subject: Airport Hotels Gatwick Things: You Need To Know [print this page] Gatwick airport is the busiest single runway airport in the world and Britain's second busiest airport after Heathrow. It is situated near to Crawley in West Sussex, fifty Kilometres south of London, and can be reached via the M23 motorway or via rail from London Victoria on the non - stop Gatwick Express.
There are also direct links to numerous other stations in the South East and around the country. Gatwick caters for 34 million passengers a year flying to over 200 destinations making it Europe's best connected airport.
The airport itself consists of a north and south terminal connected by a new 47 million pound inter terminal shuttle service for fast and easy transfers. Gatwick has all the facilities you would expect from a busy modern airport. There are numerous shops, bars and places to eat, along with the usual currency exchange and car hire facilities.
Because the airport is such a major hub for different destinations there is a great demand for airport hotels. Gatwick has these in abundance within easy reach of the Airport. Due to the fast train service from London Victoria staying in London can be a viable option, but there are also many hotels and guest houses nearby to suit all budgets and tastes. This is important because of delays or long waits for connecting flights and for very early flights, or for people travelling long distances to the airport. In these circumstances an overnight stay is often a sensible option.
The airport is a major hub for the popular UK budget airline easyJet who cater for 37% of all the airports traffic, and are Gatwick's major carrier. Second are British Airways with 17% of the total traffic. In general easyJet is catering more for the budget holiday maker whilst British Airways is more likely to cater for the business or long haul passenger. Clearly these different types of customer will have different budgets and requirements in terms of overnight accommodation. For this reason a wide range of different types and price range accommodation has developed to cope with these diverse budgetary demands.
Fortunately the development of online booking and internet comparison sites has made choosing airport hotels Gatwick or indeed any other destination a simpler task. Many sites have customer reviews from real people who have stayed in the hotel which are an ideal way to get a feel for the overall experience you can expect from a stay at a particular hotel. Companies such as easyJet often give you the option of booking a hotel near to the airport as part of the booking process and can secure you one at a discounted rate.
Obviously facilities will vary depending on type and price but at the very least these days you should expect a decent selection of TV stations, on suite bathroom, a comfortable bed, high standard of cleanliness throughout, free Wi-Fi internet connection, a reception manned 24 hours, somewhere to store your luggage and a free or cheap transfer service to get you and your luggage from the hotel to the airport, even if it is only an arrangement with a local taxi service.
