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Copthorne Hotel London Gatwick: an honest traveller's guide

A 16th-century farmhouse turned 4-star country hotel, with 100 acres of woodland, a genuine indoor pool, squash and tennis courts and £5 parking. But before you book anything — there's an important status warning you need to read.

4-star · 227 rooms · Copthorne, Crawley · ~4 miles from Gatwick · check booking status first · Updated 2026

Booking status — what we found

We check every hotel in this series against the operator's own website as well as booking platforms. For the Copthorne Gatwick, those sources currently disagree, and travellers deserve to know that plainly rather than discover it on arrival.

What to do: treat any listing you see with caution. Phone +44 1342 348800 and confirm the hotel is open for your dates before paying. If you book online, choose a fully refundable rate so you're protected. If you need a guaranteed room near Gatwick, several well-rated alternatives in our series are confirmed operating — see the related links at the foot of this page. The information below describes the hotel as documented, and remains useful if it is trading normally for your dates.

Hotel overview

The Copthorne Hotel London Gatwick is genuinely characterful — a converted 16th-century farmhouse on Copthorne Way, overlooking 100 acres of tranquil woodland, with timber-framed exteriors, a library bar and a conservatory serving scones with cream and jam. It has 227 rooms, sits about four miles from Gatwick, and backs onto an 18-hole golf course.

Its facilities are unusually good for the area. There's a real indoor swimming pool plus a jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, well-equipped gym, fitness classes, and squash and tennis courts — along with hair and beauty salons, two restaurants, a playground and 11 meeting venues. Parking has been reported at around £5 a day with Park & Fly rates, among the cheapest anywhere near the airport.

Guests have consistently described it as tranquil despite its size, with friendly staff, spacious rooms and good room service. The caveat, beyond the booking-status question above, is that rooms can be difficult to cool because windows open only a limited amount.

Star rating and what it means

A full-service 4-star country-house hotel with leisure facilities well beyond what most airport hotels offer.

Documented reviews have been largely positive, praising friendly and helpful staff (several named individually), spacious and nicely decorated rooms, the park-and-fly deal, cleanliness, and good food and room service. Given the uncertainty over current operation, treat historical ratings with care and check recent reviews for your dates.

Brand, ownership & business profile

Part of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, a large international group. The Copthorne brand covers full-service four-star properties, often in converted or characterful buildings.

Disambiguation: "Copthorne" is both a hotel brand and a Sussex village, which causes real confusion locally. This hotel is the one on Copthorne Way, RH10 3PG. There is also a separate Copthorne Effingham Park property nearby with its own golf course and facilities — a different hotel. Check the exact name and postcode on any booking.

Business profile

Rooms & prices

227 rooms styled to suit the country-cottage character of the building, with soundproofed windows, blackout drapes, an in-room safe, a desk, satellite TV, tea and coffee facilities, an iron and a trouser press. Sizes are generous by airport-hotel standards.

The 41 sq m family rooms are exceptionally large for this area — nearly double a typical Gatwick hotel room — and the Club Plus rooms with a separate sitting area, robes and slippers are a genuine step up. One recurring guest complaint: rooms can be hard to cool, as windows open only a limited amount. Ask about this if you're travelling in warm weather. Rates are not quoted here given the booking-status uncertainty — confirm directly.

What's in the rooms

Soundproofed windows and 24-hour room service are both notable, and the trouser press is a reminder of the hotel's traditional business-travel roots. The limitation worth repeating: window opening is restricted, which guests link to difficulty cooling rooms in summer.

Pool & leisure club — the standout facility

This is what genuinely distinguishes the Copthorne from most Gatwick-area hotels. Unlike several rivals whose listings claim pools they don't have, this hotel's leisure club is well documented across the operator's own site and multiple platforms.

For a family with time before a flight, or anyone wanting a proper leisure break rather than just a bed, this is the most complete facility set of any hotel in our Gatwick series. Confirm the leisure club is open when you call — facilities at hotels in transition are often the first thing to close.

Dining

Two on-site restaurants serving British cuisine, plus a conservatory overlooking the gardens, a coffee shop and the Library Bar.

