As I padded around the South Terminal in the small hours I understood Tom Hanks’ character in The Terminal a bit better
Inside Gatwick’s ‘smallest’ hotel
Airports don’t usually lend themselves to good sleep stories. They’re designed for queues, not REM cycles. So when I realised I had a 3am flight out of Gatwick, I decided to skip the 1am taxi and do something radical: actually sleep at the airport. Enter YOTELAIR Gatwick, sometimes called the airport’s smallest hotel – and possibly its cleverest.
Tucked inside the South Terminal, it doesn’t look like much In fact, you could walk past it without realising it’s there. You get to it by taking a lift downstairs, just next to the Greggs in Arrivals. It has 46 rooms which can be booked by the hour day or night.
YOTEL is less about grandeur and more about cunning design. My cabin felt like a room on a spaceship: no windows, lighting that makes you feel like you’re still on a flight. Somehow, it still managed to squeeze in everything I needed; a proper bed, TV, a little desk, a glass-fronted en-suite with a surprisingly powerful rain shower and just enough floor space to turn around without bumping into myself. Reception (known, naturally, as Mission Control ) is staffed 24/7, with hot drinks always on hand, which only adds to the sci-fi vibe.
The cabins are full of clever high-tech touches. Sofas glide into beds at the touch of a button, a fold-out table and chair tuck neatly into the wall, and a control panel lets you choose your preferred lighting — handy if you’re jet-lagged.
Standard Singles are best for one; two can squeeze into a Standard, though you’d want to be on very friendly terms. Premium cabins offer a queen bed or twin bunks, and there are accessible twin cabins.
It isn’t cheap. Rooms hover around £130–£200 depending on when you book, though you can also rent a cabin for four hours from £39 if you’re just killing time between flights. For a space you’re only in out of convenience, that feels steep — but the trade-off is something money can’t usually buy: a solid night’s sleep before an unholy-hour departure. And in travel terms, that’s priceless.
Noise is mostly kept at bay thanks to solid soundproofing from the airport outside, though the cabin walls along the corridor are thinner — you’ll hear fellow guests dragging luggage or checking in late at night if you’re unlucky.
Food-wise, you can order room service (ready meals, pizzas, a few drinks and snacks, even a £8 breakfast box with a croissant, yoghurt, fruit and juice). Complimentary teas and coffees from Mission Control are a nice touch. But I decided to wander upstairs to Giraffe , the chain restaurant just above the hotel in the terminal. Their burger did the trick, and it meant I could roll straight back down to my cabin afterwards without braving the chill of the outside world. Alternatively, South Terminal arrivals has a Wetherspoons, Pret, and, yes, Greggs.
As I padded around the terminal in the small hours, burger in hand, cabin keycard in pocket, I understood Tom Hanks’ character in The Terminal a bit better. I was living in the airport ecosystem. The difference? Instead of making friends with the cleaning crew, I just rolled back down to my spaceship cabin.
The real magic came in the morning – or rather, the middle of the night. My alarm went off, and instead of dragging myself bleary-eyed into a taxi from Zone 3, I simply rolled out of bed, showered, and was at security within minutes. No frantic suitcase wrangling, no grumpy Uber driver, no creeping sense that I shouldn’t have booked such an early flight. I actually felt… fresh. At 3am. At an airport.
YOTELAIR sits in the South Terminal, but the monorail to the North runs every three to six minutes, 24/7, and gets you there in two minutes flat. Location, in other words, could not be better.
Of course, YOTEL isn’t for everyone. If you crave space, or you’re hoping for a plush hotel bar to sip martinis, you’ll be disappointed. This is a place designed purely for utility: get in, sleep, shower, and catch your flight. But in that mission it succeeds brilliantly. Sometimes, the smallest hotel is the one that makes the biggest difference.
Key details
- Gatwick South Terminal, Gatwick RH6 0NP, England
- Standard cabins from £105 per night or £39 per four-hour usage.
- Access the website
Stay up to date about London’s hottest events, latest restaurant openings, and best deals with our Going Out Out newsletter. Sign up HERE!
