Heathrow to Premier Inn (Bath Road)?

[craig01020]

I will be taking a cruise ship transfer from Portsmouth to Heathrow. From there I want to get to my hotel which is Premier Inn London Heathrow Airport T2 & T3 (Bath Road). I know it's a short distance, but I don't believe it's very walkable.  Should I just get a taxi?

 

Thanks.

[gumshoe958]

You can’t walk it as pedestrians aren’t allowed in the tunnel that leads out of the central terminal area.

 

So your options are taxi, Uber/Bolt, public bus (routes 105 or 111 run frequently from the central bus station to a stop next to the hotel) or the overpriced and infrequent Hotel Hoppa buses from T2 or T3 arrivals direct to the hotel.

 

Technically a taxi can refuse to take you - drivers don’t like short hops as it means they miss out on a potentially lucrative fare into central London. In practice you’d be unlucky if that happened and should be ok.

[craig01020]

43 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

You can’t walk it as pedestrians aren’t allowed in the tunnel that leads out of the central terminal area.

 

So your options are taxi, Uber/Bolt, public bus (routes 105 or 111 run frequently from the central bus station to a stop next to the hotel) or the overpriced and infrequent Hotel Hoppa buses from T2 or T3 arrivals direct to the hotel.

 

Technically a taxi can refuse to take you - drivers don’t like short hops as it means they miss out on a potentially lucrative fare into central London. In practice you’d be unlucky if that happened and should be ok.

Thank you. I'll plan on a taxi or Uber.

[Globaliser]

9 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

Technically a taxi can refuse to take you - drivers don’t like short hops as it means they miss out on a potentially lucrative fare into central London. In practice you’d be unlucky if that happened and should be ok.

 

This hotel is inside the TfL zone, isn't it? AIUI, if it is, then a taxi would have to do the journey whether they like it or not.

 

In any event, from that hotel the taxi should be able to get back to the airport terminal in time to jump the queue in the feeder park, so they would have another chance to pick up a hire all the way into central London.

 

As always, I would pose the question why: Why stay at an airport hotel if you have the option of staying in central London? Occasionally, it makes sense. But even if you have an early flight the next day, there are some hotels in town from which you can get to a Heathrow terminal in about the same sort of length of time as from this hotel.

[craig01020]

24 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

But even if you have an early flight the next day, there are some hotels in town from which you can get to a Heathrow terminal in about the same sort of length of time as from this hotel.

Thank you. Can you tell me a few?

[Globaliser]

The top of the list would be the Hilton Paddington. Basically part of London Paddington station, it has direct access to the station concourse. The Heathrow Express runs every 15 minutes and takes only 15 minutes to get to Heathrow Central station, and advance purchase one-way tickets start from £5.50. This hotel is not quite in central London, but it's close enough that you could have an evening in town, get back to the hotel to sleep, and still easily make it to an early flight the next morning if that's your travel constraint. Some people would say that that has to be better than mouldering in a Premier Inn on the Bath Road for the best part of 24 hours.

[Meander Ingwa]

Absolutely this !  If you are overnighting, be someplace where you can enjoy those hours.  Even an evening boat ride down to Greenwich and back ( uber boat) is a lovely way to close your vacation 

[fabnfortysomething]

we have frequently had taxis refusing to take from airport to a  nearby destination

as you get further down the line they may take you but for a minmum of £30!!

[Globaliser]

Just now, fabnfortysomething said:

we have frequently had taxis refusing to take from airport to a nearby destination

 

But "nearby" isn't the test for whether they're required to take you. They don't have to go outside the TfL zone, so they can refuse those trips. But anything within the TfL zone is a trip that they must accept, if you insist.

[fabnfortysomething]

18 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

But "nearby" isn't the test for whether they're required to take you. They don't have to go outside the TfL zone, so they can refuse those trips. But anything within the TfL zone is a trip that they must accept, if you insist.

now that is interesting-they refused to take us to Staines where my daughter lives 10 minutes away

last month after a delayed flight we had no option but to get a taxi back to Heathrow airport hotel

first 3 in line refused the 4th said would be minimum fare of £39

[Cotswold Eagle]

24 minutes ago, fabnfortysomething said:

now that is interesting-they refused to take us to Staines where my daughter lives 10 minutes away

last month after a delayed flight we had no option but to get a taxi back to Heathrow airport hotel

first 3 in line refused the 4th said would be minimum fare of £39

Some airport hotels are also out of the zone, so they may have been within their rights to refuse or negotiate (offer!) a fare, which is what seems to have happened. 

[Globaliser]

28 minutes ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

53 minutes ago, fabnfortysomething said:

now that is interesting-they refused to take us to Staines where my daughter lives 10 minutes away

last month after a delayed flight we had no option but to get a taxi back to Heathrow airport hotel

first 3 in line refused the 4th said would be minimum fare of £39

Some airport hotels are also out of the zone, so they may have been within their rights to refuse or negotiate (offer!) a fare, which is what seems to have happened. 

 

Staines is outside the TfL zone. So are hotels like the "Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5".

[fabnfortysomething]

6 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

Staines is outside the TfL zone. So are hotels like the "Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5".

thanks

so its always going to be expensive!

[Cotswold Eagle]

7 minutes ago, fabnfortysomething said:

thanks

so its always going to be expensive!

Yes, although a local private hire might not be much cheaper. 

People get a bit confused because its well understood that black cabs on the rank at Heathrow HAVE to accept a fare up to 20 miles or one hour, but that only applies if the destination is in Greater London - and lots of places that are really quite close to Heathrow are not! 

Edited August 31, 2023 by Cotswold Eagle