Hampton by Hilton London Gatwick Airport

The room was spacious and the bed comfortable, and the location for north terminal departures is hard to beat unless you’re already past security. There’s a pretty comprehensive free breakfast, which I unfortunately missed. My only complaint was the air conditioning. It was the hottest recorded day in May in the UK, and the AC couldn’t keep up, so sleeping was really difficult. That’s the only reason I deducted a star.

The room itself was fine, but the lack of luggage storage and the poor communication affected our stay a lot. We’d completed online check-in through the Hilton app and already had a room assigned. We arrived a few hours before check-in, expecting to leave our bags and come back later, as airport hotels commonly allow. Instead, the hotel refused to hold any luggage. We were later told Gatwick Airport regulations prohibit it for safety reasons. We hadn’t been told this beforehand. If we’d known, we’d have planned the day differently. We wasted time travelling to the hotel, were turned away, then had to go back to the airport and pay for storage. This is critical information for travellers arriving early or leaving late. If the hotel can’t store luggage under any circumstances, it should make that clear before guests arrive.

We stopped for an overnight rest before travelling back to Scotland, and the north terminal location was perfect for continuing our journey. The room was spotless and a good size, with a really comfy bed and USB and plug points above the bedside cabinets. Check-in was quick and easy, and they sent a lovely text to make sure everything was okay. The complimentary breakfast was lovely, with cooked food available after 6.30am. Parking is available in the airport midstay car park, so remember to book that too. We’ll definitely use this hotel again.

The restaurant was a real letdown. Our chicken burger, regular burger and fries tasted like cheap, nasty ingredients, and the meal cost £55 with two drinks. I wouldn’t say it was worth more than £10. Breakfast was okay: the sausages were lovely, but everything else was tasteless. The scrambled eggs seemed to be instant powdered eggs, with no taste and a rubbery, nasty texture. The room was nice overall, with a comfy bed, though it wasn’t the cleanest. Some surfaces, like the top of the TV, hadn’t been dusted in a while. They kindly switched my bedding from feather to non-feather because of my allergies. I was very disappointed, as I expected more from this brand. The food was overpriced and not nice at all.