businesstraveller.com
93MARCH 2019BACKGROUND Attached to
Terminal 4, the new Crowne
Plaza opened in October and
shares a lobby and facilities
with the Holiday Inn Express
T4, its fellow IHG brand.
Together the properties have
700 rooms. Both are owned
by Arora Hotels, a division
of the Arora Group, which
operates several other airport
hotels at Heathrow, Gatwick
and Stansted. It’s important if
arriving by taxi not to confuse
this property with the Crowne
Plaza Heathrow or the Holiday
Inn Express Heathrow, both of
which are a few miles away.WHAT’S IT LIKE? This is
a new-design Crowne Plaza
which, as the website says,
is an “upscale brand for a
business traveller”. Reception
for both hotels is down an
escalator from the connecting
footbridge, in the main atrium,
also home to a giant light
sculpture. I was checked in at
about 5pm – at this time the
hotel seemed quite quiet but
a few hours later it was more
lively, with modern jazz music
providing some atmosphere.WHERE IS IT? The hotel is
connected to T4 by a covered
walkway on the DeparturesCrowne Plaza London
Heathrow T4
BEST FOR
Its convenience for flights from
Terminal 4, and potentially T2 and T3DON’T MISS
A drink at the Destinations bar and
food at the Urban BrasseriePRICE
Internet rates for a flexible midweek
stay in April started from £139 for a
Standard roomCONTACT
Crowne Plaza London Heathrow T4,
Swindon Road; tel +44 (0)20
3971 4411; ihg.comoffers modern British cuisine
(steak, rump of English lamb,
pan-fried sea bass, fish and
chips) and Asian street food
(wok fried ginger chicken
noodles and tom yum soup).
My starter of pickled beetroot,
hummus, marshmallows
and candied pecan nuts was
unusual, ambitious and very
tasty. A good selection of
wines was available. Breakfast
starts at 5am for continental
(£10) or 6am for cooked (£18).
There’s also the Holiday Inn
Express Café on the other side
of the lobby.MEETINGS There are four
meeting rooms, a break-out
area (screened from the main
lobby by bookcases) and a
business centre.LEISURE The 24-hour gym
has a good range of equipment.VERDICT A great new
addition to the hotel options
at Heathrow. The restaurant
is well worth trying and
the rooms are modern and
comfortable, with excellent
soundproofing. Note that the
Holiday Inn Express offers
free breakfast but has slightly
smaller rooms and no gym,
although rates are lower. Both
The hotel is are good hotels. Tom Otley
connected to
Terminal 4
by a covered
walkway on the
Departures levellevel – the same walkway
that is used for the Hilton
and Premier Inn. Head for the
right-hand side of the terminal,
beyond Zone H. It’s a brisk
five-minute walk to the free
Heathrow Express service for
transferring to other terminals.
There is underground parking
for 130 cars.ROOMSThe hotel has 304
rooms, starting with Standard
(27 sqm) and moving up
through King Standard, King
Business, King Club (aboutTRIED AND TESTED AIRPORT HOTEL
30 sqm) and Suite. The Club
rooms and lounge are located
on the sixth floor. The rooms
have similar, but not identical,
designs, with differing colour
schemes for the headboards
and bed throws.
All have free wifi, plenty of
charging/USB points, good-
sized desks, free tea, coffee
and Kit Kats, robes, safes and
fridges. Business and Club
rooms and suites also have
Nespresso machines, slightly
larger TVs (55 inches compared
with 49 inches), and some
have baths as well as showers.
Rooms come with a variety
of views, although none are
particularly exciting; many look
inwards on to the central atrium.FOOD AND DRINK On
the Crowne Plaza side of the
lobby is the Tea 4 salon, which
as well as hot drinks serves
alcohol and freshly made
pastries. There is also a bar
located towards the back of
the atrium called Destinations,
which is cleverly designed to
feel separate from the rest of
the lobby. It serves 29 whiskies
and 16 gins.
The restaurant on the Crowne
Plaza side, the Urban Brasserie,