Delhi Airport Day Rooms
Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) is one of the few airports in the region where a room can be rented by the hour without leaving the building: the Holiday Inn Express on Level 5 of Terminal 3 sells rooms in blocks from 1 to 24 hours in a domestic wing and an international wing, and the sleep pods in the terminal cover shorter rests. Outside the terminal, the two Lemon Tree hotels and the Pride Plaza publish a day-use product and the other Aerocity hotels sell a daytime slot on request. This guide lists what is available, where and for whom, as of September 2026.
Inside Terminal 3: the Holiday Inn Express
The Holiday Inn Express New Delhi International Airport T3 has 93 rooms on Level 5 of Terminal 3, split between a domestic wing and an international wing, both airside. Rooms are sold in blocks of 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12 and 24 hours to passengers holding a boarding pass for a flight departing from Terminal 3 within 24 hours; guests arriving on another flight or from Terminal 1 check in for their T3 departure first, then go up to the hotel. The international wing is in the transit area and takes passengers connecting between two international flights without an Indian visa. The rate covers the free Express Start breakfast between 6:30 am and 10:30 am, the T-Lounge, the Essentials Spa and the Exert gym, and cancellation is free up to 48 hours before arrival; once checked in, guests cannot leave the airport. The help desks are near the domestic transfer area in arrivals and next to check-in counter A at Gate 1, and the hotel answers on +91 11 45252000.
Sleep pods
The Snooze at My Space pods in the Terminal 3 departure areas are sold by the hour at roughly ₹500 to ₹1,500, without a shower, and have been closed at times; ask at the information desk whether a pod is open near your gate. They suit a rest of two to six hours between flights, and the sleeping in the airport guide describes them alongside the seating areas.
Aerocity hotels with daytime slots
Three Aerocity hotels publish a day-use product. The Lemon Tree Premier, Delhi Airport and the Lemon Tree Hotel, Delhi Airport sell a Day Room through lemontreehotels.com: a 7-hour slot between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm, paid in full at booking and non-refundable, with each extra hour after 5:00 pm charged at 25 percent of the booking; the chain advertises day rooms from ₹1,099, and the Aerocity hotels price above that floor. The Pride Plaza Hotel Aerocity, with 385 rooms and a 24-hour café, sells rooms by the day and by the hour through its own booking engine and through hourly-booking platforms. The other Aerocity hotels sell a daytime slot on request, typically between about 9:00 am and 6:00 pm at roughly half the overnight rate; the ibis New Delhi Aerocity is the cheapest overnight rate if a full night costs little more than a day. Each is one stop on the Airport Express Line or a 5 to 10 minute cab ride from Terminal 3, and about 15 to 20 minutes from Terminal 1, so a daytime slot needs an Indian visa and about an hour of travel each way on top of the room.
Which to choose
For a connection at Terminal 3 within 24 hours, the transit hotel is the only room that avoids the terminal doors and, for international connections, the visa; the terminal guide explains the transfer from Terminal 1 for passengers arriving there. For a longer gap between flights, a delayed evening departure or a day of meetings in Aerocity, an Aerocity day slot with a pool and a restaurant is the better use of the money, and the hotel transfers guide covers the cab and metro links. For a few hours’ rest without a room, the lounges in the lounges guide offer showers and armchairs for a walk-in fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I book a hotel room by the hour at Delhi Airport?
Yes. The Holiday Inn Express on Level 5 of Terminal 3 sells rooms in blocks of 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12 and 24 hours to passengers departing from Terminal 3 within 24 hours, in a domestic wing and an international wing. Book through the hotel or its help desk in the terminal.
Which Aerocity hotels offer day-use rooms?
Three do as a published product. The Lemon Tree Premier and the Lemon Tree Hotel sell a Day Room through the Lemon Tree site, a 7-hour slot between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm, paid in full at booking and non-refundable; the Pride Plaza sells rooms by the day and by the hour through its own booking engine. The other Aerocity hotels sell a daytime slot on request at roughly half the overnight rate; ask before travelling.
Can I use a Delhi Airport day room during a layover without a visa?
Only inside the terminal. The international wing of the Holiday Inn Express is in the transit area of Terminal 3 and needs no Indian visa; any hotel outside the terminal requires clearing immigration.
Information last verified: September 26, 2026