Why Airport Hotels Are Flying High

At a posh resort in Singapore, guests enjoy tropical garden views, a landscaped pool area, glamorous bar scene, high-end eateries, and plentiful meeting space. Interestingly, this award-winning hotel is not on the island nation's scenic coastline; it's at the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport.

In fact, the property was named the Best Airport Hotel in the 2015 World Airport Awards, bestowed in March by London-based air-transit advisory group SkyTrax. It was the third straight year the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport made the top 10, in a field that's become increasingly competitive.

While no U.S. properties made it into the top airport hotel rankings, Hilton Worldwide snagged the No. 3 and No. 7 standings for its Munich and Frankfurt properties, respectively. It was a huge win for the McLean, Va.-based chain, whose founder Conrad Hilton pioneered the concept back in 1959 with the Hilton San Francisco Airport.

"That concept has since transformed from what were once low-rise properties predominantly focused on one-night stays, to destinations with a large number of guest rooms and facilities for meetings, special events and product launches," says Rob Palleschi, global head of full-service brands for Hilton Worldwide, which today has 367 airport hotels, 291 of them in the United States.

But Hilton isn't the only hotel company competing for the attention of today's discriminating yet time-pressed business traveler. Other global brands, including Sofitel, Westin, Hyatt and Sheraton, also have entered this niche market space, many of them opening stylish airport properties that can go toe-to-toe with nearly any luxury resort. A number of these hotels aren't just near airports but actually inside or attached to terminals.

"We live in an age of convenience, and having hotels on the airport site is a great way of improving the travel experience for passengers," says Angela Gittens, director general of Washington, D.C.-based Airports Council International-North America, an industry association that represents the owners and governing bodies of commercial airports in North America. "Airports are now attracting four- and five-star hotels, as they evolve into being much more than simply places where planes land and take off."

Stylish convenience
Around the globe, a heightened focus on airport security often translates to long lines and frayed nerves at security checkpoints; complex schedules have travelers scrambling to make connecting flights or facing lots of downtime to fill before the next leg of their journey. In response to their customers' reality, today's on-site airport hotels are bent on demonstrating that they are not just convenient transit meeting hubs, but unique destinations in their own right, with trendy bars, cool restaurants, 24-hour gyms and full-service spas.

Earlier this year the hotel wrapped up a renovation that included a redo of its 20,000 square feet of meeting space, and opened a new farm-to-table restaurant, Bell/Farm Kitchen, which sources its produce from more than two dozen local farms and distilleries. "We also have our own organic herb and vegetable garden," notes Dudak.

The 605-room Sofitel London Heathrow, linked to London Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 by walkway, is the French brand's only airport hotel and was built to anchor the new terminal when it opened in 2011. This year it took Skytrax's No. 5 spot for Best Airport Hotel. Sofitel guests can zip over to other terminals via a courtesy rail connection, or be in London's Victoria Station in less than 25 minutes. For travelers really pressed for time, a taste of British flavor can be had at the property's tea salon, which is stocked with 31 specialty blends from around the world.

There are a number of reasons why the 320-room Crowne Plaza Changi Airport retains its top spot in the Skytrax ranking. To begin with, the property is designed like a hidden tropical resort. Groups can host outdoor events in the lush courtyard gardens or by the terraced outdoor pool. All of the hotel's seven meeting rooms have garden, not runway, views. The open-kitchen concept of the on-site 150-seat Azur restaurant makes for a lively scene. Groups looking for a more authentic Chinese experience can head to the hotel's Imperial Treasure restaurant, which specializes in Cantonese dishes.

And when it comes to location, "we are directly connected to the airport's Terminal 3 by way of an air-conditioned bridge," says Sunshine Wong, general manager. "Terminal 2 is accessible via a mezzanine bridge, and Terminal 1 can be accessed by Skytrain, also just a five-minute stroll from the hotel."

When incoming guests of the 445-room Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport land at said airport, they are met at baggage claim by a bellman who takes the bags straight to their hotel room, minutes away. On-site, attendees can check their return-flight status from the hotel lobby, meeting rooms and even their guest room. This Hyatt also is a hot dining spot: Its Hemisphere Steak & Seafood Restaurant has been awarded six consecutive Awards of Excellence from Wine Spectator.

The 1,171-room Regal Airport Hong Kong, which took this year's No. 2 spot for Best Airport Hotel, connects to Regal Airport Hong Kong by an enclosed link bridge, provides free shuttle service to the nearby AsiaWorld-Expo center and has 30 meeting rooms -- along with all the trappings of a luxury resort, including six restaurants and bars, an outdoor pool, a full-service spa and landscaped outdoor terraces.

The evolution continues
Even as new properties come online, more are in the wings. Meanwhile, established airport hotels are upgrading to reflect their new-found status as full-fledged destination properties.

More than 40 million people traveled through Germany's Munich Airport in 2014, a statistic that is expected to keep rising. That puts the newly reflagged, 389-room Hilton Munich Airport (formerly a Kempinski), which sits between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, in a unique spot to capture significant meetings business. In anticipation, the hotel began a 160-room expansion this year, and its Wi-Fi capability is being upgraded.

Stamford, Conn.-based Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide also has a strong presence in the airport hotel sector. The chain's 349-room Le Méridien Cairo Airport, which opened in 2013 as the Egyptian capital city's first nonsmoking hotel, connects to Terminal 3 by pedestrian bridge.

Starwood has several other airport projects in the pipeline, including the stunning 519-room Westin Denver International Airport, to open in December. Designed to look like a bird in flight, the property has 37,000 square feet of meeting space, including two ballrooms. The hotel is part of the new $544 million Hotel and Transit Center, which will serve the new electric East Rail Line that will connect the airport with downtown Denver in 2016.  

"Starwood sees the airport sector as a growing opportunity as travel increases worldwide," notes Rob Ferguson, the Westin DIA's director of sales and marketing. "DIA is one of the most cost-effective airports in the U.S., and with the commuter rail line, opportunities will open up even more for those who want to be close to the airport but also want access to downtown."

Also under construction is the 433-room New Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, directly connected to its Netherlands facility's terminals by a covered walkway. When it opens this fall, it will take the bragging rights away from the 406-room Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel and Conference Center, which currently bills itself as the only property linked to Schiphol International Airport.

According to Hilton's Rob Palleschi, the new hotel will be one of the first Hilton properties in Europe designed specifically for the European traveler. It's a concept the chain has begun to apply around the globe as it moves away from a single-platform brand of consistent standards.

"Our guests consistently tell us they want something different," says Palleschi. "They prefer unique regional experiences, rather than a standardized experience they can receive worldwide." The new hotel will showcase European-centric amenities and F&B offerings, a concept that also will be tested at the 517-room Hilton Rome Airport Hotel, now being renovated, and at the chain's airport hotels in Beijing and Tokyo.

Wrapping up phase one of a multimillion-dollar renovation this fall is the 573-room Houston Airport Marriott, which sits between Terminals B and C at George Bush Intercontinental. The hallmark of the hotel's new lobby design is the Texas-size Great Room, with a range of seating areas for networking and relaxing. All guest rooms and 34 meeting rooms have been overhauled, and the hotel is investing heavily in technology upgrades, increasing the capacity of its broadband network and installing charging stations, boarding-pass printers and flight-status boards in the lobby.