LGW pre flight hotel

i am sure i have seen the answer in a previous thread but right now i cant find it so here goes.

we are traveling LGW-MCO on 15th november and have just decided to travel down the night before so things will be less hassle on the day of the flight

we are traveling by taxi so do not need parking what i need to know is what is the most conveinient hotel for us to stay in
and where is the cheapest place to book it , direct with the hotel or does anyone know a cheaper way.

thanks in advance for any help you can give.[?]

steve

Hi Steve

Most convenient has got to be The Hilton as it's attached to the terminal and just a short walk via a covered walkway to the airport. I booked last time through Holiday Extras (click through on bottom right of page). Just a word of caution though - it was very busy when we flew in March and we ended up with room service as we couldn't get into the restaurant - might be worth booking a table in advance.

[HighFlyer]

Gotta be the LGW Hilton, they have a connecting walkway so you can go straight from the hotel to the airport without having to go outside. That can be very handy for those morning flights when you dont fancy navigating roads and cold winds just to get your flight.

Rates are usual for the area but its so convenient.

Im sure others may recommend hotels they prefer but this one is without a doubt where i stay if i need to be close to Gatwick.

I know you are getting a cab, but they will hold your car for the trip duration too, which saves a fortune on BCP!

thanks
just out of interest can you remember how much a room was

steve

[HighFlyer]

Take a look at the link: http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/inde ... cn=GATHITW

Rates for Nov on thei site are from £110 for advance bookings with a basic room. Im sure you can get it cheaper through Expedia or similar.

hi again

thanks for the help

i checked the rate from holiday extras and it was £105.75
at the hilton they offered me the £110 rate +vat
i asked if they had a cheaper one and they offered me £90 +vat if i paid now and no cancelation
as we are flying the next day we are unlikly to cancel so accepted that rate which works out at exactly the same as holiday extras at £105.75
so many thanks

next question how does twilight check in work ?
is there a web page that gives details
and is it worth it as we are gonig UC would it be just as easy to do it in the morning
looks like we will be eating breakfast in the club house what time does it open --lol ill be waiting at the door

Steve,
Going UC I would not bother (and don't) with the Twilight Check in when flying UC.
On the MCO route, its not going to be full of UC queuing up
Also, with the kids, you might have a "accident" before getting to check in and if you have already checked your main suitcases, you either have to have a large emergency bag or still check one suitcase in.

Steve, sorry, forgot to say, won't you be checking in at Special Assistance desk at the end of the row anyway?

Hi, I have done this before. Went UC to St Lucia this year and stayed down at the Hilton the night before. I would make sure you are in an "Executive Room" (This is on http://www.holidayextras.co.uk) which is slightly more but you will then be in the new Wing at the Hilton with much nicer rooms.

Also I would not bother going to Twilight check in UC is so quick to check in anyway.

Enjoy

Jason Coles

From Virgins iFLY web site:

When youÕre jetting off on business or on holiday it often seems a good idea to get away first thing in the morning. But then you realise that means youÕre going to have to get up at some unearthly hour to check in.

It neednÕt be that way though, because if youÕre travelling from Gatwick, you can use our Twilight Check In service. All you need to do is turn up at the Virgin Atlantic desks in Zone A of GatwickÕs South Terminal between 15.00 and 21.00 on the day before your flight, carrying your tickets and passports. Everyone whoÕs travelling will need to check in in person.

You can get rid of your baggage and collect your boarding pass well ahead of your departure, so all that remains for you to do the next morning is turn up at your assigned departure gate at least 50 minutes before departure.

This service is particularly helpful if you live in the Gatwick area or are staying at a nearby hotel the night before your flight. And even if you realise at the last minute that you need to check in more baggage, itÕs no problem - you just head to the check in desk as normal on the day of your flight.

Twilight Check In is available on all Virgin Atlantic Gatwick services.

For further details call your flying club helpline:
Red 08701 616059 Silver 0845 074 5678 Gold 0800 072 1234.

hi thanks all
alan as we have very similar situations with very young kids i will take your advise
and miss out twilight check in
the only query i have with this is that we do have quite a lot of baggage as we have
some medical equipment for heather would that change things ?

what time does the UC check in open we are on vs027 which leaves at 11.15 and we want to
have good time to enjoy the club house , mandy always moans i arrive every where too early
but i just hate being late.
personally i would favour getting to check in at about 7.30 --8.00 am

as you said alan we will be needing special assistance is this a different desk from UC check in
and could this make a difference , by which i mean could the queue be longer there ?

sorry for all the questions


steve

Steve,
as far as I have been told by other people who have used LGW Vs and needed Special assistance, there is a seperate check in anyway at the end of the check in desks.
It might be worth a call to FC Special assistance to confirm this as this will be the best place to get your special equipment booked in, or you might check in at UC desk and still have to go to SA wwasting valuable clubhouse time [8D]

The Clubhouse opens at 7am, so Mr Bond, your mission is to be at the door of the clubhouse at 06:59:59 :D:D

Hi,
and I think check in opens around 630am.

Do you have a Hilton card? You will earn points and VS miles for the stay ( 1000!!! )

Regards

TBS

tbs how do i get vs miles from the stay
i think idid register for hilton honours once but have never used it
and to be honest i dont know where it is

steve

I believe that it's possible to check-in additional bags on the morning of you flight. So you could hand over most of your luggage the night before but keep a bag or two for medical equipment, children's emergencies etc.

Hi candyman,

If you want to join HHonors ( its the American spelling without the U)[:p] see;

http://www.hiltonhhonors.com/#loop

Or there should be forms at check in ( ask the agent).

For VS miles simply show your VS card at check in and the number should appear on your check out bill the next morning.

Within 2-3 weeks the 1k miles should appear on your VS statement ( if it does not appear after 1 month or so send in your Hilton bill to VS FC)

Regards

TBS

thanks

nice easy way to get a few extra miles

steve