Hoppa bus from Terminal 3 LHR to Renaissance Hotel

[Pearl64]

I have searched to find the answer but my brain must be out for lunch today. We will be arriving on Virgin Atlantic from Atlanta about 8 am on Thursday August 17. I know we will need to go through immigration/passport control and collect luggage. I realize we probably will not get our room until much later. As long as there is a place to sit, we will deal with it. I have read that a taxi to the Renaissance will be super expensive and that we should take the Hoppa Bus. That's fine but how do we do that? This is what I found on the Heathrow website. Please correct me if I have something wrong. From the Arrivals exit baggage reclaim and go outside Terminal 3 Departures Level 0. The bus stops at 12 and 13.  Which one? The bus we need is H2C. We can purchase the ticket from the bus driver for 6 GBP each. Do we need exact change? Do they accept credit cards? How many stops to the Hotel and are the stops clearly marked? We only need to purchase one way. Do we need to tip the bus driver? Are these long walks? We are in our 70s and this will be after an all night flight. It is what it is but knowing what to expect is helpful.

 

Thank you for any help and suggestions.

[Zach1213]

First off, I am jealous because, as a plane geek, I can assure you that the runway view rooms there are some of the best rooms in the world 🙂

 

Like you said, you do need bus H2C, with info at https://www.hotelhoppa.co.uk/services/h2c/. You'll pick it up at T3, where Virgin's flights arrive/depart. You can buy tickets online (at that website above), via the app, or even on-board, but I would recommend online or the app...you can do it ahead of time using credit cards. 

 

Bus stops 12 and 13 are right next to each other, it will be obvious which one the bus is at (bus should say H2C on the front). Stops will be announced, so it should be easy to know when you're at the Renaissance even if you don't see the sign for the hotel. Looks like, according to the timetable above, Renaissance will be your fifth stop and will take about 20 minutes...but again, there should be announcements. You don't need to tip anyone. Walking from LHR T3 to Renaissance isn't an option. 

Edited June 21, 2023 by Zach1213

[Pearl64]

Thank your, Zach. We will get our tickets ahead of time. I will have to look into a runway room but we will probably sleep most of the time until we catch our transfer to Southampton. I'm glad my research skills were on the right track. Thanks again. I always appreciate your knowledgeable answers and kindness to those of us without extensive airline knowledge.

[klfrodo]

Just wanted to say Thanks to both of you for this information.

I was planning to stay at the Marriott post cruise but was having difficulty figuring out where my stop would be from T5 to the Marriott. I just ended up changing the hotel to the Courtyard since this made the Hoppa schedule look easier to understand.

[Zach1213]

13 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

Just wanted to say Thanks to both of you for this information.

I was planning to stay at the Marriott post cruise but was having difficulty figuring out where my stop would be from T5 to the Marriott. I just ended up changing the hotel to the Courtyard since this made the Hoppa schedule look easier to understand.

I don't think Hoppa serves the Marriott itself but you can hop the H5C (same one that will get you to the Courtyard) and get off the stop ahead at Radisson Blu...Marriott is right next door. 

[Dancer Bob]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the stop at T3 isn't all that easy to find, you have to go around the end of the building?

[Globaliser]

1 hour ago, Dancer Bob said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the stop at T3 isn't all that easy to find, you have to go around the end of the building?

 

I've not been to this end of the building myself for a while, but isn't it here at the north-eastern end of the arrivals building? That would involve simply walking straight on after you exit from Customs, and continuing past the car rental desks.

[klfrodo]

12 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

I've not been to this end of the building myself for a while, but isn't it here at the north-eastern end of the arrivals building? That would involve simply walking straight on after you exit from Customs, and continuing past the car rental desks.

Thanks for that link. It helps to be able to visualize in my mind exactly what's going to happen and know the general direction I need to go to get to my stops.

[Pearl64]

Question for Zach.

 

You recommend getting our tickets ahead of time. A couple of questions. Do both my husband and I need a separate account or can we just have one? If we both need accounts, can we use the same email address? Second, is there a way around having it on my phone? I am trying to avoid ATT's $10 a day fee to use my phone. We try not to use the phone unless connected to WIFI while we are away. Is there a problem just getting the ticket from the driver? We will have GBPs so would not need to use a CC.

 

Thank you for your help.

[Zach1213]

25 minutes ago, Pearl64 said:

Question for Zach.

 

You recommend getting our tickets ahead of time. A couple of questions. Do both my husband and I need a separate account or can we just have one? If we both need accounts, can we use the same email address? Second, is there a way around having it on my phone? I am trying to avoid ATT's $10 a day fee to use my phone. We try not to use the phone unless connected to WIFI while we are away. Is there a problem just getting the ticket from the driver? We will have GBPs so would not need to use a CC.

 

Thank you for your help.

 

You can just buy two tickets in one transaction on their website, no need to have separate transactions. But I do believe you need to have the ability to activate your ticket just before boarding the bus, which would require an Internet connection. So in that case, it might just be best to buy it onboard. 

[Pearl64]

Thank you for your prompt response. I will need to weigh whether or not spending the $10 is worth it since we would have wifi at the hotel. 

[LHT28]

Personally I would just pay the driver  when I find the right bus

or take  a taxi

After a long flight  the last thing you want is the hassle of  making sure you can access the prepaid ticket info

JMO

[Pearl64]

Thank you to Zach. We were upgraded to a runway view room at the Renaissance. Very nice. We opted to buy the HOPPA tickets onboard. Unfortunately we did not have the correct change and neither did the drier. We didn’t lose too much though. It was a little confusing where to stand for the bus. Fortunately there were other passengers that helped us figure it out.