Thistle Heathrow T5
Hotels

Thistle Heathrow T5 (and driverless Pods to T5)

Due to an early morning flight from Heathrow T5 me and my sister decided to stay overnight in a local hotel. We choose the Thistle Heathrow T5… the selling point for us was the opportunity to try the Heathrow T5 driverless pods. These take you straight to the terminal from the pod station just outside the hotel! We paid around £35 for the night which reflects how this isn’t the most modern hotel available in the area…

Getting to the Thistle Heathrow T5

Pods

If you are coming from Terminal 5, you simply following the signs for Pod parking on Level 2 of the car park and select Station B. The journey takes 5 minutes. When you exit the station follow the short walkway on your right to a gate. Here you can buzz reception to have the gate opened for you and £5 per person added to your bill.

Bus

The cheaper option (it’s free!) from Terminal 5 follow the signs for buses and hop on the 7 or 423 (Stand 6 from memory) and it’s an approximately a 5 minute journey to the hotel.

Thistle Heathrow T5

The hotel is very dated which you can tell before you even get inside! Most of the interior looks like it hasn’t been updated since the 1980s and provides a strange vintage feel compared to how modern most Heathrow Hotels are! When we arrived to check in around 9.30pm there were around 5 other people checking in. The process was very slow and we were probably waiting around 10 minutes despite there being 4 people on reception.

Here we purchased access to the Heathrow pod to T5 in the morning. It cost £5 per person and we was given a little card with the code to unlock the gate with access to the Pod station.

There’s also a bar area and a grab and go fridge to the right hand side opposite reception. The rooftop restaurant also apparently has great views over the runway though having eaten before arriving we didn’t go up to try anything.

Handily If you need any late night snacks or drinks there is a McDonalds just across the road. Good for cheap food if you don’t fancy paying Airport or hotel prices!

The Room

Thankfully although dated our room didn’t look as dated as some of the rest of the hotel! It was small but perfectly fine for an overnight stay at the airport.

As you walk in you have a wardrobe on your left hand side and the bathroom to your right, next the bathroom door is a long mirror. Inside the wardrobe is your standard iron, ironing board etc. As you can see it’s not the newest nor in the best of condition!

Further into the room you have the two single beds on the right hand side with a small bedside table in-between.

Opposite the bed is the desk with TV, phone, tea/coffee making facilities and a small arm chair.

The bed was comfortable enough and we both managed to get a decent nights sleep without being disturbed by noise from other guests or planes!

The Bathroom

The bathroom was dated and small but workable and had a dual bath tub/shower. The shower water pressure was quite weak and annoyingly it has a fixed shower head. There were Thistle branded toiletries provided.

The Heathrow Pods to T5

As mentioned earlier if you pay £5 per person you will be given a code you can use to access the Heathrow Pods to T5. It’s clearly signposted opposite reception.

Exit the hotel following the signs turn left and follow the pathway (has directions on it also) to the gate. Here enter the code you was given earlier. Once you are through the gate you’ll see the station just off to the left.

Enter the station and touch the screen to order your pod and follow the instructions.

Our journey on the pods to Heathrow T5

Arriving at Heathrow T5 you enter the side of the Terminal 5 car park on Level 2. Exit your Pod and make your way across to the lifts, select Departures and you can come out by the taxi drop-off area. If you turn around you can walk straight into the terminal!

Conclusion

Overall Thistle Heathrow T5 is a decent option for staying at Heathrow. The rooms are dated however I had a comfortable night sleep and enjoyed the novelty of taking the pod to the terminal! The price coinciding with it’s location (5 minutes on the Heathrow T5 pods or bus) means it’s a great budget option when needing to stay overnight at Heathrow! Rooms are available from around £35. Click through here for booking and more information – Thistle Heathrow T5

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