The first phase of what will be the largest Holiday Inn Express in Europe has opened.
When it is completed in Spring 2011, the new Holiday Inn Express London - Heathrow T5 will have 300 rooms.
The first 125 rooms are now open, as well as the Great Room, which includes a lobby, restaurant and bar.
The second stage will see the remaining 175 rooms added, as well as another restaurant and four meeting rooms for up to 80 delegates.
According to Aly Kassam, director at Crimson Hotel Group, which owns the property, there is a gap in the market for the "budget conscious traveller" at Heathrow.
The hotel is "one of the first completely new hotels to open under the latest IHG brand standards", he added.
Located two miles from Heathrow's Terminal 5, a shuttle bus runs between the hotel and the airport.
www.hiexheathrowT5.co.uk