On my trip to Europe last month I found myself twice at more pricey on-site airport hotels than properties with a similar star level a few miles away. Why? I’ll explain.
Airport hotels always tend to be more expensive than off-site properties. Naturally, convenience is worth something but at first glance the price difference often appear stark.
For example, my family spent a night in Munich before a midday flight to Mykonos. MUC has a very nice Hilton property on the airport grounds, just a two minute walk from the terminal. But it was 200EUR/night. Not astronomical, but believe me–I’m not so financially wealthy that I no longer notice the difference between 100EUR and 200EUR.
With a baby, though, the thought of a shuttle trip back and forth seemed tedious. Plus, I had status at Hilton which meant a room upgrade and complimentary breakfast. Still, I took a look at Priceline and found the following deal–
A four star hotel for $83. That was about $130 less than the Hilton. At least that is how it appeared.
Hidden Fees Add Up
I went all the way to check-out and notice that with taxes/fees the room jumped to $97. Not bad, as that was still half the price of the Hilton.
But before purchasing the room, I became a bit more curious about what I might be getting. Knowing that it would be a four start hotel in the airport area, I found that there were only two possibilities: the NH or Movenpick.
Clearly my hotel would be the NH based upon the crossed out original price on the Express Deals page.
Both properties looked good, but I noticed fine print about a fee for the airport shuttle on the Movenpick webpage. Turns out the shuttle costs 9EUR per person/ride. That works out to an additional 36EUR (54EUR if they charged separately for the baby) tacked on to the room fee. Plus the time spent going back and forth.
How about the NH? Their shuttle is 5EUR per person. That means another 20-30EUR.
Now the delta between the Hilton and NH/Movenpick properties had dropped even further. Factoring in the free breakfast and convenience, I made the choice to spend the extra ~50-60EUR and stay at the airport.
I did almost the same thing the following week in Greece, opting to stay at the Sofitel Athens during my quick overnight there.
CONCLUSION
Sometimes it simply makes sense to spend the extra money to stay in a more convenient place. I’m working on a story on world’s best airport hotels and the more I think about it, the more I think it makes sense even for budget-conscious families.
As it turns out, I received a free suite upgrade at the Hilton…we made the right choice.
If Hotwire implies that there is a free airport shuttle (which listing it as an amenity does, otherwise you could just Uber) and there is not, you can usually get the shuttle fee refunded directly from them. I’ve had this issue when they list free parking as an amenity and there is a charge at the property. They issue a refund of the fee with very minimal effort.
NH = Novohell
Valid points. @Mike L: In Europe using Uber is not an option (or not a good one) in every city, but of course taxis exist everywhere. Still I would prefer using the closest hotel to the airport and if an option no need to use shuttles or taxis as they usually don’t have all sizes of safety seats for kids/babies.
Convenience + Comfort=Happy Family
Unless I have a very early flight or I arrive very late I avoid airport hotels. They are too overpriced for what they offer and usually means you have no option but eat at their restaurant. I rather go to the city, stay in a nice hotel, have a great meal at a decent local restaurant and in the morning get back to the airport.
There is another factor to consider that increases the spread – meal costs. At an airport hotel, you’re likely relegated to the overpriced hotel restaurant or room service. That’s even more of an issue if you don’t have top status and have to pay for breakfast. Then again, now that we’re traveling as a family, I might be willing to eat the difference just for the convenience, anyway.
Normally correct. Interestingly, in the case of the Hilton Munich Airport we opted to eat at the hotel despite a whole host of restaurants nearby. It actually saved us money and was delicious!
I agree. I’m VERY budget conscious, but sometimes it’s worth it to pay a premium for a hotel connected to the airport especially with late arrivals, early departures, and family. We recently did that at the Park Hotel Oslo. It ended up costing slightly more than one of the nearby Comfort Hotels when you factored in the round trip cost of the shuttle for 2 people. Moreover, we arrived late at night, and left early the next morning.
Oh boy, can I relate! Having a child changes one’s presception of cost/value.
I grew up under a very frugal (German) father. Budget/cheap doesn’t even begin to describe how far Dad stretched a travel dollar. I remember we slept at an employee’s house when my dad deemed the guest house prices to be too high. She was the maid and I sadly can’t remember how those negotiations went.
Another trip, he refused to spend $ on airport food so we took a taxi into Frankfurt for breakfast. The rental car needed to be returned at some crazy early hour and our flight wasn’t until late morning. Talk about stepping over a dollar to save a dime!
Now, I will spend money on things that make travel more pleasurable and less stressful.
Fast forward 30 years and I will spend money on easing travel that would make my father spin in his grave.