Booking for a CEO? Plan the landing before the apartment

When a chief executive's London trip goes wrong, it's nearly always in the first three hours: a 7am landing, an apartment that won't be ready until the afternoon and a first meeting at 10. Choose the place to stay with the airport, the landing time and the departure in mind and you fix most of that before it happens.

Match the neighbourhood to the airport

Start with Heathrow, because that's where most long-haul flights land. Heathrow Express runs non-stop from Heathrow Central to Paddington in a quarter of an hour, with trains every 15 minutes, while the Elizabeth line is slower, stopping on the way, but carries on through Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road and the City without a change. Either way, an apartment in Paddington, Bayswater or Marylebone keeps the airport run short. For the City and Canary Wharf, London City Airport is the one: the DLR gets to Bank in about 23 minutes, and the airport is small enough that landing to train is quick. Eurostar comes into St Pancras International, a short taxi from King's Cross, Bloomsbury and Clerkenwell, and Gatwick Express runs into Victoria, the natural way in for Belgravia and Pimlico.

A car from Heathrow in morning traffic is comfortable rather than quick. If the executive wants to work on the way in, a driver makes sense; if they want to be at a desk fast, Heathrow Express plus a short taxi from Paddington usually wins. Very few of the residences we list have parking, so if a driver will wait or there's a hire car, ask about drop-off and parking before you book.

Early check-in, late landings and departure day

Check-in is usually in the afternoon. Getting in early depends on whether the last guest has gone and the cleaners have been, so residences can rarely promise it weeks ahead, although it's always worth asking when you enquire. If the first meeting can't move, book from the night before, which costs a night but removes the risk completely. The cheaper fallback is to ask whether the building can hold luggage and has somewhere to shower; some do and plenty don't, and you want to know which before your CEO is standing on the pavement with two cases.

Only about half of residences list a reception, and at the rest key handover is arranged in advance, so a delayed flight needs managing. Send the flight number with the booking, ask who meets the guest and on what number, and agree what happens after midnight.

Jet lag decides how useful day one is. Ask whether the bedroom has blackout blinds and whether the fridge can be stocked with breakfast and water before arrival, either through reception or with a supermarket delivery booked for a slot they can take in. A CEO who lands at 7pm to milk, fruit and a dark bedroom is in far better shape for a 9am meeting than one out hunting for a shop.

Late check-out is early check-in in reverse, and depends just as much on the next booking. For an evening flight, ask in advance, and failing that ask the residence to hold bags for the day. Plan the last meeting along the airport line too, since for a Heathrow flight a final lunch near Paddington beats one in the City.

The arrival sheet

Send one page the day before travel, and put the flight times next to the dates when you first enquire so the reservations team can say straight away what's possible on arrival day. The sheet saves a dozen messages on landing.

• Full address, flat number and the nearest station
• The name and number of whoever hands over the keys
• Confirmed check-in time, and whether early access has been agreed
• Which train or car to take from the airport, and roughly how long it takes
• Wi-Fi network name, if the residence will share it in advance
• Departure plan: check-out time, bag storage and the route back to the airport