton definitely takes advantage of it - $245! For a little old lady too much. My unfamiliarity with Heathrow is definitely a problem, and their website is less than helpful with my issues…
The post above about the hotel at T4 sounds far better. Since I will be arriving from London via the tube the fun part will be sorting out the beast way to get around…
I very much appreciate all of the caring help!

Sharon, my room in mid-July was £254, just slightly less than four nights in Killarney B&B. The convenience at Heathrow was still worth it. Salad dinner plus a glass of wine raised the price an additional £40.

I stayed at Premier Inn T4 last weekend. I had an 11am flight out of T3, and I could not justify the Hilton Garden Inn price. It took me about 20-30 minutes to get between PI@T4 and T3 each time (I went back and forth a few times as I also went into London for an evening). From T3 to T4, I took the Elizabeth Line, and this took the longest as the frequency is less. The other way (T4 to T3) I took the Piccadilly Line tube, and this frequency was 3-4 minutes every time I used it. The walk between the PI and T4 through the covered walkway takes about 10-15 minutes depending on how much luggage you are hauling and your walking speed. It felt very safe walking through the walkway; there were families, elderly people, etc even quite late at night. You do need to tap in and out but you are not charged for the inter-terminal transfers.

I have stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn near T2/T3 in the past, and the room was slightly better than that of PI@T4, but not worth it to me for a price differential of GBP100+. I may go back to Hilton Garden Inn if I have a very early morning flight out of T2/T3, but otherwise I will probably continue to use PI@T4 and give myself 30 minutes to get to T2/T3.

Edit: I just read that you will be coming in from London. If you stay at the PI@T4, take the Piccadilly Line tube to T4 (make sure that you get on the train going to T2/T3 and T4, not T5 - otherwise you will need to change). There are signs showing the way from T4 to the PI.

also on that T4 covered walkway, in order from nearest to T4 to furthest, are a Hilton, a very nice Crowne Plaza (my fav), a Holiday Inn Express, and then the Premier Inn.

THANK YOU! I have a reservation at TI and am copying all the notes regarding getting around. Bless you fellow travelers for saving me from my usual mistakes in advance!