Holiday Inn Express London Stansted Arpt

Terrible experience I’m afraid. Booked a family room for the night for a flight from Stansted with my wife and our 2 teenagers through Purple Parking. Got to the room and found a small sofa bed and an incredibly thin mattress. Was told by the member of staff that they are made for under 8’s! There was no information to show this when I booked, otherwise I would not have booked. Lady on reception did what she could by giving us another duvet to lie on, but the mattresses are simply too thin for anyone over 8 to sleep on. Came to the decision that we should take the expense and book another room but was then told the hotel is fully booked. Terrible start to our holiday!

The food at this hotel is something we never thought we would experience at HIX and we have stayed at many. Simply excellent in every way. The restaurant deserves an absolute gold star.

I stayed here for one night after a late flight, and for what it's designed to do, this hotel does the job very well. The hotel was clean, efficiently run, and everything was very straightforward from check-in to check-out. The room was spotless, the bed was comfortable, the shower was good, and it had all the facilities you'd expect, including tea and coffee making facilities and an ironing board. The staff were friendly and everything worked as it should. This isn't a luxury hotel, nor is it trying to be. It's clearly designed for travellers making a very short stopover before or after a flight, and for that purpose it's ideal. Breakfast is also available from the unusually early time of 4:00 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. One massive word of warning, however: do not attempt to walk from Stansted Airport to the hotel, especially if you have luggage or are arriving at night. I made this mistake because the airport was incredibly busy, the taxi rank had a long queue, and there was also a large queue for the shuttle bus. I thought walking would be quicker, but I immediately regretted it. After a short walk I soon discovered there is no proper pedestrian footpath, and ended up walking along the hard shoulder of a busy motorway, which is both dangerous, embarrassing and quite intimidating. Obviously that was my own fault and not the hotels, so be warned, take the shuttle bus or taxi at all costs. Like I said, take the shuttle bus, which costs just £4 and accepts contactless card payments, or get a taxi. It is well worth it. Aside from that, I have no complaints about the hotel itself. If you're looking for a clean, comfortable and functional place to stay before or after a flight, it's an excellent choice.