The conservatory cream teas and the Library Bar give this hotel a genuine country-house character that no other property in our Gatwick series offers. Guests have rated food and room service well, though one review noted the breakfast room being understaffed with a wait for a cleaned table.

Parking & transfers

Parking at roughly £5 a day would be excellent value — but as with everything else here, confirm it directly, along with whether the shuttle is currently running. Given the uncertainty, a pre-booked fixed-fare car is the reliable option for the airport leg.

Facilities & services

Accessibility & suitability for elderly guests

The documented accessible-room specification here is unusually detailed, including features that go beyond the basics.

Accessible strengths:

• Accessible rooms described as spacious, with wider doorways
• Flashing doorbell — useful for guests with hearing impairments
• Alarm pull cord in accessible rooms
• Ample on-site parking with level access
• All dining, leisure and services on one site; 24-hour room service
• Quiet, low-rise country setting with gardens and level grounds

Worth confirming first:

• Confirm the hotel is accepting bookings at all before making any arrangements
• Check step-free access to the leisure club and pool if you plan to use them
• Ask about room cooling, as windows open only partially
• Arrange a door-to-door car — it's four miles out and shuttle status is unclear

Suitability verdict for elderly & less-mobile guests: on paper, very good — the flashing doorbell and alarm pull cord are thoughtful inclusions that few hotels in this series document, and the single-site layout with level parking works well. But given the booking-status uncertainty, this is emphatically a hotel to arrange by telephone, confirming both availability and the specific features you need.

Insider details

Call before you commit — to anything

The most important advice on this page. With the operator's own site saying it isn't accepting accommodation reservations while third-party sites still sell rooms, a phone call to +44 1342 348800 is essential. Confirm the hotel is open, that your room type is available, and that the leisure club, restaurants and shuttle are running. If you book online regardless, use a fully refundable rate.

The most complete leisure facilities near Gatwick

If it is trading normally, nothing else in our Gatwick series matches this: a genuine indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, gym, squash courts, tennis courts and beauty salons, set in 100 acres of woodland with an adjacent 18-hole golf course. Compare that with rivals whose "pools" turn out to be at a neighbouring gym, or don't exist at all.

Family rooms at 41 sq m

Worth highlighting for families: the family rooms are 41 sq m / 439 sq ft — roughly double a standard airport-hotel room, with additional seating space. Combined with the playground, gardens and nature reserve, it's built for families in a way most Gatwick hotels aren't.

Rooms can be hard to cool

The most consistent room-related complaint: windows open only a limited amount, which guests link to difficulty cooling rooms in warm weather. It's a common feature of converted period buildings. Ask what cooling is available in your room type if you're travelling in summer.

A genuine country-house atmosphere

Something no other hotel in this series offers: a 16th-century farmhouse with timber-framed exteriors, a Library Bar serving afternoon tea, and a conservatory where you can have scones with cream and jam looking over the gardens. Guests repeatedly describe it as tranquil despite its 227-room size — it genuinely doesn't feel like an airport hotel.

WiFi coverage & signal strength

Free in-room WiFi is listed. Signal-strength-by-area detail isn't published, and in a converted period building with thick walls, coverage can vary more than in a modern block — confirm with hotel, or share guest reviews and we'll add specifics.

Practical information

Customer reviews

Documented reviews have been mostly positive, though they predate the current booking-status uncertainty — read recent feedback for your dates.

Pros & cons

Pros

• Genuine indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, gym, squash and tennis courts
• Converted 16th-century farmhouse set in 100 acres of woodland
• Family rooms at 41 sq m — roughly double a typical airport hotel room
• Club Plus rooms with separate sitting area, robes and slippers
• Two restaurants, conservatory cream teas and a Library Bar; 24-hour room service
• Parking reported at around £5 a day; Park & Fly rates
• Thoughtful accessible rooms: wider doorways, flashing doorbell, alarm pull cord
• Playground, gardens, nature reserve and adjacent 18-hole golf course

Cons

• The operator's own site says it isn't accepting accommodation bookings — status must be verified
• Rooms reported as difficult to cool; windows open only partially
• ~4 miles from Gatwick, not walkable; shuttle status unclear
• Breakfast charged separately; one report of understaffing at breakfast
• No pets

FAQs