There are (at least) two Holiday Inn hotels adjacent to Heathrow Airport. This review refers to the Holiday Inn Arial and is intended to address only aspects of the hotel related to wheelchair accessibility and services for disabled travellers.
The hotel is very close to Heathrow and is serviced by the Hoppa shuttle bus system (if the previsou link does not work try the National Express website). All of these buses are wheelchair accessible and I have found the drivers to be extremely helpful and accommodating. A one way ride to the hotel from the airport costs about 4 pounds. Note that the shuttle runs only from terminals 1, 2 and 3, with a different numbered shuttle running from terminal 5. Terminal 4 is not serviced by the Hoppa buses - despite signs to the contrary in certain parts of the airport. If arriving in Terminal 4 you will need to transfer to one of the other terminals - which is an adventure in itself. See my notes elsewhere.
Access to the hotel itself is level, with level access to reception, the restaurant and the bar. The hotel provides hot food 24-hours, although the main restaurant closes at about 22:00. Elevators (lifts) are small but adequate.
The room I was given was large and sparsely furnished which made it near perfect for a wheelchair to get around. The work desk was large and easy to use. Sockets were easy to reach, although I had to choose to unplug either a desklamp or the TV to make room for my laptop. There is Wifi (extra charge). A/C controls were at an easily accessible height, but the TV remote controls were left in an unreachable location. I did not bother calling for someone to get them for me as I didn't need the TV. Clothes closet was easy to get to and clothes hung at a comfortable height for a wheelchair.
The bed was a little lower than the chair seat and easy to get in and out of. No ceiling hooks for a lift. All the lights in the room could be controlled by bedside switches.
The bathroom was very large. In my case I had a bath. There was a large platform at the end of the bath which could be handy for some as a transfer assist to getting in. Plenty of well positioned grab bars. The shower was hand-held with a slider bar mounting. Toilet was at wheelchair seat level with well positioned grab bars. The sink was at a perfect wheelchair height with plenty of knee space underneath.
All in all, because of the space and low, modern furnishings as well as the thoughtfully positioned light switches, this hotel jumped into my top three favorite hotels for wheelchair access.
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