London Heathrow Hotels

By Chris Linch

The number of people passing through Heathrow airport has been on the rise. However, the hotel industry in the area has not kept up with the increase in numbers and there is a need for more hotel accommodations in the area around Heathrow. Because of this, a 600 room hotel connected to Terminal 5 and another hotel close to the airport are being planned. This project, which is a collaboration between construction company Rokeby Development and Lord Laidlaw, one of the richest men in Scotland, will cost approximately 70 million pounds.

Because of the shortage of hotel rooms in the area surrounding the airport, there was an expression of concern about the need for more hotels to accommodate people traveling trough Heathrow. Lord Laidlaw and Rokeby Developments decided to take on the problem and believe that when their two hotels are completed that there will not be a shortage of accommodations in the area. However, even after Terminal 5 is fully operational, there will still be a need for more hotel rooms. The second planned hotel should help with the problem, but is unlikely to fully address the shortage as numbers of people traveling continue to climb.

Terminal 5 has great potential to improve many aspects of the area around Heathrow. Not only will there be a potential improvement of infrastructure for the capital as people are able to stay close to the airport, there will also likely be an increase in tourism in the area as people will spend less time traveling to their accommodations and more will have more time to sight see. People coming to London for the 2012 Olympics will likely enjoy staying so close to the airport because of their intention to attend Olympic related events and not travel about the country. These hotels will be a timely addition to address the competitive market that will arise as people travel to London for this event.

As a destination for overseas travelers, London has been steadily becoming more popular. 2006 was a record year for international visitors to the capital which has triggered the strongest performance level since the late'90s for London hotels. Because of the fact that the industry has been steadily on the rise, Lord Laidlaw and Rokeby Developments will quite likely be successful with their new hotels.

There is little doubt that the new hotels, flights, and Heathrow Airport London parking are going to cause controversy with anti-expansion groups such as HASAN. Because of the need to meet the demands of its customers, the airport must grow in certain areas. For example, if the airport is going to be able to accommodate an extra 80,000 passengers daily, they are going to have to increase amenities like parking.

The new terminal has greatly increased the capacity of Heathrow. When the 4.2 billion pound new terminal opened in March 2008, the capacity of the airport increased by 30 million passengers a year, taking the total number of passengers to 90 million. There are several things that are going to have to happen as a result of the increased number of travelers, not just an increase in the number of hotels. Transportation links are a necessity, including trains, buses, and Heathrow Airport London parking. - 30423

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