KCLT/CLT - Charlotte - Courtyard by Marriott Steele Creek - May 2026

The Courtyard by Marriott, Steele Creek is a couple of miles to the south of Charlotte Airport, opposite an outlet mall.

As hotels go in general, this is a lovely modern hotel with excellent amenities including an outdoor pool, gym, and most importantly a 24 hour tuck shop in the reception selling snacks and soft drinks. Car parking on site is free.

From a spotting point of view, it is more than adequate.

I stayed one night and rang ahead earlier in the day to request a high floor room facing east, the request was noted and I got exactly what I asked for.

I was allocated room 402, which is the room right at the end of the corridor on the top floor, you couldn’t get any better. Any even numbered room from 402 through to 422 will give a similar view.

Room 402 is a room with one King Bed with Sofa Bed.

Even rooms with higher numbers than 422 will also get a view, but maybe not quite as good.

Basically, from here, you will easily get half of the action at CLT. If aircraft are departing to the south, you’ll get them all. If they are landing from the south, you will also get them.

Arrivals (or departures) from the north are trickier as these are 6 or 7 miles away. While I was there, I was picking out arrivals on the eastern most runway without too much difficulty, but arrivals from the north on the western runway were at too tight an angle.

If you were on a lower floor room you wouldn’t see anything to the north but you’d be fine with stuff arriving / departing to the south.

Charlotte has no hotels right next to the airport, so I did a lot of research trying to work out where would be best, and I was pleased with the outcome – it was ideal for a one-night stop.

Once the CLT Overlook had opened at 0800, however, I drove over there for the superior view which you wouldn’t’ manage to get from any hotel. The two locations complemented each other quite nicely.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/xAHtoVZRd55BLYTW8

The second image shows the view from the room giving an unobstructed view to the east for any arrivals or departures from or to the south.

The final image above is the view of the arrivals from the north, the lights are just above the apartment block but can be made out clearly with good optics.

CYOW/YOW - Ottawa - Hilton Garden Inn - May 2026

Having decided to nightstop at Ottawa I looked at hotel options & plumped for the HGI. I requested an airport facing room being unsure of exactly what view there would be.

 

I was allocated room 830 being a room with one King Bed & wasn’t disappointed. Whilst the weather wasn’t great during my stay, the large window gave views of the primary active runway (07/25) with any movements on 14/32 also being visible. The Innotech FBO ramp & anything outside their hangar can also be seen from the hotel room. The room cost me £145, booking directly with the hotel 5 weeks before my stay. Photos are possible from the room. However the window does distort some shots unfortunately.

 

Ottawa isn’t a particularly big or overly busy airport. Porter is the primary operator here with Air Canada, Air Transat, Westjet, Canadian North & PAL Airlines also having a number of movements. United Express are also well represented with a variety of cross border flights, primarily using Republic ERJ175s.

If coming to Ottawa you are likely to have a car as you will surely visit the excellent Canadian Air & Space Museum at Rockcliffe. At Ottawa IAP, the car enables you to see the cargo terminal & Canadian North maintenance facility at the eastern end of the airfield (behind the hotel) and allows you opportunities for photos either from the viewing area at that end of the airfield or south of the airfield on Alert Road near the entrance to Hylands Golf Club.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/2obNMfueFjqo6Gya9

Credit Nick Godfrey

CYVR/YVR - Vancouver - Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport Hotel and Marina - May 2026

Knowing I was going to have a car in Vancouver I chose not to stay in the incredibly expensive Fairmont Hotel & instead plumped for the Radisson Blu, believing that some rooms would have airport facing rooms. 

This proved to be correct, but despite requesting such a room in advance & receiving an acknowledgement, a totally uninterested Gentleman at Reception ignored me completely. The result being I was allocated a room on the third floor which looked south-east more towards the Harbour location than the airport itself. I realised that I could see arrivals on 26R…just…between trees & departures off 26L once they cleared the trees. It wasn’t a satisfactory view however, so I used the car & parked at the Larry Berg Flight Path Park where all the action could be seen.

