Management control of the only hotel to be built at Heathrow's new Terminal 5 is up for grabs.
The four-star de luxe development is owned by BAA Lynton, and is expected to generate strong interest from all leading international hotel brands. It is not yet known how much the contract will be worth to the winning bidder, but an operator is expected to be chosen over the next 12-18 months.
The 600-bedroom hotel will offer full leisure and state-of-the-art business facilities and will be directly linked to the terminal.
Hotel groups expected to be interested include Hilton, Marriott, Radisson Edwardian and Crowne Plaza. Chris Rouse, director of consultant Insignia Hotels, which is recruiting the operator, said: "We expect an enormous amount of interest from hotel operators around the world."