The Sofitel Gatwick is the closest hotel to the North terminal - it's connected to it by a covered walkway. And it's also Gatwick's most sophisticated hotel, with marble floors in reception and minimalist, spotless rooms. Enjoy fine food in La Brasserie or the Gatwick Oriental restaurant, then sleep like an exhausted baby in your huge, enveloping SoBed.
The Sofitel has two restaurants: the Gatwick Oriental, which serves Far Eastern fare, and La Brasserie, which serves European food. Both are open for dinner from 6pm to 9.30pm. Meals and snacks are also available from noon to 10.30pm in Le Cafe. Room service is available 24 hours a day.
Breakfast is served from 5am to 10.30am, with English breakfast from 6.30am. The price is £14.95 for a continental breakfast and £16.95 for an English breakfast.
The Sofitel has two restaurants, a cafe, two bars and a fitness room. Wifi access is available throughout the hotel.
All rooms have air conditioning, cable and satellite TV with pay-per-view movies, a queen-size bed (or two single beds), a bathroom with a shower and a bath, a radio, a hairdryer, a safe, a trouser press and high speed internet access. Accessible rooms, interconnecting rooms and cots are all available.
Further luxury comes in the form of a superior room, which includes free internet access, a half-price movie and 10 per cent off food and drink. Or go for an executive room and enjoy access to the Sofitel Club Lounge, also on the eighth floor. Here you can enjoy drinks, a light breakfast and internet access, all for free, or just watch the action on the runway.
You can check in from 2pm; you must check out by 12.30pm.
The Sofitel is completely non-smoking.
If you're flying from the North terminal, your car will be parked at the Long Stay car park at the North terminal while you're away. You should take your car there before you check into the hotel. You'll be able to catch the car park's transfer bus back to the terminal and walk to the hotel through the walkway. The bus runs every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day, and takes five minutes.
If you're flying from the South terminal, you'll need to take your car to Long Stay Plus at the South terminal before you check in to the Sofitel. You'll then need to catch the transfer bus to the South terminal and the monorail to the North terminal. The bus runs every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day, and takes two minutes; the monorail runs every three minutes and takes about two minutes. You'll need to catch the monorail again the next day to get back to the South terminal to catch your plane.