As we live on the Isle of Wight, me and my boyfriend thought it would be best to stay in an airport hotel before our mid-morning flight to Florida last September to avoid rushing up to the airport in the early hours. After some researching we decided to stay in the Sofitel because of its connection to the terminal. I booked it online a few weeks before and found the website easy to use and clear.

We arrived about 6pm on the evening before our flight. We took the train up to Gatwick so didnt experience the hotels parking offer. The hotel is connected to the airport terminal by a walkaway which is very convenient. The hotel is big and modern and as we entered the lobby it looked stylish and sleek. There was quite a long que to check in but I think its quite a popular hotel. When we got to the front desk the lady that checked us in was very friendly and smily and checked us in quickly. She gave us information about the restaurants around the hotel and about the breakfast which we declined as it was very pricey. The only other problem at this point was that the chip and pin device rejected my credit card which was a bit annoying, I know its not the hotels fault but it seemed to be happening quite a bit - both to the man checking in next to me and the people in front of us. Luckily we had another one with us. She then gave us our room key which also operated the lift.

The lift in this hotel was one of the most unecessarily complicated things I have ever come across! You need to swipe your room key then press the number of the floor your room is on. But it seemed to have a mind of its own and as more people got on the less likely it seemed we would ever reach our floor. One lift was broken too which didnt help matters so our lift was very busy. At one point us and another couple were going up as far as the 5th floor then back down to the lobby and this happned about 4 times.

When we eventually made it to our room we were impressed. It was very clean and tastefully decorated and it had a spacious modern bathroom. Our room overlooked the runway and we sat and watched all the planes taking off for a while. But despite being so close to the airport the sound proofing in the hotel is excellent and you cant even hear the planes. The bed was big and amazingly comfortable. I wish I could have taken it home with me. We got a really goods night sleep in the hotel, although I didnt want to leave the bed!

I did not eat at the hotel so not sure about the quality of food but the breakfast, room service and restaurants all seemed expensive.

Checking-out was fine. A longish que again but not as bad as the evening before. It was fabulous to just walk through a walkway and be in the airport terminal. It's a real luxury to not have to rush around with buses or taxis like you do with other hotels.

All in all a lovely hotel and I would definately stay here again. Its not exactly the perfect hotel for the more buget conscious traveller but the comfort and convenience are worth it.