Thistle London Heathrow Terminal 5

Stayed here for 2 nights. Arrived earlier than the check in time, was offered an early check in, for a small fee, which I was happy to pay, there wasn’t a room immediately ready, so receptionist asked if we could wait a bit, which was fine, we weren’t going anywhere. Around an hour later we were advised our room was ready, only to find it wasn’t. The receptionist was proactive & fast to react to the situation & offered us a temporary room until ours was ready, she apologised profusely for the error, as she’d been advised our room was ready. Our early check in fee was refunded. She resolved the issue quickly. A credit to the reception staff. We had a deluxe twin, which was great, bath & shower over bath, good sized tv & blackout curtains. Beds were super comfy. Wardrobe had a safe, iron & ironing board. Only issue was lack of power sockets next to bed & the safety chain on door could not be used, as the connector was missing. Restaurant had a good choice of food & drinks. Very friendly & helpful bar & restaurant staff. Breakfast was great, lots of choice, cereals, pastries, cooked items, fruit juices, fresh fruit, coffee & tea. The staff work hard to ensure restaurant is always clean. I chose Thistle due to the proximity to Heathrow T5, my son is a very keen plane spotter, so the fact there was an outside area looking right onto the runway was a bonus. My son wanted to see a specific airline that was retiring a plane. Job done! Sitting in the sun, with a glass of wine,watching planes land & take off was great. So close to runway. Plane spotters heaven, & I don’t even plane spot 😂 There are buses to the Airport & the Heathrow Pods, which we used to get to the hotel. They are quirky & a fun way to travel. Asked for late checkout, which was accommodated. Nothing was too much trouble for the reception staff. There is no lift at hotel, but thankfully we were in the ground floor. It would only be a flight up, but with luggage it could be a task! We will definitely return. My son is already planning a return trip with his friend in October.