Best Hotels Near Gatwick Airport: 12 Picks With Parking, Shuttles and Walk Times

Gatwick has two terminals, seven hotels on the airport campus and plenty more a short bus ride away. That sounds like good news until you book a hotel beside the wrong terminal and face a long walk or a taxi at 4am. The right choice depends on your terminal, your flight time and whether you are leaving a car behind.

This guide covers the best hotels near Gatwick Airport, with 12 options for different needs. It explains how each hotel connects to the terminals, what parking costs where the hotels publish it, and which ones suit early flights, families and tight budgets.

We checked Gatwick Airport’s hotel information and the hotels’ own pages in November 2026. Room rates change daily, so we do not quote them. Shuttle times and parking fees change too, so confirm both before you pay.

Best Hotels Near Gatwick Airport: Quick Picks

Not sure where to start? Use these short answers.

• Closest to security: BLOC at the South Terminal. Gatwick says its reception sits directly opposite the entrance to South Terminal security.
• Shortest walk at North: Hampton by Hilton, with a covered walkway of about two minutes.
• Full service close to the gates: Sofitel at North, or the Hilton at South.
• Budget room you can walk to: Premier Inn North Terminal, directly opposite the North Terminal entrance.
• A few hours between flights: YOTEL at South, with a four hour minimum booking.
• A shower after an early landing: Sofitel, where Gatwick’s Arrive and Refresh service gives you a private room for up to four hours.

The 12 Hotels at a Glance

The first table covers the seven hotels Gatwick lists on its campus. The second covers five more nearby hotels that need a bus, a taxi or a longer walk.

On the airport campus

Near the airport

Hotels on the Airport Campus

Gatwick lists seven hotels on its campus. Three serve the North Terminal and four serve the South Terminal. Gatwick describes the rooms at these hotels as soundproofed, which matters if you sleep before a dawn flight.

North Terminal hotels

1. Sofitel London Gatwick

The Sofitel is the full service hotel at the North Terminal. An indoor walkway leads from the terminal to reception, so you can arrive with your bags and never go outside. Booking sites put the walk at three to five minutes.

It also offers something no other Gatwick hotel does. Gatwick sells an Arrive and Refresh service through the Sofitel, for North Terminal arrivals. It gives you a private room with a shower and fresh towels, breakfast, Wi-Fi and use of the hotel’s facilities, including the gym. You can stay up to four hours and must check out by 14:00. Gatwick lists it from £109 per stay, and bookings are open from 7am to 10am.

Best for: business travellers, early arrivals, and anyone who wants a comfortable room next to the gates.

2. Hampton by Hilton London Gatwick Airport

The Hampton by Hilton has the shortest walk at the North Terminal. A covered walkway takes about two minutes, according to Holiday Extras. Gatwick says the free shuttle to the South Terminal takes about five minutes from here, so a South Terminal flight is still within reach.

Booking partners sell hotel and parking packages.

Best for: couples, families and morning flights.

3. Premier Inn London Gatwick Airport (North Terminal)

This Premier Inn sits directly opposite the main entrance to the North Terminal. The hotel describes the walk as about five minutes. It has a restaurant called Thyme Bar and Grill, free Wi-Fi, air conditioning in every room and accessible rooms. It also offers a free airport shuttle around the clock, which it says can reach the South Terminal too.

The hotel has no car park of its own. Guests can use Gatwick’s discounted Short Stay car park 5 or 6, opposite the hotel, at £25 for 24 hours. Validate your ticket at reception, and keep the 1.9 metre height limit in mind.

There is one more useful detail. The terminal drop-off zones charge at least £10, and Premier Inn says its guests are exempt if they give their car registration at check-in. Our guide to the Gatwick drop-off charge explains the rules.

Best for: budget-minded travellers who want to walk to the terminal.

South Terminal hotels

4. BLOC Hotel Gatwick

BLOC sits inside the South Terminal. Gatwick says reception faces the entrance to security, and that the hotel offers short walks to both terminals. The rooms are compact and designed for short stays, so do not expect much space.

For a 5am flight, though, few hotels are closer. You wake up, walk a few steps and queue for security. Park and stay packages are available through the airport.

Best for: solo travellers, couples and anyone catching a dawn flight.

5. Hilton London Gatwick Airport

The Hilton links to the South Terminal by an indoor walkway. Holiday Extras gives the walk as a few minutes, with an unhurried stroll of about five minutes. It is the biggest hotel on this list, with more than 800 rooms, and it has restaurants, a bar and a gym.

The hotel has no car park of its own, so drivers need a park and stay package.

Best for: families and business guests.