 

I would suggest that higher room floors would give a reasonable outlook of the airport and that more could be seen more easily. When booking, you do not want to book a harbour facing room. However, the attitude of the Staff didn’t make me want to promote this hotel to anyone in the future. Hopefully, if you do stay here, you’ll have a better experience than I.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/HUYoRw1yva2CqLZ39

Credit Nick Godfrey

CYYZ/YYZ - Toronto - Holiday Inn Express & Suites Toronto Airport South - May 2026

Having just returned from a few days in Toronto, I thought it would be of use to share my observations in respect of a new hotel that has opened at Toronto Airport - It is the Holiday Inn Express - Toronto Airport South, 25 International Boulevard, Toronto. This hotel has only been open a few months.

The hotel is located in a fairly quite industrial area and as such there are not a great deal of places to get to without a vehicle or the need for a 15 mins walk. The hotel is located fairly close to the end of Runway 24L.

The room itself, I had a King Bed Suite Airport View, Room 610 - It had a fantastic view out over the airport from a nice big window and all landings and take offs from both directions on both runways in use could be seen except for the times when a bit of misty rain moved in for a few hours where movements on Runway 23/05 (the furthest runway from the hotel) were sometimes beaten by the weather. Out of these times, the aircraft were fairly well lit up. As is with most Toronto Airport hotels, it wasn't the cheapest but for me it was worth it and I missed very little with the assistance of electronic aids. The rooms can be booked on the IHG website as 'Airport View Rooms'

Hotel & nearby facilities - The hotel serves breakfast both warm and cold. There is no restaurant or bar though ! There is a small shop where crisps and snacks can be purchased. Disappointingly, there is no other facility like a fuel station to walk to to stock up. One plus, there is a rather conveniently located Molson Beer Store located about 10 mins walk South from the hotel. The store opens from 11am - 5pm Saturday and Sunday and 10am - 6pm Monday to Friday. The shops sells beers only and no wine or other soft drinks.The hotel room has a fridge in the room which is handy.

The nearest food places are about 15 mins walk to the North. There is the Arizona Grill Lounge as well as three fast food places, Popeyes, Pita Land and Philthy Phillies just before you get to the Arizona. There are also two aviation themed stores in this same complex, Threshold Aviation and AvWorld as well as a coffee shop.

I will sum up the hotel with the pro's and cons.

Pro's - An excellent hotel in a safe area, I didn't see any undesirables hanging about probably as its not in a residential area. The view from the room is excellent. The sun wasn't in my face all morning and started to appear from about 2pm onwards. If you are an IHG member, you get points for staying.

Cons - No restaurant or bar on site or in close walking distance. If anyone has mobility issues and relies on nearby facilities to walk to, this might not be the hotel for you.Car parking is charged at 15CAD a night but if you have a car, the above mentioned eateries/shops are a very short drive away. 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/vrnwUVnF3y4jLESP8

KSEA/SEA - Seattle Seatac - Double Tree - May 2026

I stayed in the Double Tree hotel at the south end of the airport.  With a high even numbered room there are views of the approach and departures, but again FR24 or similar is usually required.  I had 1278 which is a corner suite, so great for the approaches from the south while I was there.  being a Hilton Honors member is beneficial.  There is a sports bar for evening food, but other fast food and Dennys within walking distance. 

Rooms booked direct with Hilton allow you to pick your room prior to check in.

Additional May 2026 Information.

The biggest challenge here is getting the correct room for spotting. It is a huge hotel. You need to request a high room in the Tower to ensure you get the correct room with a view. However, when I looked to check in online I found they had allocated a room on 3^rd floor to me – no good at all. Through their Live Chat I ascertained that the high rooms in the Tower are only available at the published rate to holders of HHonors Gold or above.

 

It is possible to upgrade at a cost to gain access which I chose to do. For an extra USD 40 I was allocated room 1178, a corner room allowing views of all arrivals & departures (regardless of runway usage) and also of some aircraft parked on the A & S Terminals. I feel this to be good value in order to give you the access you require.

Credit: Steve Mitchell and additional information by Nick Godfrey

https://maps.app.goo.gl/L5Y2BhT5HeVyvbfAA

LEMD/MAD - Madrid - Crowne Plaza - May 2026

This hotel is on the same road as the other "airport" hotels that have sprung up alongside the A-2 Autoroute such as the B&B Zleep hotel.  Rooms 227 to 239 look out over the approach to both 32L and 32R with the window to room 233 opening fully to allow photo's of 32L arrivals from around 11:00.  These rooms have 2 double beds. The hotel also offer at a premium Runway view rooms, room numbers 241 to 247, but these only have 1 king size bed and arrivals on 32R would be below the tree line in the distance.

