Guess what? I got stranded yet again at Heathrow last week!!! Instead of 5 days, it was just 2 days this time but I desperately needed a place to stay just 2 hours before Heathrow closes and I didn't want to spend any more £ £ £. Originally I was planning to just stay overnight at the airport when I missed my connection flight but it turned out that Heathrow doesn't stay open overnight. They kick everyone out after 10pm unless you have a flight to catch, and it reopens at 6am, FYI. People who travel to London a lot are probably already aware how expensive an average hotel can cost in London. It's easy to spend $200-$300/night for a mediocre 2 star quality hotel but I didn't want to spend any more unplanned expenses especially after I blew my budget big time in Scandinavia prior to coming to London. I thought I could crash at my English friend's flat, but unfortunately she already had too many people in her flat and her roommate didn't want any more guest.
Since Heathrow doesn't offer any free wifi and I couldn't use my business lounge privilege this time because I flew with a different airline company, I purchased Boingo Wifi (£4/month, which is not bad!!) and did a quick search for a dirt cheap hotel near Heathrow with free shuttle from the airport. I thought about staying at the nearby capsule hotel called Yotel but it turns out that it charges £8-12/hr and if I had stayed from 10pm-6am, it would cost me £64-96($100-$150) which I think is so overpriced for a mere capsule hotel!!!
After browsing my iPhone safari desperately, I came across this super cheap hotel "Heathrow Lodge" on booking.com which only charged £25/night for a single private bedroom with a shared bathroom and free airport shuttle. I immediately booked it. Considering how cheap it was, my expectations were quite low and it was pretty much what I expected. Very simple nothing fancy and a bit depressing, it was basically a slightly upgraded version of youth hostel. As soon as I booked the hotel, I called the "hotel" via Skype and requested for the shuttle. The driver came 15 min later and took me and a few other travelers back to the hotel. Considering how taxi and subways are so expensive in London, I thought the free shuttle service alone was worth my extra star. Since the hotel is located only 10 min away from the airport, the noise pollution was horrible until 11pm. Only until I stayed at this humble "hotel", I came to appreciate the British government's strict enforcement of no flight after 11:30pm. Otherwise I'd be up all nigh with that crazy airplane noise blasting every 10 min.
There is nothing around the hotel, and the TV didn't work so I suggest you bring something to read if you plan to spend a night here. And if you want to use wifi, you have to pay £5, which is probably how they try to make some extra money. I know that everybody else only gave 1 star rating but if they only knew the average standard hotel price in London, I think they would be slightly more generous with their reviews. When I got stranded in London during the snowstorm for 5 days, I had to pay whopping $315/night at dilapidated Marriott Marble Arch which wasn't that posh at all. This is why I'm telling you this hotel price is a steal!! That said, I must warn you that this place should be considered as your last resort...... if you get stranded in London ask your friends in London first for free accommodation, and if that doesn't work, this will be your most inexpensive alternative. Think youth hostel, but you get your own room and free shuttle to the airport. If you are like me who don't care where you sleep when you are desperate, this is your best bet. read more