Airport Hotels

Staying near the airport the night before turns a 3 am start into a short transfer or, at some airports, a five-minute walk. If you are leaving a car behind anyway, you can book the room and the parking together - the car is then covered for the trip rather than just for the night, and the package is usually cheaper than booking the two separately.

This page covers the airport hotels we sell across the UK, how a hotel-and-parking package actually works, and the difference between on-airport and off-airport parking so you can judge which suits your trip. Enter your dates above to see live prices, or read on first.

We have been arranging airport parking and hotels since 1980; we are still family-owned, and we park more than 300,000 customers' cars a year across over 7,000 spaces - including car parks we own and run ourselves at Gatwick and Manchester. So the part most hotel booking sites gloss over, which is what happens to your car, is the part we can actually tell you about.

Why choose a hotel

The case for a pre-flight room is mostly practical. A 6 am departure means a check-in desk at 4 am, which means leaving home at 2 am or earlier if you live any distance from the airport - and it means doing the drive at the point in the night when a closure or a diversion is hardest to work around.

Booking a room near the airport moves that drive to the evening before, when you are awake, and the roads are predictable. In the morning you are close enough to the terminal that the journey stops being something you have to plan around: at most of our airports the hotel transfer or the drive to the car park takes minutes rather than the best part of an hour.

It is worth doing if any of the following apply to your trip:

Your flight leaves before about 8 am, and you would otherwise be setting an alarm for the middle of the night.
You are more than an hour or two from the airport, so a delay on the road eats into your check-in window rather than your spare time.
You are travelling with children, or in a group, where getting everyone out of the door at 2 am is the real obstacle.
You are leaving a car at the airport anyway - in which case a hotel-and-parking package often costs little more than the parking on its own.
You want to start the holiday the night before rather than arrive at the gate already tired. This is a perfectly good reason on its own.
It is probably not worth it for a late-morning or afternoon departure from an airport within an easy drive, and we would rather say so here than have you find out afterwards.

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Airport Hotel Locations

Off-Airport Hotel Offers

Off-airport car parks sit a short distance outside the airport boundary and are run by independent operators, including our own APH and Airparks sites. You park the car and take a transfer bus to the terminal, which is included in the price and runs to the airport's flight schedule rather than to a timetable of its own.

It is normally the cheapest way to leave a car, and for most trips the difference from an on-airport car park is a few extra minutes at each end. It suits anyone booking ahead and travelling at a reasonable hour, and it is the option most of our customers book.

Available at: Aberdeen, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, Southend, Stansted and Southampton Port.

Transfer times vary by airport and by car park. The shortest are around two minutes, at Edinburgh and Leeds Bradford; the longest we publish anywhere is fourteen minutes, at Birmingham and Luton. A handful are close enough to walk: our APH Express car parks at Aberdeen and Exeter are a five-minute walk from the terminal, with no transfer at all. The time for each car park is shown against it before you book, and it is worth reading, because it is the figure that decides what time you need to arrive.

Off-airport parking is not offered at Bristol, East Midlands or Newcastle. At those three the choice is between on-airport parking and Meet & Greet.

On-Airport Hotel Offers

On-airport car parks sit inside the airport's own grounds and are run by the airport rather than by an independent operator. You drive in, park the car yourself and keep the keys. From the closest ones you walk to the terminal; from the longer-stay ones you take the airport's own shuttle bus, typically a two-to-five minute ride.

It is the quickest option from car to check-in desk, and it is the one to choose if you are arriving tight on time, travelling with a lot of luggage or with children, or flying back late at night. It usually costs more than an off-airport car park, and the gap is widest at the largest airports.

Available at: Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Gatwick, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted.

Where a car park is close enough to walk, we show a walking time rather than a transfer time. Some are very close indeed - one to three minutes on foot at Birmingham, East Midlands and Newcastle, and two minutes at Aberdeen. East Midlands has the widest choice, with ten official airport car parks across short, mid and long stay. Times for every car park are shown in the list on each airport's parking page.

It is worth knowing where on-airport parking is not an option, because it changes what you should be comparing. At Heathrow, Edinburgh, Luton, Cardiff, Leeds Bradford, Exeter and Southend, we do not sell on-airport parking - at those airports the choice is between off-airport parking and Meet & Greet.

Airport Parking Locations

We sell parking at 17 UK airports, plus Southampton and Dover cruise ports, in three forms:

On-airport parking - inside the airport's own grounds, run by the airport. Shortest journey from car to terminal.
Off-airport parking - a secure car park a short distance away, usually the cheapest option, with a transfer included.
Meet & Greet - you drive to the terminal, hand the car to a driver at the door and collect it there on your return. No transfer at either end.
We are a member of the Independent Airport Parking Association, which monitors security and customer service standards among its members, and of the Institute of Travel & Tourism. Alongside our own car parks at Gatwick and Manchester, we work with established operators including Purple Parking, I Love Meet & Greet and NCP. Every customer who books with us receives an independent satisfaction survey afterwards, and we build the ratings for each car park from those results.

The two sections below explain how on-airport and off-airport parking work and where each is available. Whichever you choose, the transfer arrangement, walking or transfer time, and facilities for that car park are shown on its product page before you book.

Choose your airport below to see live prices for your dates.

Airport Hotel and Parking Locations

A hotel-and-parking package is one booking that covers your room for the night before you fly and your parking for the trip. If you are leaving a car at the airport anyway, it is usually cheaper than booking the room and the parking separately, and it is the arrangement most of our customers choose.

How long your car is covered

Each package includes parking either for a set period - 4, 8 or 15 days - or for the exact duration of your trip, depending on the hotel. The length included is shown against the package before you book. If you are away longer than the period you booked, the extra days are paid directly to the hotel or car park rather than to us, so it is worth booking the right length first time.

Where your car is kept

It depends on the package. Your car will be parked either on-site at the hotel, at an off-site car park chosen by the hotel, or at an airport car park chosen by us. The product page for each package states which applies, and it is worth checking, because it determines how you get to the terminal in the morning.

How you get to the terminal

Where a package pairs a hotel with one of our car parks, the transfer is included in the price and run by the car park. Where the car stays at the hotel, the hotel's own arrangement applies — some run a complimentary shuttle and some charge a small fee. The transfer arrangement for your hotel is set out in the more information section on its product page, and it is the one thing worth reading before you book.

Breakfast, and what else is included

Every package includes the room and the parking. Breakfast depends on the hotel: many include it in the room rate, and many also offer an early continental breakfast for guests leaving before the kitchen opens, which is the one to look for if you are flying at first light. Some hotels run kids-eat-free deals. What is included is itemised on each package before you pay.

Two things that surprise people

Your hotel and your parking are usually issued as two separate bookings, so you will receive two confirmation emails with two booking references. That is normal - each carries its own instructions, so take both with you.

Some of our cheapest rates work differently from the rest. Advanced Purchase rates and Mystery Hotels - where the hotel is revealed after booking - are cheaper for a reason: they cannot be amended or cancelled. The terms that apply are shown before you pay.

Airport Lounge Locations

We offer an extensive range of airport lounges at the UK’s major airports. An airport lounge is the perfect way to add luxury any holiday, offering you the chance to kick back and avoid the crowds. Expect complimentary food and drink, unlimited WiFi and, in many locations, panoramic runway views. Find out more here.

European Lounges

Rest of the World