On the opposite side of the A-2 there are 2 viewing area's (Mirador de pista 32L and Mirador pista Aeropuerto) which are approximately 1.5 miles from the hotel.

If you don't have a car, the hotel runs a shuttle bus which you have to pre-book for $5 each or a Uber or Bolt will get you to the hotel from Terminal 2 for around 10 to 15 Euro's depending on how busy they are.

Attached are a couple photo's from Room 223.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/3aZQex3faw3E7AGi8

EPWA/WAW - Warsaw Chopin Airport - May 2026

There are two hotels next to the terminal, both at the top end price wise. I stayed in the Courtyard Marriott, only a few minutes’ walk from the terminal, and found the staff to be obliging re room requests.

I had #543 (king double) which gave great views of runway 29 line up and departures or runway 33 landers. If the runway directions are reversed you would see landers & departures respectively (11 & 15 though you need to be quick for those, FR24 coverage was good).

There are a couple of stands visible to your right but you really need to wait for movements to come to you. There are no views here of the many stands along the terminal and up to maintenance except for an area by the lifts (big windows) that allow a view over part of the Govt ramp and some remote stands.

From the room you can see some biz parking (spread all over the airfield) and remote cargo ramps where LOT 787 would often park up along with Enter 737.

There is an additional outside glass plate panel in front of the bedroom window so you can take posterity shots from the room but they can be overly tinted and a bit ‘wobbly’.

Rooms 541-550 would seem to work, probably on 3^rd and 4^th floor too (*41-*50)..

https://maps.app.goo.gl/qYx5hAGACZET8dUy9

Runway Intersection.

Looking at the hotel from the runway.

Looking South (Runway 29 and 33).

WMKK/KUL - Kuala Lumpur International - Sama-Sama - May 2026

Room 841 was allocated & had a view looking towards the Air Asia Terminal. Electronics required at what is a vast airport. I predictably stayed at the Sama Sama Terminal 1, not the airside transit hotels.  This is connected by under cover walkway or hotel golf carts to Terminal 1.  I requested and received rooms on high floors overlooking runway 14L/32R.  14L is primarily used for non-Air Asia arrivals and they were easy to see day and night, as ever electronic aids required in darkness. 

The rooms with this view end in x01 to x09 and x60 to x67.  Most Air Asia arrivals use runway 15, the ‘far runway’, and windows in the hotel corridor enables these to be seen.  Rooms ending in x60/61 and x08/09 have windows directly opposite whilst those ending in x01/x67 are either side of the lifts, where there is a set of windows opposite.  These rooms minimize the amount of walking required, although preferences may be based on just how many Air Asia aircraft you need!  A handful of arrivals used 14R, but this was primarily departures, and these could not be see from the hotel.

Room 841 was used by Andy Vass on a previous visit & had a view looking towards the Air Asia Terminal. Electronics required at what is a vast airport. There is a spotting area on the 9th Floor of the hotel. Which looks to left hand of the 3 runways. It is easy to access if you’re on the 9th floor, which is premium. 

• The viewing area is open between 6am to 11pm
• Executive floor guests get automatic access
• If not on the Exec floor, you can still gain access to this area by asking at the Main reception desk for a ‘one use’ pass to the viewing area.
• You will not be allowed to buy any drinks whilst in the spotting area.  I assume you can take your own drinks
• Note: You gain access to the spotting area via a guest meeting room.  So, if a meeting is in progress, then access is not permitted to any guest.
• views are of runway 32R only. 

Although the hotel market this area as a place to relax and watch the action , the staff member I spoke to say the hotel see it as an alternative smoking area.  

https://maps.app.goo.gl/AytgvoLaW6pF4Hv27

KLAX/LAX - Los Angeles - Ramada by Wyndham - May 2026

With the  usual hotels  showing as , very expensive. Thinking outside the box I was looking for places in Hawthorne. I came across place. I'm staying tonight which is a Ramada by Wyndham. The address is 5250 W. El Segundo Blvd., Los Angeles 90250. It has free parking, high-speed Wi-Fi, and rooms come with a microwave, coffee machine, and fridge.  The view as you can see from the attached photo is of the arrival path on the way they normally land into LAX. It's not for purists, but the distance to the aircraft from the hotel isn't too far, although not possible to read the aircraft serial. This is really the last chance place to stay with a view that I would used, but it works perfectly well. Hotel has four floors and any room that ends in 01 - 17 would work.. The hotel has a 1980s vibe as you can see. The view works well though. 

