Inside Sydney Airport’s new Aerotel transit hotel, arrivals lounge

Sydney Airport’s latest hotel couldn’t be any closer to the airport itself – the Aerotel sits inside the international terminal, putting it a 60-second walk from the arrivals gate – and it doubles as an handy Plaza Pemium arrivals lounge after those long overseas flights.

The latest in a series of dedicated in-terminal Aerotel hotels from lounge specialist Plaza Premium Group, there are 15 single and double rooms available for booking for anywhere from three hours to overnight at the following rates:

• single room: $71 for three hours, $99 for six hours, $178 for overnight 
• double room: $88 for three hours, $115 for six hours, $214 for overnight

An opening special lists 25% off those room rates for stays through to September 30.

One of the Sydney Airport Aerotel's compact yet efficiently-designed double rooms.

Every room has been carefully designed to maximise the relatively small footprint (from 7-11 square metres), with touches such as luggage stowage beneath the bed, an en suite bathroom and shower, and handy bedside AC/USB outlets. There's also access to high-speed WiFi, plus an iron and ironing board available on request.

Every room at the Sydney Airport Aerotel has its own en suite bathroom and shower.

The Aerotel also incorporates a seperate Plaza Premium arrivals lounge with cafe-style hot and cold meals “featuring Aussie classics and international flavours, including a wide range of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options” plus wine, beer, juices and non-alcoholic drinks.

The Aerotel also contains a stand-alone Plaza Premium arrivals lounge.

Access to the arrivals lounge costs $45 per person on its own, or an extra $25 if you’ve booked a stay in one of the Aerotel rooms; as with other Plaza Premium lounges, complimentary emtry is yours with a flash of an American Express Platinum or Centurion card (but not Priority Pass).

Where to find the Sydney Airport T1 Aerotel and Plaza Premium arrivals lounge.

Plaza Premium considers the Aerotel and arrivals lounge will have strong appeal to travellers who arrive in the early morning but can’t check into their hotel until noon or later, as well as those with an early morning departure who’d rather stay overnight than head to the airport around 4am.

The Sydney Airport Aerotel joins Plaza Premium’s Aerotel airport facilities at Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, London, Rio de Janeiro and Beijing, among others.