Reality Check
REALITY CHECK
FLIGHTS / HOTELS / APARTMENTS / CAR HIRE / TRAIN JOURNEYS / CHAUFFEUR DRIVE / AIRPORT PARKING
HOTEL BLOC HOTEL, GATWICK AIRPORT
THE HOTEL: Bloc Hotel Gatwick opened this spring and is the group’s second hotel, joining a sister property in Birmingham. Compact rooms, pleasing design, smart technology and budget prices are the order of the day at both. This hotel has 245 rooms and is located within Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal, adjacent to security and departures. THE CHECK-IN: I arrived late at night but the two staff behind the reception desk were cheerful and chatty, and I was soon in the lift heading up to my room. A long, dark corridor lit up as I made my way along it. THE ROOM: There are four room categories, and mine fell into the Vista category thanks to its large window with views across the airport’s apron and runway. It was fitted out with dark wood panelling, brown upholstery and purple accent lighting. The king-size bed (with Egyptian cotton linen, no less) was set against a wall, with a large HD TV (with a vast number of channels) mounted at the foot of the bed. Numerous lighting options, blinds and noisy air-conditioning were all controlled by a wall-mounted Samsung tablet. An alarm function would be a useful addition. The sound proofing was good and I barely noticed the noise from aircraft landing and taking off. There was open hanging
space in an alcove and the small wetroom came with plenty of towels, limited amenities and an excellent monsoon shower. THE FACILITIES: Free wifi is included as standard, but this a budget hotel and guests aren’t here for long so there’s little in the way of amenities. There was an ironing room on my floor, and for food and drink there are plenty of establishments on the hotel’s doorstep in the South Terminal. THE VERDICT: There’s clearly been no scrimping when it comes to the room design and facilities, which both impressed.
Though the room was small, there’s little need for more space since most guests won’t be staying for long and the diminutive nature helps keep prices low. The real USP, however, was being able to roll out of bed in the morning and make my way through security just minutes later. THE DETAILS: Bloc Hotel Gatwick, South Terminal, Gatwick Airport, RH6 0NN. Rates start from £54 per night for ‘Sleep’ rooms; through to £84 per night for Aspire rooms. Tel 020 3051 0101; see
www.blochotels.com ANDY HOSKINS
CAR HIRE EUROPCAR
THE PICK-UP: Easy peasy as the outlet is only a few miles from my home, although it did mean going out of my way in terms of my eventual destination. There was no queuing and a smiley face greeted us and he immediately found our reservation and processed details from my licence. He also explained all the insurance options – of which there were many – the emergency number to call, and instructions on how to use the GPS. The car was delivered outside the office and after a quick inspection to check for marks and dents I was offered a ‘tour’ of the car, which included a useful tip on how to override the engine cut-off when stopping (which makes a nonsense of this fuel-saving/planet friendly device.) The car had a full tank of diesel and I know from experience that it’s cheaper to ensure it’s full when returning the car. THE CAR: An intermediate class car, a Skoda Octavia 1.6 automatic diesel model, which had only clocked up 80 miles so felt brand new. It was comfortable, smooth to drive, had good acceleration and would get us from A to B in good time. The journey was London to the Welsh borders so a mix of motorways and A roads and mostly in the rain. The car’s road-holding was excellent.
THE DROP-OFF: The Europcar drop off point is easy to find at Gatwick by just following the sign for car rental returns. I had forgotten to fill the tank so enquired where the nearest petrol station was (around the corner), so shot off there to fill up. On returning, the Europcar area was full – it was a busy Bank Holiday – but we managed to park and gain the attention of one of the attendants. He checked the vehicle and the fuel level and within two minutes we were walking into the airport.
THE VERDICT: Picking up from one point and dropping off at another was effortless, there was zero paperwork at drop-off (less so at pick-up) and staff were friendly and efficient at all times. THE DETAILS: My four-day rental cost £180 although corporates would have an account set up and probably receive a more competitive rate than that. VW Getta, Audi A3 and Volvo V40 also fall into this group. Tel 08713 849847; see
www.europcar.co.uk GILLIAN UPTON
70 THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76