6. Courtyard by Marriott London Gatwick Airport

Gatwick calls the Courtyard a short walk from the South Terminal. Other sources put it at 10 to 15 minutes on foot. The path is signposted, but it has no weather cover. The hotel offers a shuttle, though it charges for it. The Courtyard is also a stop on the Gatwick Hoppa bus, which Holiday Extras puts at about three minutes from the South Terminal.

In the rain, with two large cases, the bus or the shuttle makes more sense.

Best for: travellers who prefer a chain hotel and do not mind a short transfer.

7. YOTEL London Gatwick

YOTEL sits inside the South Terminal. Some booking sites list it as YOTELAIR. Its rooms are small cabins, not full hotel rooms, and Gatwick says it takes minimum bookings of four hours. Gatwick describes it as aimed at passengers in transit.

That makes it a rest stop, not a place for a full night’s sleep. It works well for a long gap between flights.

Best for: layovers and very early starts.

Hotels Near Gatwick Airport With Shuttle Service

The next five hotels sit off the airport campus. Some are a short walk away. Others need a bus or a taxi. Shuttle times change often, so confirm the current service with each hotel.

8. Premier Inn London Gatwick Airport (A23 Airport Way)

This Premier Inn has 220 rooms and sits less than a 10 minute walk from the North Terminal, according to the hotel. London Toolkit warns that the path is narrower than other routes, is not signed and crosses a busy road without a pedestrian crossing. Most guests will prefer the Gatwick Hoppa, which stops here.

Parking is the big advantage. The hotel has 98 on-site spaces, charged at £27 per night or £12.50 for 12 hours. The hotel’s own page gives conflicting information about its shuttle, so ask the team what is available before you travel.

Best for: drivers who want a Premier Inn and an on-site car park.

9. Holiday Inn London Gatwick Airport

The Holiday Inn is off the airport campus, so you need a bus or a car to reach the terminals. It stops on the Gatwick Hoppa route, which serves both terminals. Children under five travel free on that bus, and adults pay.

The hotel has family rooms and parking packages. Ask the hotel for the current parking price.

Best for: families who arrive by car and want more space.

10. Travelodge London Gatwick Airport Central

Travelodge describes this hotel as about a mile from the airport, on Povey Cross Road. Gatwick Hoppa buses link it to both terminals. The hotel lists fares of £5.25 for an adult, £3 for a child and £13 for a family of two adults and two children. South Terminal buses leave from stop 9, and North Terminal buses leave from stop 11.

Parking costs £11 per 24 hours from October to March, and £15 per 24 hours from April to September. You pay by card, spaces go first come first served, and you can pay for a maximum of five nights. The hotel does not allow long-term park and fly. Staff are on site around the clock, which helps if you arrive very late.

Best for: budget travellers who do not mind a bus ride.

11. ibis Styles London Gatwick Airport

The ibis Styles is another off-campus budget option. Gatwick lists United shuttle buses as serving the ibis, and the hotel offers parking. Timetables and fares for the shuttle vary between sources, so check the current price and the first and last times with the hotel.

Best for: travellers who want a simple room and an early bus.

12. Crowne Plaza London Gatwick Airport

The Crowne Plaza is a larger hotel a short drive from the terminals. Gatwick lists United shuttle buses as serving it, and park and stay packages are sold through partners such as Purple Parking. Listings disagree on whether the hotel has a shuttle of its own, so confirm this before you book.

Register your car on arrival if the hotel asks, because many hotel car parks use camera enforcement.

Best for: drivers who want a bigger hotel and a parking package.

Other hotels worth knowing

A few more hotels near Gatwick Airport serve travellers who want something different. The Radisson RED has its own shuttle, which Holiday Extras says leaves every 45 minutes from 4am to midnight and charges per person. The Cambridge Hotel Gatwick has a 24-hour shuttle every 30 minutes to both terminals, also charged per person.

Holiday Extras also lists park and shuttle packages at the Holiday Inn Gatwick Worth, Stanhill Court, the Europa Hotel and the Sandman Signature. The shuttle leaves from the package car park, not the hotel.

Hotels Near Gatwick Airport North and South Terminals

Gatwick’s two terminals are separate buildings, so a hotel at one is not automatically a hotel at the other. Check your airline’s terminal before you book, because airlines can move between them.

A free shuttle links the terminals in about two minutes, every few minutes, 24 hours a day, according to Gatwick. Allow more time than the ride itself, because you must walk to and from the platforms. Gatwick Airport railway station connects to the South Terminal, so South hotels suit guests arriving by train.

Our guides to the Gatwick North Terminal, the Gatwick South Terminal and the Gatwick terminal layout explain how each building works.

Gatwick Airport Hotels With Parking

Parking can make or break a hotel choice for drivers. Hotels near Gatwick Airport handle it in four ways.

Park and stay packages. You buy a room and a car space together. Gatwick says some hotels offer official parking packages but does not say which. Ask before you book.

