There are many reasons to pre-book an airport hotel. If you are flying out very early in the morning and can't face a long drive at that time of day, you can book a hotel stay for the night before and make your departure day easier and less-stressful. Alternatively, when you return from your holiday or business trip and you want to just grab a shower and a good night's sleep then book into a nearby hotel for a relaxing evening.



These are just two of the reasons to indulge yourself with what used to be an expensive addition to your holiday, now a lot cheaper and often with a parking package included. You can grab a delicious meal in the hotel restaurant or work off your excess energy in the gym, every hotel will have something different to suit your needs.

There are simple rules to abide by when you are looking at an airport hotel stopover.

1) Don't leave it to the last minute. Pre-book and give yourself the best chance of getting the perfect hotel for you.

2) Book with a name you can trust. There are loads of companies out there that will promise the world - go with a reliable name and you will rarely be disappointed.

3) Shop around. With plenty of hotels to choose from, don't settle for the first one you see. You could find a cheaper option with all of the facilities you want.

A decent airport hotel can get your holiday off to the perfect start and when you book with the right company it can be a great value, relaxing stopover. So, what could go wrong with your airport hotel if you don't follow these three simple rules? So much more than you could ever know if you don't book with a respectable company...

You arrive at this hypothetical hotel and are greeted by an unappealing, dark building that looks like it could've been the set for a Boris Karloff movie. Lightning strikes as you realise that this may be a mistake, but much like those annoying teenagers in cheesy horror movies, you tell yourself that it can't be as bad as it looks. And so you enter the worst airport hotel in the world.

As you approach what you believe to be the reception desk, the smell of urine becomes almost unbearable and you begin to feel light-headed. The part-man, part-beast owner watches a tiny black and white TV while muttering profanities to himself, blissfully unaware or perhaps deliberately ignorant to your arrival. After a few minutes of suggestive coughs and loud sighs, he turns to face you.

"What do you want?" Well, you've entered a hotel and approached the reception desk so it would be the obvious assumption that you require a room for the night. You part with your cash and he hands over the key, nodding towards the stairs. Grabbing the handle of your suitcase you make your way up the stairs. Tired and exhausted, you look forward to a lush, comfortable bed with silk sheets and goose-feather pillows.

So, now you approach the door to your oasis of calm in the hustle and bustle of a busy airport. The key slides into the keyhole a little uneasily and the the door struggles to open. You give it a push and the extent of the situation begins to dawn on you. This isn't a hotel room, you have just entered a portal to your own personal hell - and you are paying a pretty hefty price for the pleasure.

There used to be a curtain on the window, because there is a curtain rail - you wonder what happened to it briefly before examining the rest of the room. The carpet seems nice if a bit retro, brown used to be fashionable so maybe they haven't replaced it for a while. You take a look at the unusual pattern and discover the horrible truth - the carpet is meant to be beige and it isn't patterned. The bed is the place to rest your head and relax in your home from home - it can't be that bad can it...

There is one word to describe the initial reaction to the bed - stained. All colours, shapes and sizes are welcome here. It is probably for the best that you don't think about all the different cocktails of fluids that have made their mark here. So you head towards the ensuite and prepare for a reenergising shower.

Mildew on the shower curtain won't deter you now, you've come this far and refuse to be put off by such a minor problem. Turning the tap, you back away from the shower head for fear of being sprayed by hot burst of clean water. You hardly notice the smell of the swamp-water that dribbles out as you are greeted by the room's resident cockroach. He seems pretty happy with the room so you leave him to it and head for the door. Grabbing your suitcase you say to yourself that 'enough is enough' and head for the reception. As you look back at the room to say your final goodbyes, overcome with emotion you notice the moving sheets on the bed - you have avoided an itchy night's sleep.

Back at reception, you are denied a refund but it doesn't bother you. You head for the bright lights of the outside world and realise that this is a lucky escape. You drag your suitcase along the road and find a lovely, clean and accommodating hotel with the most crisp bed-sheets imaginable. The end of the nightmare and a lesson learned for the future - make the right choice when booking an airport hotel. Go for a name you can trust and book in advance and you will avoid all of these problems.