Sheraton Skyline Hotel at London Heathrow
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA 350-room Sheraton airport hotel near London Heathrow, noted for its brutalist architecture, central atrium and conference facilities.
Last updated August 24, 2026
Overview
The Sheraton Skyline Hotel London Heathrow was a 350-room, four-star airport hotel in Hayes, in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England. Built in 1971 near Heathrow Airport, it was conceived as a large business and conference property serving international travelers, airline passengers and organizations using the airport corridor. Its architecture was associated with the brutalist style and included a prominent interior atrium, an arrangement that distinguished it from more conventional airport hotels. The property was developed by Capital & Counties together with the Park Tower Hotel in Knightsbridge and was initially operated by the Canadian-based Skyline Hotels group. It opened on 1 October 1971, charging £6 for a single room and £9 for a double room. From its early years, the hotel positioned itself as a meeting venue for business travelers. It joined the London Heathrow Conference Service in 1971, an area-wide initiative involving several major local hotels that sought to make Heathrow a major European business-meeting destination. The hotel subsequently hosted conferences, trade gatherings and other international events. Its facilities and identity extended beyond accommodation. The hotel offered substantial meeting and conference space, restaurants, bars and entertainment. During the 1970s, Diamond Lil's Wild West Cabaret operated for as many as six nights per week, accompanied by the house band The Banjo Boys. Later food-and-beverage venues included Sports Bar & Grill, the Sky Bar and Madhu's Heathrow, a Punjabi restaurant connected with the Southall-based Madhu brand. The property also became known for its swimming-pool area and, during an earlier period, the Mediterranean restaurant The Garden. Sheraton Hotels assumed the management contract for the Skyline Hotel and the Park Tower on 14 May 1977 in a transaction reported at £4 million, after which the property adopted the Sheraton Skyline name. Ownership and management arrangements changed over subsequent decades. Reinhold Int, a Swedish property-development consortium, acquired the hotel in 1988 for nearly £40 million. In the 1990s, the property continued to operate as a conference-oriented hotel and completed the Department of National Heritage's Investors in People certification at the end of 1996, reflecting recognition of workplace training and incentive practices. It was also used during the 1997 Congress in London. Qatar Airways purchased the hotel in 2015. The airline announced plans to rename it Oryx Sheraton Skyline London Heathrow, which would have made it the first hotel associated with Qatar Airways' Oryx brand. The announced renaming was not implemented, and the property continued to trade under the Sheraton Skyline identity. The hotel later closed permanently on 22 May 2026. Its historical significance lies in its airport-location business model, long association with Heathrow conferences, distinctive atrium architecture and continuity under the Sheraton brand across changing ownership arrangements.
History
The Sheraton Skyline Hotel London Heathrow originated in the expansion of Heathrow's surrounding hotel and conference market during the early 1970s. Developed by Capital & Counties alongside the Park Tower Hotel in Knightsbridge, the property was initially operated by Canadian-based Skyline Hotels. Its design was associated with the Ronald Fielding Partnership, with interiors by Canadian designer Allan W. Edwards. Other descriptions identify the building work with Curtis and Davies and emphasize its brutalist architectural character. The completed hotel used a large atrium as its central organizing feature, giving the building a distinctive internal environment and helping create a strong visual identity within the airport-hotel sector. The hotel opened on 1 October 1971 with published room prices of £6 for a single room and £9 for a double room. Its original business proposition combined accommodation with conference services, reflecting Heathrow's role as an international transport hub and the growth of business travel. In the same year, the hotel joined the London Heathrow Conference Service, a collaborative initiative involving many of the area's major hotels. The initiative sought to establish Heathrow as a leading European location for business meetings. The Skyline therefore operated not only as a transit hotel but also as a venue for corporate gatherings, professional conferences and international delegations. Entertainment and hospitality were important parts of the early operating model. In the 1970s, Diamond Lil's Wild West Cabaret appeared at the hotel up to six nights a week, with the house band The Banjo Boys. Conference activity continued across a range of subjects. One documented event was the 9 March 1977 conference on the transportation of hazardous cargoes by air. In 1980, members of the Turkish Cypriot business community met at the property to discuss trade and investment between Turkey and the United Kingdom. These events illustrate the hotel's connection with aviation, international commerce and specialist business communities. A major change came on 14 May 1977, when Sheraton Hotels assumed the management contract for the Skyline Hotel and the Park Tower from Skyline Hotels in a transaction reported at £4 million. The Heathrow property was subsequently renamed the Sheraton Skyline Hotel. The hotel continued under Sheraton management while ownership changed. In 1981, John Rotter was appointed controller of the Sheraton Management Corporation and controller of the Sheraton Skyline Hotel. In 1988, the Swedish property-development consortium Reinhold Int acquired the hotel for nearly £40 million. During the 1990s, the property continued to promote itself as a hotel and conference center. It was at one point known as the Sheraton Skyline Hotel and Conference Centre. At the end of 1996, it completed the Department of National Heritage's Investors in People certification, a United Kingdom workplace standard assessing employer practices including training and employee incentives. The hotel was also one of the venues used during the first four days of the Congress in London, held from 4 to 11 July 1997. The property experienced a notable safety-related incident in May 2002, when fire services evacuated hundreds of people after an ammonia smell was reported. The available historical material records the evacuation but does not provide a confirmed explanation or indicate that the incident resulted in a scandal or legal finding. The hotel continued operating with its accommodation, conference, food-and-beverage and leisure facilities. Its restaurant portfolio changed over time. The property previously included The Garden, a Mediterranean restaurant overlooking the swimming pool. Later venues included Sports Bar & Grill, the Sky Bar and Madhu's Heathrow. Madhu's Heathrow introduced Punjabi cuisine based on recipes associated with the original Madhu Indian Restaurant in Southall, West London, and represented a collaboration between a locally established restaurant concept and the international airport-hotel setting. Qatar Airways purchased the hotel in 2015. The airline announced a plan to rename it Oryx Sheraton Skyline London Heathrow, potentially making it the first property under its Oryx hotel brand. The announced rebranding was never completed, so the hotel retained the Sheraton Skyline name. The property ultimately closed on 22 May 2026. Its operating history spans the rise of Heathrow as an international conference and hospitality district, several ownership transitions and nearly five decades of association with the Sheraton brand.
