Just returned from Geneva, Switzerland; stayed at Hotel Chantilly Manotel. It's still under construction, so it's quite noisy. Just outside my room were the dumpsters next to a bar: noisy at 10pm with people, smelly in the morning with old garbage, except for those nights when the trash trucks come, and in this case it's noisy at 4AM. This even with double-pane windows! On my first night, I was awakened at 3pm by a pounding noise. It was the air conditioner! I turned mine off, but still heard the noise until a neighbor turned his off. One by one guests turned it off, until after about half an hour later it was rather quiet. Geneva must have better hotels.
Spent the next night at Holiday Inn at Heathrow Airport. Much better in terms of quiet. What to do if you have only a couple of hours at Heathrow airport but want to walk around? Take the "Hotel Hoppa" bus to Holiday Inn. Behind it is a residential area. If you have a full day, try the bus to Windsor and back. Easy to do in a day.
