Flights of fancy, with pillow menu

An airport hotel doesn't necessarily have to be a place of rough landings

Stay near Sydney airport in relaxing surrounds.

An airport hotel doesn't necessarily have to be a place of rough landings

WHEN novelist Douglas Adams wrote, in The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988), that in no language was there the phrase "as pretty as an airport", he could easily have extended the slur to "airport hotel". Airport hotels rarely are things of beauty and, to paraphrase Douglas, some attain a degree of ugliness that is the result of special effort.

Airport hotels aren't required to be pretty; they exist not as exotic destinations or places for idle dalliances but as plain old departure points. They need to deal in efficient sound-proofing, proper blackout curtains, wake-up calls and shuttle buses that arrive on time. If they are even vaguely attractive, it is a bonus.

Management at the 271-room Mercure Sydney Airport (it used to be the Hilton), located a hop from the international terminal and also well placed for access to the two domestic terminals, has decided a bit of beautification is in order to cheer up anxious departing passengers and jet-lagged new arrivals.

Three floors (levels seven to nine) have been refurbished in a fresh contemporary style that easily matches that of a chic, four-star city property.

These good-sized Superior category rooms feature king-sized beds with a pillow menu, striped cushions in autumn tones, wall-mounted flat-screen televisions, work tables (with data points at desk height; no crawling on the floor with leads and plugs), crisp all-white bathrooms and excellent reading lights.

There are sheer curtains and black-out drapes and, as the hotel is not directly under the flight-path, little aircraft noise. Add a convivial bar, reasonably good bistro with a wine list of interesting NSW labels, outdoor pool, gym and tennis and squash courts, and being temporarily stranded here because of delayed flights would be no hardship.

The hotel also has a Privilege category of rooms that includes extras such as an espresso machine and T2 tea selection, internet access, bottled water and chocolates. There are family rooms as well (accommodation for up to five guests) and executive suites with separate sitting rooms.

At many Asian airports, such as Singapore and Bangkok, you can stay in a hotel before or between flights without even leaving the terminal. You just wheel your trolley to your bed. Mercure Sydney Airport doesn't offer that level of instant convenience but a shuttle bus to the nearby terminals is just $6 one-way (be sure to book) and there's the definite bonus of fresh air, a green setting near the Cooks River and Kogarah Golf Course, and the prospect of a leg-stretch and a hit of tennis.

It's an airy and roomy remove from the airport "pod" hotels, such as the Yotel at London's Heathrow and Amsterdam's Schipol. Passengers are filed away in these clinical little cabins like stacked folders. Brings new meaning to iPod, and they don't look much bigger than a hand-held device, either. No thanks.

Checklist
The best overnight deal starts at $259 for two, with up to seven nights' parking and complimentary return airport shuttles. More: [phone]; www.mercuresydneyairport.com.au.