Hotel Review: The Sofitel London Gatwick Airport

The Sofitel London Gatwick is very conveniently located, being pretty much right at the North Terminal at LGW. I booked this hotel the night before while overnighting in Glasgow due to flight disruptions.

I took the National Express bus for the one hour journey from Heathrow to Gatwick and was dropped off a short stroll from my accommodation. Once there I checked in, was advised of the restaurants on site and then headed up to room 682.

Glass Lifts and Nice Corridors

The lifts are glass, which means you can peer down upon the people sitting around in the atrium of the hotel. It’s fun, as I don’t often come across these.

My room was probably around half way between the banks of lifts, so it was a little walk to get there. Not that it was a problem, my luggage had gone missing so I only had a shoulder bag with me at this point.

Sofitel London Gatwick Room

Overlooking the airport, I found the room to be quite comfortable. Happily it had a table with a chair, which meant I could setup my laptop and do some bits and pieces while admiring the view.

When it was time for bed that night, I slept quite restlessly. For me, the bed was too soft, which was exacerbated by the fact I knew I had to be up early for a flight and I never sleep well the day before an early flight. I also didn’t like the sheets and duvet. Oh well!

Bathroom

The bathroom was quite nicely appointed, with a lot of black. Everything was clean and lovely, with great towels. Products were from ESPA and they were grand. I’ve yet to come across a hotel with bad products in the bathroom.

When I showered, there were no issues with hot water availability or anything like that. It was better than my shower at home, which is not saying much, but I enjoyed it.

Food, Glorious Food

Room service menus are available by scanning the QR code on the card that is included when you get your room card. I had a look through it and decided I’d make the effort and head down to the restaurant for a change. When I got there, I found the service to be friendly and the dishes came out at an appropriate pace.

The table beside me had two pilots, presumably, studying some work for a course, it seemed. They said a lot, that’s for sure. Anyway, the food was all really lovely, and I probably could have skipped dessert as it was plenty of food. All in it was around £40 which is fairly expensive, so I’m glad the food was nice.

Linked To The Terminal

Next morning, I woke early, showered, packed and headed off to Gatwick Airport’s North Terminal. There is a walkway from inside the hotel that goes across to the terminal, which is rather handy.

It reminded me of the link between the TWA Hotel in New York and the JetBlue terminal, though this one was rather less amazing. Still, you can’t beat the convenience!

Overall Thoughts

Sofitel London Gatwick is a fine hotel to stay in overnight before a flight from the North Terminal. It has nice views, really good food and everything you will need to be comfortable. While I frankly found the beds in the Holiday Inn Glasgow from the night before better, that was really the only downside of the experience.

Those wanting to save some money should also know there is a Premier Inn right next door to the Sofitel. I often stay in these hotels and have always found them to be comfortable, though rather more utilitarian of course.

Have you stayed at the Sofitel London Gatwick before? What do you think of this hotel and chain? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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