- 2026
Permanent closure
[1]The hotel closed on 22 May 2026.
- 2015
Purchased by Qatar Airways
[1]Qatar Airways acquired the hotel and announced an Oryx-related renaming that was never implemented.
- 1997
Used as a Congress in London venue
[1]The hotel hosted the first four days of the Congress in London held from 4 to 11 July.
- 1996
Completes Investors in People certification
[1]The hotel completed Department of National Heritage certification under the Investors in People program.
- 1988
Acquired by Reinhold Int
[1]The Swedish property-development consortium Reinhold Int bought the hotel for nearly £40 million.
- 1977
Sheraton assumes management
[1]Sheraton Hotels took over the management contract and the property adopted the Sheraton Skyline name.
- 1971
Hotel opens near Heathrow Airport
[1]The Skyline Hotel opened on 1 October 1971 as a 350-room airport and conference hotel, with single rooms priced at £6 and double rooms at £9.
- 1971
Joins the London Heathrow Conference Service
[1]The hotel became part of a local hotel initiative intended to attract business travelers and establish Heathrow as a major European meeting destination.
Products and positioning
An upper-upscale, conference-focused airport hotel serving Heathrow passengers, corporate travelers, events and international business meetings.
Lodging · 1971
Hotel accommodation
The property offered 350 guest rooms in an airport-oriented, four-star hotel format. Its location near Heathrow served passengers requiring short stays as well as business travelers and conference participants visiting the airport corridor.
Business hospitality · 1971
Conference and meeting facilities
Conference services were central to the hotel's original proposition. It participated in the London Heathrow Conference Service and hosted international business, trade and professional gatherings, including events connected with aviation and international commerce.
Restaurant
Madhu's Heathrow
Madhu's Heathrow served Punjabi cuisine based on recipes associated with the original Madhu Indian Restaurant in Southall, West London. It brought a locally rooted restaurant concept into the hotel's international airport setting.
Bar
Sky Bar
The Sky Bar was one of the hotel's later food-and-beverage venues and served cocktails to hotel guests and visitors.
Restaurant and bar
Sports Bar & Grill
Sports Bar & Grill was a casual dining and drinks venue within the hotel, complementing its conference, leisure and accommodation services.
Restaurant
The Garden
The Garden was an earlier Mediterranean restaurant overlooking the hotel's swimming pool. It was later replaced or discontinued as the property's restaurant portfolio changed.
Marketing campaigns
- 1971London Heathrow Conference Service
United Kingdom
The hotel joined a group of major Heathrow-area hotels promoting the district as a European center for business meetings and conference travel.
Outcome. The initiative established conference hosting as a central part of the hotel's market positioning.
- 1970Diamond Lil's Wild West Cabaret
United Kingdom
The hotel's entertainment program included a Wild West-themed cabaret that operated as often as six nights per week during the 1970s, supported by the house band The Banjo Boys.
Outcome. The program reinforced the hotel's role as an entertainment and event venue in addition to its accommodation and conference functions.
Brand decisions
2015
Qatar Airways acquisition and proposed Oryx rebrandM&ABackground
Qatar Airways purchased the hotel and sought to connect it with its Oryx hospitality brand.
Action taken
The airline announced the proposed name Oryx Sheraton Skyline London Heathrow.
Aftermath
The announced renaming was not implemented, and the property continued using the Sheraton Skyline name.
1977
Adopted the Sheraton Skyline identityStrategyBackground
Sheraton Hotels took over management of the Skyline Hotel and the Park Tower Hotel from Skyline Hotels.
Action taken
The Heathrow property was renamed Sheraton Skyline Hotel and operated under Sheraton management.
Aftermath
The Sheraton name remained associated with the property through its later ownership changes and until its closure.
Reported combined management-contract transaction value. £4 million (1977)
Recent events
- 2026
Sheraton Skyline Hotel London Heathrow closes[1]
Other
The hotel closed on 22 May 2026, ending its operation as a Sheraton property near Heathrow Airport.
- 2015
Qatar Airways purchases the hotel and announces an Oryx rebrand[1]
M&A
Qatar Airways purchased the property and announced that it would be renamed Oryx Sheraton Skyline London Heathrow. The proposed name change was not ultimately carried out.
- 2002
Guests evacuated after reported ammonia smell[1]
Other
Fire services evacuated hundreds of people from the hotel in May 2002 after guests reported smelling ammonia. The available reference describes the evacuation but does not establish a criminal finding or confirmed cause.
- 1977
Sheraton Hotels takes over management of the Skyline Hotel[1]
Other
Sheraton Hotels acquired the management contract for the Skyline Hotel and the Park Tower Hotel from Skyline Hotels, and the Heathrow property was renamed Sheraton Skyline Hotel.
Sources1 sources
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