Worth staying near the airport?

No way stay at Heathrow. Tedious dreary hotel along a main road. The hotels are not at the airport terminals, they are along roads beside the airport. So not convenient for transport into central London, you would be getting a bus to the nearest tube station.
If necessary stay at a hotel near the correct terminal for the night before the flight only. If this is work, they can pay for pre-booked taxis ("mini cabs" in London-speak).

I agree you need to stay in the city! He can catch a cab to Paddington Station and take the Heathrow Express and be at the airport in around a half hour or so. You can sleep in.

The Sofitel is not on the road with all the hotels. It is connected to terminal 5. From LHR to center London is an hour . A waste of time every day.

For his early morning flight he can get an inexpensive room near the airport for the night before his flight.

Really no! You want to be in the city. He can get an early train or, if he’s worried, stay the night near the airport. But you’d blow the entire trip staying at the airport, don’t do it.

Thank you all so much! That's what I thought. I'm now exploring hotel options closer to the city's attractions. Wow - it is overwhelming! I have travelled quite a bit in my life but the prices here are something else! Thank you all again for your inputs.

The hotels near Heathrow are deceptively cheap; deceptive because it is such a slog into Town. Good for a 1 night layover stay, not really for much else.

A kind of compromise would be something to the west such as Hammersmith or Ealing, but I would concur with the view that if your husband wants to stay one night near the airport just let him ...

Stay in town. No reason you can’t go see things while your husband is away. Take advantage of the time you have.

Stay at The Grosvenor, a lovely hotel but it's slap bang in the middle of Mayfair so an expensive part of London.

Alternatively County Hall is an excellent Marriott and it's location couldn't be better although I still prefer The Grosvenor.

My wife rates St. Ermins as her favourite but I haven't stayed there to compare (I've listed Marriott's only because I'm assuming there might be a points reason for staying, if not then there are plenty more hotels to choose from!)

Thanks to each and every one of you for your suggestions. Definitely helped a ton. After a lot of analysis, I booked at the Waldorf Hilton. I managed to find a decent deal. I do see some mixed reviews on Tripadvisor but I have status at Hilton and so hopefully the lounge access and the proximity to attractions will make this worthwhile. I would have preferred the Conrad St James but that got very expensive. Now, the next thing is to get my itinerary sorted out. So excited about this trip!

@JC - thank you! The St Ermin looked very good and so did the other Marriott properties! However, most Marriott hotels seem to be fine for a couple but when I looked at reservations to include my teenager, there was only availability in the suites! So Hilton it is this time!

@JC - thank you! The St Ermin looked very good and so did the other Marriott properties! However, most Marriott hotels seem to be fine for a couple but when I looked at reservations to include my teenager, there was only availability in the suites! So Hilton it is this time!

You're welcome.

I haven't stayed at the Waldorf although I have eaten at the lounge bar, Good Godfrey's, but wasn't impressed at all but obviously that doesn't reflect on the hotel itself but if you were considering eating there I'd recommend elsewhere.