Parking at the hotel. You pay the hotel directly, usually per night. Read the maximum stay, because many hotels cap it.

Airport car parks at a guest rate. The Premier Inn North Terminal uses this model.

Park and shuttle packages. Your car stays in a package car park, and a shuttle takes you to the terminal. Holiday Extras says buses leave about every 15 minutes, around the clock, and take 10 to 15 minutes.

Here is what the hotels list, where they publish a price.

These listings change, so check the current fee when you book. If you plan to leave a car for a week or more, compare the total cost with a chauffeur. Our guide to Gatwick parking versus a chauffeur shows how to work it out.

How the Hotel Shuttles Work

Shuttles near Gatwick come in three types.

The Gatwick Hoppa. It operates around the clock between the North and South Terminals and the Holiday Inn, Travelodge Central, Courtyard and Premier Inn A23. Gatwick says anyone can use it, not only hotel guests. You buy tickets at the listed hotels or from the driver. The North Terminal stop is bus stop 11 on Furlong Way, and the South Terminal stop is bus stop 9 on the lower forecourt. Gatwick puts each at about a five-minute walk from arrivals.

United shuttles. They also operate around the clock from the same stops. Gatwick lists them as serving Premier Inn, ibis, Radisson RED and Crowne Plaza.

Hotel shuttles. The Premier Inn North Terminal offers a free shuttle, while the Cambridge Hotel and the Radisson RED charge. Always ask whether a shuttle is free, how often it leaves and when it stops.

Cheap Hotels Near Gatwick Airport

The cheapest room is not always the cheapest stay. A budget hotel can lose its saving once you add parking, a bus fare and a late taxi.

Three budget brands appear in this guide: Premier Inn, Travelodge and ibis Styles. The Premier Inn North Terminal saves on transport, because you walk. Travelodge and ibis Styles may show lower room rates, but you may pay for a bus or parking on top.

Use this checklist to compare the real cost.

• Add the room rate, parking and bus fares for everyone in your group.
• Compare the bus with a taxi. Travelodge lists a standard four-seat taxi from its Central hotel at £20.50, including the £10 airport charge. A family of two adults and two children pays £13 on the Hoppa.
• Choose a refundable rate if your flight time could change.
• Book early for busy dates, because terminal hotels tend to fill first.

How to Choose for Your Trip

Match the hotel to the journey.

For an early flight, pick a hotel you can reach on foot, such as BLOC, Hampton by Hilton or the Premier Inn North Terminal. You avoid relying on a shuttle at 3am. Our guide on how early to arrive at Gatwick helps you set the alarm.

For a late arrival, choose a hotel with round-the-clock reception, such as Travelodge Central, and confirm that your bus operates overnight.

For families, space and parking matter most. The Holiday Inn and the Hilton are worth a look.

For a short layover, YOTEL or the Sofitel’s Arrive and Refresh service give you a bed or a shower without paying for a night.

Mistakes to Avoid

Booking the wrong terminal. A hotel beside the North Terminal is not beside the South Terminal.

Walking with luggage in bad weather. Some routes have no cover. With heavy bags, pick an indoor link.

Forgetting the drop-off charge. If a friend drops you at a terminal, the zone charges at least £10. Ask your hotel whether guests are exempt.

Missing rail news. If you plan to travel by train before Christmas, read our guide to Christmas airport rail disruption.

Getting to Your Gatwick Hotel From Birmingham

Many Midlands travellers stay near Gatwick the night before an early flight. Our guide on how early to leave Birmingham for Gatwick explains the timings.

A chauffeur helps with the long leg from the Midlands. National Executive Transfers collects passengers from homes, hotels and offices across Birmingham and the Midlands. We agree a fixed price before you travel, so you know the cost in advance. You choose a Mercedes E-Class, V-Class or S-Class, depending on your group and your bags.

We can take you to your Gatwick hotel the evening before, or to the terminal on the day, and plan the return around your landing time. If you would rather sleep at home, our guide to very early morning flights explains why booking the night before helps.

See our Birmingham to Gatwick transfer for the route. To plan your trip, request a quote through our Gatwick Airport chauffeur service with your pickup address, hotel name and passenger numbers.

Conclusion

The best hotels near Gatwick Airport are the ones that fit your terminal, your flight time and your car. Walk if your flight leaves early, and choose BLOC, Hampton by Hilton or the Premier Inn North Terminal for that. If you are driving, compare a park and stay package with hotel parking, and read the maximum stay before you pay. If money is tight, add up the bus fares, parking and taxis, because the cheapest room is not always the cheapest stay.

Before you book, check your airline’s terminal, the hotel’s current parking fee and the first and last shuttle times. If you travel from the Midlands and want one fixed price for the long drive, send us your details for a quote.

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