Important Traits for Airport Hotels

Many factors have to be considered when first planning and later running an airport hotel, and parking is one of the most important. Airports are typically located on the outskirts of major cities, and as such, it is likely that many travellers will not only require an overnight stay at a hotel, but make their way to the premises by car. As such, high-quality accommodation and plentiful parking spaces tend to be among the top priorities for travellers staying at or near an airport.

However, being situated in a convenient location near an airport and offering plenty of parking is, by itself, not enough to ensure a guest’s stay at an airport hotel is of a satisfactory standard. There are a series of other aspects, traits and qualities patrons should expect and demand of this type of premise.

Noise

Noise, or lack thereof, is perhaps the most important thing to be mindful of when running an airport hotel. Guests staying in this type of facility are usually scheduled for early-morning flights, or staying at the airport for a stop-over, and are likely to appreciate the opportunity to catch up on some rest undisturbed. As such, any source of noise is likely to cause discomfort and aggravation to them, no matter how insignificant it may seem to other guests or hotel staff.

The ideal airport hotel is one where the noise levels are kept as close to a minimum as possible throughout. Room windows and walls should be adequately sound-proofed, the rooms should not contain any potentially noisome equipment (such as air-conditioning units) and staff should ideally enforce strict noise volume rules in the communal areas. A hotel where even one of these aspects fails to be seen to is probably best passed over when looking for a place near an airport to spend the night.

The other basic aspect any airport hotel should provide is quality of sleep. Travellers staying at airport hotels tend to be weary, either from a long car trip or an even longer flight, and will therefore be looking forward to a good night’s sleep. It is the hotel’s job to ensure conditions are optimal for this effect to be achieved, and that guests are provided with everything they need for a comfortable night of relaxation.

Of course, sleeping conditions do vary from person to person, and ‘quality of sleep’ therefore tends to be a partly subjective concept. Even still, there are certain criteria airport hotels should meet when providing for their customers, such as comfortable mattresses, clean bedding or multiple pillows. When combined with the aforementioned efforts to keep noise levels to a minimum, these factors tend to be enough to provide a comfortable night’s sleep; hotels where feedback suggests these conditions are not met should therefore not be considered when staying overnight at an airport.

Shuttle Service

Finally, a good airport hotel should provide some form of connection with the airport itself, so as to allow their guests to connect to their flights with minimal hassle. Usually, this will be done through either a free or discounted shuttle service, sometimes provided by a company partnered with the hotel itself.

Barring that, the hotel should at least be situated close to a taxi rank, so that guests can benefit from immediate access to a transfer service and thus minimise waiting times when attempting to connect to the airport. Air travel is an exceedingly time-sensitive operation, and every minute counts when attempting to catch a flight, so it is important that airport hotels have some form of arrangement to ensure minimum hassle when undertaking the transfer. Guests planning to stay overnight at an airport hotel are encouraged to call ahead and make sure there easy access to the terminal is provided, to avoid disappointment or hassle when transferring to the airport.

There are many factors to consider when running an airport hotel. and parking is just one of them. Accessibility and location on their own are not enough to make a hotel a suitable base for an overnight traveller. Hotels and parking are the two most important aspects of any guest’s airport experience, and it is paramount that both airport and hotel upper brass strive to ensure sufficient standards are met on both counts!