In the know
- Our favourite rooms
- Make sure you get a room to the rear with a view of the planes taking off and touching down (the road to the front is not an inspiring vista). Aviator Plus rooms such as 328 combine oodles of space with fabulous views of the airfield (helped by the sliding floor-to-ceiling windows and Juliet balconies). The top-floor suites (412 and 414 are our favourites) are more spacious still and feature walk-in wardrobes, huge bathrooms with full tubs and three TVs (including one you can watch while you soak).
- Packing tips
- Leave your flight socks at home, unless you plan to take flying lessons. No need for DVDs or iPods, either – you can choose from dozens of recent film releases and albums old and news via the free in-room library.
- Also
- There’s a stack of garden games for alfresco summer showdowns; lock horns over giant Connect4 racks, Jenga towers, snakes and ladders, or dominoes.
Current offers
- Smith card offer
- Half a bottle of champagne and a plate of strawberries dipped in chocolate
- Current special offer
More photos
Aviator
Hampshire, United Kingdom[view map]
- Style
- Silver belle
- Setting
- Airfields of Farnborough
Aviator is a surprise package: a stately sweep of glass and metal from the outside, an essay in sultry opulence on the inside, with plush velvet sofas, flickering open fires and a Guggenheim-inspired lobby with circular balconies reaching to the roof.
Need to know
- Rooms
- 169, including 19 Sky Studios.
- Rates
- £125–£275, including tax; excludes breakfast (£10 Continental buffet, £15 for cooked).
- Check-out
- 11am, but flexible depending on availability and subject to a charge (£50 until 2pm; £100 until 6pm). Check-in: 2pm.
- Facilities
- Gym, free WiFi throughout, seven function rooms. In rooms: flatscreen TV, free films and albums on demand, Bose entertainment sound system, cafetière and organic teas, free bottled water, Ren toiletries.
- Also
- Bikes are available. Suites come with free minibars and access to the private Sky Lounge bar. DVD players and iPod docks are available to borrow.
Food & drink
- Hotel restaurant
- Following the arc of the building on the ground floor, the Aviator’s brasserie recaptures yesteryear glamour with black-and-white portrait photos on the dark walls (inspiring games of ‘name the Hollywood icon’), leather banquette seating and chrome table lamps. The menu (though locally sourced) makes stop-offs all over the world, with Chinese salads, steak tartare, pasta dishes, and classic British fare, but it’s the delectable chargrilled steaks that really set the mouth a-water. For lunch during the week, the little Deli serves snacks and sandwiches in Steampunk rustic-industrial surroundings.
- Dress code
- If stewardess suits and captain’s uniforms are beyond your wardrobe, casual suits and eveningwear will do fine.
- Top table
- In summer, take a table outside and watch the little planes zoom in and out. Inside, the tables nearest the bar will guarantee you special attention.
- Last orders
- The brasserie serves lunch between noon and 2.30pm and dinner from 6pm to 10pm. The Sky Bar moves and shakes from 5pm until the last guest leaves.
- Room service
- Full meals and drinks can be brought to your room 24 hours a day (with a reduced offering between 10pm and 6am).
- Hotel bar
- As suave and sophisticated as any Soho cocktail lounge, the Aviator’s Sky Bar overlooks the airfield – attractively illuminated by night. At £9 a glass, the cocktails aren’t cheap, but they are expertly crafted. The aviation theme continues in the oversized photos of bolts, rivets and other aeronautical bits and bobs that line the walls. Guests in Sky Suites can sip and sup in the private Sky Lounge.
Also worth knowing
- Children
- Welcome – extra beds for older ones and cots for babies are provided free. The brasserie has a highchair stash and babysitting can be booked for £10 an hour (three-hour minimum).
- Weddings
- This hotel is suitable for weddings. More…
Smith Members offer
Half a bottle of champagne and a plate of strawberries dipped in chocolate
If you're a member of Mr & Mrs Smith, you can get special privileges at every Smith hotel you book through us. Just show your Smith card at check-in to claim the offer featured on every hotel page (like the one above).
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Book this hotel
To book this hotel please click here, or contact our travel team on 1 866 610 3867.
Aviator
55 Farnborough Road
Farnborough
GU14 6EL
