Travel light, sleep deep

I hear good and bad about flight layovers in airport hotels. You need only "lose" a half-day of your plane journey, get a proper rest in a bedroom with en suite, can freshen up in comfort and the cost is far less than upgrading to the next class. However, I have concerns about luggage. If you take only your hand luggage to the hotel, should you allow the rest to be handled by the airline and hope it arrives at the final destination at the same time as you do or should you put it in a locker at the airport (assuming these are available) and re-check it when you return from the hotel?

- M. Nelson, Chatswood.

I would have no concerns about leaving checked luggage in the care of the airline. If it's any consolation, less than 1 per cent of bags fail to arrive on the same flight as their rightful owners and only a fraction of those are lost for more than 24 hours. The alternative that you're suggesting would mean recovering your suitcase from the baggage carousel, steering it through customs, finding the baggage storage facility and checking your bags in once again when you re-board your onward flight.

Make life sweet and easy and head for your airport hotel with just your carry-ons. Some airports have hotels within their terminals, such as Singapore's Ambassador Transit Hotel (athmg.com), which allow you to hop off the aircraft and straight into bed without passing through immigration. The Ambassador is also excellent value. There are also airport hotels at Heathrow and Gatwick in London.