The Hilton it isn’t , but at £65 for the night was a bargain ……. Booked direct … they arrange a room facing the right way at check in.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/tEUemVQ6wQX2afdN7

XIY/ZLXY - Xi'an - Airport Hotel - May 2026

Our hotel was the airport Hotel adjacent to T1 – T3. It has nine floors and we were allocated the 8^th.  Most of the rooms have a view of the northern runway or the southern pair and were king bedded.  Ideally you want a room with as low number as possible as its close to the window at the end of the corridor from where you can see both approaches.  As far as we could see none of the rooms were a twin room.  This did not matter as we had two rooms.  808 (even numbers face the Southern runways) and 809 (odd numbers face the Northern runway).  FR24 ground coverage was not good in May 2026 and a bit glitchy in the air above 2000-3000ft.

Higher even numbers face out towards the remote parking area near Terminal 3 and approach to Runways 06L/06R, these are probably the best rooms as you can easily walk to the end of the corridor to see the 05L approach.  There are three Capital A319's and three EMB145s in a compound - these can also be seen from the window at the end of the corridor.  

There is a shuttle bus from T5 (although we took a Didi) and the hotel is linked directly to terminal 3 (and in turn T2) via a walkway.

Although we didn't use them there are western and Chinese food options in the Hotel. 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/SKAMehxoXrgRGmXt6
  

Photos from room on southside of hotel.

Photos from room on northside of hotel.

Views from end of corridor window.

ZSPD/PVG - Shanghai Pu Dong - Holiday Inn - May 2026

The hotel is a 10min walk from the airport and the train station to SHA.  There is a 7-11 enroute if you need to stock up with snacks.

If you arrive before check-in time then you can spot discreetly from outside the main entrance of the hotel using FR24 .  

An airport view room can be booked and is required, we were allocated 6067.  The hotel is new, so had all mod cons...  Electric curtains, USB and USC plug switches, and the usual high quality furnishings. This room had twin beds, and a sofa / table / chair adjacent to the window.  We moved the sofa to face outwards and give more comfort.

In May FR24 coverage was patchy with aircraft dropping off/appearing on at around 1500ft.  If you have an SBS/ADSB set-Up then it will help you a bit and there is a power plug just below the windows to help with power.  The windows also opens if you need to put an antenna outside.  Once closed up, the room is well insulated from airport noise.  

The Internet worked well in the hotel. Of course, being in China, WhatsApp and some other applications are restricted. I was able to communicate with home using teams, but the calling option is also prohibited. 

The fridge wasn't the best but by the evening the drinks were suitably chilled. There is a limited room service menu, which we did use, as there was so many needed frames coming in we weren't able to leave the room for any duration.

During the stay all arrivals we coming from the South towards us, so the approaches were easily seen.  All departures were also visible, either taxying out or on the departure roll.  There are big gaps between the terminal and satellite so it's fairly easy to see everything.

Floor 3 is reception/bar/restaurant which doubles as the breakfast buffet. This is served from 0600 to 1000. This was included in our room rate. rooms are on floors 5, 6 and 7.  Rooms ending in 001 to 073 odd numbers view towards the taxiway between the two terminals, the remote gates and with views of all runways.  I was on the fifth floor and the view was absolutely fine. Chinese superstition means there are are no rooms with the number 4 in them, nor a 4th floor. The hotel is huge and has well over a hundred rooms per floor so room numbers are 4 digits (e.g. 5001 onwards for the fifth floor).

The Crowne Plaza looks like it is the same building design but probably with fewer, larger rooms.

Note if using Didi (Chinese Uber) while it is okay to get dropped of directly at the hotel, you cannot be picked up here and have to walk into the terminal and the eHailing point.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/owphVisKs9DFaXnd6

ZSHC/HGH - Hangzhou - Manju Hotel - May 2026

This is the perfect hotel but there is no perfect room.  The best room is probably 8817 on the eighth floor.  The window in this room has a view of the approach to runways 06 and 07 as well as the holding point for Runway 07.  Next to the room is a public area with a view to a gap in the buildings (next to the Loong Air HQ) that allows you to see aircraft taxing to the holding point of Runway 06.  So if 06 and 07 are in use nothing will be missed if you are closely monitoring the tracking sites.

