A holiday should be a time to relax and take that well earned break away from the daily grind of life. But for many, travelling abroad often means having to wake up early or stay up late to catch a flight – not exactly the perfect way to start or end a holiday. A solution to this problem is the airport hotel.

Airport hotels can potentially make a huge difference to your travelling experience and for the ultimate care free start to a holiday you could combine your hotel stay with airport parking.

Many of the UK’s airports offer a hotel service, with hotels ranging from 5* luxury through to budget b&bs. Some offer hotel walkways into the terminal or those situated further away from the airport will provide a shuttle bus transfer to the check in.

An interesting development in airport hotels is the launch of Yotel. Simon Woodroffe, the entrepreneur behind the chain of Japanese restaurants Yo! Sushi had the idea of creating a hotel based on the concept of the Japanese capsule hotel, but something that would appeal to the western market. The inspiration came whilst on a British Airways first class flight where he realised the design of the BA first class sleeper was the ideal design model for a compact hotel room. The designer of the BA sleeper was tracked down and they set to work designing a compact luxury hotel room. The final design of a standard Yotel hotel room provides a large single bed, a bathroom, a 20” flat screen TV with a choice of movies, radio and internet, all squeezed neatly into a 7 metre square space.

Here are some pointers to consider before booking an airport hotel:

Book your hotel as early as possible; doing so could save you up to 60% on standard rates.

Booking early also guarantees you a room. Many hotels will be sold out during peak times and rooms that are available will be charged at full price.

Avoid trawling through individual hotel websites trying to find the best price; there are many price comparison websites available that can do all the searching for you that can help select the right hotel for your needs

Airport hotel rooms are generally sold on a room only basis, so it’s worth eating out to cut down on room service and hotel meals. It’s also a good idea to get people to share rooms if travelling in a large group.

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