Holiday Inn Express London - Stansted Airport, an IHG Hotel

We stayed here about a month ago. The check in process was fast and easy but that’s all the good i can say about this place. Some pillows were dirty. There was NO WATER in the room, which is unheard of from such a well known hotel chain as even the smallest hotels provide water. We called the reception asking if they forgot the water but they just said it’s at extra charge. We were given a kettle with tea and coffee though, unsure how were we supposed to prepare them without water? The breakfast was very poor, bacon and sausages were tasteless and didn’t taste fresh. I think a bottle of water is a minimal investment that even the poorest hotels provide. Won’t stay here again.

Clean, comfortable rooms with a bar and pizza restaurant. Conveniently located a few minutes from the airport by shuttle bus. I don’t think it’s right that you should have to pay £4 for the shuttle for such a short journey; perhaps the hotel should provide a voucher. Also breakfast starts at 5am but the cooked breakfast items are not there until 6am which isn’t really fair for people with early flights.

It's rare that I enjoy a stay at an airport hotel, as it always feel like I'm just "guest fodder" however this time, I was welcomed with a warm and genuine smile. I was asked about my journey and how my day had been. So it was a really refreshing change. My Diamond Status was recognised and I was offered a welcome amenity.

One change I would like to see is that the hotel bar is only open until 22:30 - which is not very good for any airport based hotel. This needs addressing!! After a late flight, it is nice to be able to enjoy the hotel welcome amenity without feeling rushed. For the sake of another 90 minutes of staff time, you will have happier, more relaxed guests!

The room was clean, provided everything I needed for my overnight stay. Noisy corridors from 5am - but to be expected with families getting ready for their early morning flights. Nothing anyone can do about that!

Check out was swift, a room key drop box.

The airport bus is now £4 each way. So you might want to consider the close proximity to the mid-stay car park! If you are dropping a car off at the car rental village (like I did) it is walkable - about 10 minutes. Pathways are a little inconsistent, however the grass areas are flat, just don't expect to pull heavy luggage across when it is wet. Else the alternative is a shuttle bus back to the airport and then another one out to the hotel.

Hugely unimpressed that the shuttle from the airport isn't complementary. £8 return per person for a journey of 20 minutes max. is unacceptable.
Breakfast is included in the tariff, which might be useful if you don't have an early flight. We had left before the breakfast service begun.
Room as expected. Seemed reasonably clean, but very standard.
Overall not great value.

This hotel is well located close to public transport, shops and restaurants and in fact everything one needs when travelling.

Like most Holiday Inn Express properties the facilities are basic but adequate and as we were literally overnighting it met all our requirements.

On the plus side the 12.00 Noon check out is very useful and the courteous staff who were happy to store our luggage after check out meant we were able to time our trip out to the airport to our convenience.

Overall our stay was exactly what we expected, the service, the facilities, the level of comfort all quite adequate but nothing outstanding.

Very good for what it is, a hotel next to the airport. Very nice service, even provide you with complementary toothbrush + toothpaste or other toiletries if you forget to take them with you. Happens to the best of 'em. Very nicely insulated and very quiet room.

Great hotel for a stopover either before a flight or if getting a late flight back to the UK and don't fancy a drive home, lovely bar and staff. The bus to and from the airport comes every half an hour, on the hour and every half hour and costs £4 per person so great value, stayed here a few times now and will stay again next time we fly from Stansted

Great proximity to the airport but the £8pp return shuttle bus is a joke... You'd think it'd be complementary considering it's about a 10 minute journey. The best thing about this stay was the easy, friendly booking process over the phone - everything else, including front desk service (from the manager) and room itself was painfully average. The room had a gigantic cobweb across it and we were careful not to look too close in the bathroom for fear of what we'd find. The hairdryer didn't work. The smoke alarm had a glaring, intermittent blue light and there was a questionable noise coming from the bathroom (a fan? Pipes?) the whole time. The TV didn't swivel away from the wall like it should, which meant we were craning our necks to watch, and it's these small things that really make a difference to one's stay. Finally, the breakfast was pitiful - the dehydrated hot food was sparse and embarrassing (choice of four items?) and the cold not much of an improvement. Overall just a disappointment.