 
If however they are using runways 25 and 24 arrivals turn off before coming into view so will not be seen from this room until they depart.  Alternative rooms with this same view are 8816-8802 but each room gets progressively further away from the public window, so it's further to walk.

An alternative view can be had from any room between 8823 to 8837 with the lower numbers being the best due to their proximity to the aforementioned window.  The views from these rooms are over the terminal and the approach to runway 25 and runway 24 are visible.  Departures from runway 25 can also be seen.  Departures from runway 24 are visible as long as they lift off quickly and are not too heavy!  However the full climb out is visible from the public window.

The rooms a very cheap and bookable via Trip.com, therefore I would suggest if there is more than one of you travelling together you should get separate rooms.  Then ask for one on the front and one on the back to ensure you have both views available.  That's what we ended up doing.  If there is just one person - then ask for the room depending on the runway direction and choose the direction looking towards whichever approach is in use.

The hotel is on the 7th and 8th floor of a service building, so I think all rooms will have some sort of view regardless of what you book.

There is no restaurant but there is a 7-11 convenience store next door where snacks can be bought.  To get to/from the terminal I would recommend getting a Didi (China's answer to Uber).  There is a public transport options, however a Didi cost less than £2 and was very convenient.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/bQ17CcDSyN6NPbPL7

The following photos are from Room 8830.

The following photo is from Room 8817.

View from the window next to 8817, showing the gap.

ZPPP/KMG - Kunming - Best Yue Hang hotel - May 2026

This is an old fashioned hotel with views onto the terminal from the 03/21 side. When we were there runways 21 and 22 were in use the entire time and both runways can be seen although you had to be quick to catch the departures from runway 22 as they passed through a gap. The landers could be seen from some distance over the terminal prior to touchdown, there are very limited views of aircraft on the ground.  We had room 8836 a twin room and probably the optimum room but any even numbered room between 8864 and 8834 would work. Much beyond this and you might lose the view of one runway or the other. The hotel does not appear to have a restaurant, but it does have a gift shop where snacks can be bought.

The Hotel internet required to to register your phone at the front desk although that didn’t bother us as we were using an e-sim for the data.  Fair warning, the beds were “firm” in the extreme.  

There is a shuttle bus to the Hotel.  However as we were unsure of the timetable we didn't use to get to the hotel and instead took a Didi (Chinese Uber) at around £1.50.  We did use the shuttle however to return to the terminal.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/qdwdni7YXtKX1UEd6

ZGGG/CAN - Guangzhou - Novotel - May 2026

You need to book an Executive Runway View Room, which guarantees a room on the 7th or 8th floor (which are the two highest). 

Some reports before have quoted ideal rooms as 8th floor room numbers 5813, 5815, 5817 & 5819 but we were informed that these were one king bed only and as we had Executive Twin rooms booked we needed to be one floor lower.  We were given room 5715 on this occasion, which had a great view.  Odd rooms numbered 5801 through 5821 (8th floor) and 5701 through 5721 (7th floor) will give you the view you need. 

CAN is an epic airport and since our last visit a new terminal (T3) had been opened along with a new Runway (03/21).  

Departures to the North - If departing to the North, then from these rooms you can see the departures heading North off runways 01L, 01R, 02L and 02R  You can also see departures off the new Runway 03, although you need to be on alert for these and if the cloud base is low they can disappear quickly.  No view of arrivals from the south from these rooms but if you go the end of the corridor (high room numbers are closer), you’ll see a nice window looking out towards the runways on the West side of the airport. Here you can catch them landing and rolling out.  So a mix of the room and corridor window allows good coverage in this configuration.  Even when dark, it was possible to see enough of the departures for them to be logged. 

Arrivals from the North - its basically a reverse of the above, great for arrivals but rubbish for departures.  While this was not the configuration on this visit a previous visit shows this configuration also works okay.  I don't know if the new runway (arriavls on 21) will be visible in this configuration however.

If clear (which it was not on this visit) you can also see the downwinds heading South and the over the tops going into Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Zhuhai.  

The 8th floor would be better for the corridor window but I don’t think the 6th floor or lower would be any good for that as the size of the airport infrastructure gets in the way.  On our May 2026 visit with is woprth noting that FR24 coverage was patchy, and they drop off or appear only at about 1000ft, so a system is required to ensure you are logging what you actually see and ensuring you see what you actually need.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/ci1WUQ3QYEmh1mYL6

View from end of corridor window overlooking western runways.

View from 5803.