On this page (5 sections)
Where it is, and reaching the terminals
The Sheraton Skyline stands on the Bath Road at UB3 5BP, on the A4 strip of larger hotels immediately north of the airport, minutes from the central terminals by road. Like the rest of the Bath Road it is not a walkway hotel, so you ride to check-in rather than walk. The Hotel Hoppa shuttle runs from the hotel to the terminals at £7.00 single and £13.00 return per adult, and the local Transport for London buses 105 and 111 cover the same road into the central bus station for £1.75 a journey, cheaper if you can carry your bags to the stop.
Being on the Bath Road puts it closest to Terminals 2 and 3, the central pair, so it suits a Star Alliance departure from Terminal 2 or a Virgin, American or Emirates flight from Terminal 3. Terminals 4 and 5 are reachable on the other Hoppa route or by taxi. Confirm which terminal your airline uses before booking, since the Hoppa ride is a few minutes longer to the outer terminals.
The Sky Garden, pool and Sky Bar
What sets the Sheraton apart from every other hotel on the Bath Road is the Sky Garden, the tropical atrium at the centre of the building. Palm trees and greenery sit under a glass roof, part indoor garden and part social space, and it has been the hotel's signature since it opened in 1971. Alongside it are a free indoor swimming pool and the island Sky Bar, a cocktail bar set by the water, so the hotel offers an actual evening rather than a corridor and a room.
The practical version: a free indoor pool, a 24-hour gym and table tennis mean a family or anyone with hours to fill before a flight has somewhere to spend them, which the plainer airport hotels do not offer. It is the closest the Bath Road comes to a resort feel, and while it is still an airport hotel next to a runway, the atrium is a genuine reason to choose it over a functional bed nearby. For an evening before a flight, or an early arrival with an afternoon to kill, it earns its rate on the facilities alone.
Rooms and the restaurants
The Sheraton runs 352 rooms, and they are among the largest at any Heathrow hotel, soundproofed against the aprons, air-conditioned, and dressed as a proper four-star rather than a budget box. Grades climb from the standard rooms through club-level rooms and suites, with a Club Lounge for the higher grades offering drinks and light food through the day. The space is the point: for a family or anyone who wants room to spread out the night before a long flight, the extra square footage is worth more here than at most of the strip.
Dining is a step above the airport-hotel norm, led by Madhu's Heathrow, an outpost of the well-known Indian restaurant and a genuine reason to eat in rather than a captive-market afterthought. Alongside it are a Sports Bar and Grill, Bytes for breakfast, and a Starbucks. The honest caveat still applies, that airport-hotel prices run above the high street, but the range and the quality of Madhu's make an evening here more of an occasion than a necessity, which is rare this close to a terminal.
Parking and park-and-fly
The Sheraton has its own on-site car park, with self parking at around £17.50 a day or £105 a week, and guests keep their own car keys rather than hand them to a valet, which some drivers prefer for peace of mind on a longer trip. The hotel sells hotel-and-parking offers that bundle a night with a stretch of parking, making it a park-and-fly base as well as a hotel.
As with every park-and-fly hotel, price the trip as a whole. For a night plus a week or two away, the weekly parking rate or a bundle beats the daily rate, but a room plus separately booked airport long-stay parking can beat both, depending on your dates. The package comparison sets the Sheraton bundle against the alternatives so you can see which wins for your trip.
Who it suits, honestly
Book the Sheraton Skyline when you want the night before a flight to be more than a bed near the runway: a family that will use the pool and the atrium, a couple who would rather have a proper dinner at Madhu's and a cocktail by the Sky Garden than a terminal meal deal, or a park-and-fly with somewhere characterful to sleep. Among the Bath Road hotels it is the one with the most personality, and the biggest rooms, which for a longer stay is worth the premium over a plain hotel.
Skip it when you want the cheapest bed or the shortest walk. On the same Bath Road a Premier Inn undercuts it for a plain night with the same Hoppa ride; for a walk-to-the-gate stay, a walkway hotel like the Hilton Garden Inn at Terminals 2 and 3 or the Sofitel at Terminal 5 puts you minutes from check-in on foot; and its sister-tier Marriott up the road offers a pool and leisure club with a more corporate feel. Set the options side by side on the Heathrow hotel guide and let the occasion and the budget decide.