My son Augustine and I arrived late (10:30 pm) into Toronto and had an early flight out (8:00 am) the next morning, requiring an overnight stay. I made the choice to save money and chose a cheap hotel near Pearson Airport (YYZ)…and that was the right choice.
Cheap Hotel At YYZ Airport: Quality Inn Did The Job Just Fine
I’ve been wanting to try the remodeled Park Hyatt Toronto, but obviously that would have insane to drop $450 on a hotel room for such a short stay, especially when the journey from Pearson Airport into town is not quick.
Instead, I chose an airport hotel and thus the real choice was whether to stay at the in-terminal Sheraton Gateway for about $300 or a budget property with a shuttle 10-15 minutes away for $70. I had $50 in “Orbucks” (Orbitz rewards currency) expiring and decided that since we would not have time to make use of the swimming pool or wellness area or breakfast, it made sense to book the cheaper option.
I chose the Quality Inn & Suites in Mississauga. Nothing fancy about it, but complimentary shuttle service was provided and I just wanted a clean room with wi-fi for the night so my son could sleep and I could get some work done (I do not trust wi-fi on airplanes or on boats…).
We did not have to wait long for the shuttle, which took us directly to the property 15 minutes away. There, we were checked into a second floor room within two minutes. Spartan, but clean.
While I will not use Uber Eats in the USA, I noticed my room had a microwave and Augustine and I were hungry, so we ordered some Taco Bell! Lol. Of course…
With our “midnight” snack complete, Augustine went to bed and I did too..for three hours. At 3:00 am I woke up and got some work done until our shuttle to the airport left on-time at 5:45 am.
Was it worth saving $200 to stay here versus walk to the Sheraton at the airport? For me, yes. It made it easier to justify paying $600 to fly WestJet direct instead of $200 to fly Air Canada via Montreal.
I’m thankful for budget accommodations like this…they did the job just fine (and there even would have been a fitness center and free breakfast had our flight been later in the day)
Budget hotels are great for times like this. Airport connected hotels are becoming extremely expensive so taking a shuttle is now becoming a better option. The other day I had to overnight at DEN to catch a very early flight next morning. Options were $820 at the Westin at the airport or $250 at the Courtyard with a shuttle 15 minutes away. Now, I decided to pay $500 for the Sheraton AMS vs $120 at the Hyatt Place since I land at 10:30pm and I can walk to my hotel room vs waiting forever for a shuttle and have to go back to the airport early in the morning.
I actually like the Sheraton at AMS and enjoy the breakfast buffet. I fly through YYZ regularly , options are kinda limited for an overnight stay personally I prefer connecting at YUL instead.
I’m looking forward to your westjet review, I was huge fan prior to westjet becoming privately owned.
Oh, don’t get me wrong. The Sheraton AMS is an awesome option but has gotten very expensive lately.
Beyond a stay at the Sofitel ATH resulting from an Aegean cancellation in summer 2022, I can’t remember the last time I stayed at an on-site hotel at an airport- it might well have been the FCO Hilton over 15 years ago and courtesy of Alitalia. However, I am also not a huge fan of the hotel shuttles. For an overnight connection, I typically study the metro/train maps and choose something that’s next to a station within 2-3 stops from the airport.
I’m with you on Uber Eats for delivery. For pickup though, they do have BOGO deals that you can use the Plat credits on. Pickup has been working well for me.
A compromise would have been to stay at the Four Points YYZ which is an easy 5 minute walk from Terminal 3 and much cheaper than the in-airport Sheraton (over 50% less, looking at the next few days). Then you don’t have to worry about a shuttle.
There is also a newer Element attached to the Four Points that is usually slightly more expensive but still much cheaper than the Sheraton.
Sorry but that Four Points is a much worse than the Quality Inn he stayed at.
As is the Sheraton Gateway actually. Complete overpriced garbage.
Any suggestions for a hotel in/near ORD? I have a positioning flight for an international flight the next day. Use the hotel at the airport? Any food nearby or just suffer with the airport food?
Thanks.
I think the airport food at ORD is particularly bad EXCEPT for Tortas Frontera, which is always a delight.
https://liveandletsfly.com/tortas-frontera-chicago-ohare/
Hilton is so easy…I stay at the Hyatt O’Hare (Hyatt Rosemont may be cheaper). Both have shuttles. Hyatt Rosemont has a Giordano’s within walking distance (pizza not as good as Lou Malnati’s, but still great).
Do you really want to replay the best pizza in Chicago fracas? Don’t you remember how bloody that fight was last time?
LOL. I’m a Lou’s guy…but there I like most deep dish pizza!
If you stay at the Hilton, you can have Lou Malnati’s or Giordano’s delivered via DoorDash. You might have to go meet the driver at the T2 curbside arrivals area, though. Not even a 5-minute walk so not that big a deal.
Assuming your international flight is from T5 (though a departure may not be), the Hilton wouldn’t be any benefit since you need the airport train anyway. Also, the Hilton is old (fine but old) and the vent system has two temps: Heat or Cool. So if it is unseasonably one or the other, you may not like it if that matters.
I recently stayed at the Crowne Plaza ORD, mostly because I had a free night award. It also is older, but across the street from the mall by the airport (I am familiar with the area, and partly chose it for location). I had Lou Malnati’s delivered. I have a GrubHub monthly credit with my credit card, so the price was semi normal.
The Hyatt Regency is definitely a solid option. You can track their shuttle. I saw their shuttle come 2-3 times before mine (this was about three weeks ago), but there was a conference at my hotel of Jordanian flight crew, so consider that. On my way in (I had positioning flights to use SWUs to fly to and from Heathrow for a month), I stayed at a Fairfield Inn which had really good reviews (on points). It was clean, newer, and walking distance to a shopping center with a Target and several restaurants.
Many options for you. Most have shuttles, so you can’t go wrong if you plan well and read reviews. Pick one with your preferred hotel loyalty. A quick scan of Google Reviews, compared with Trip Advisor and the hotel’s site usually do the trick. At ORD I would only stay at the Hilton if I had a short overnight layover, similar to Matthew’s, and it was very cold (I hate being too hot in a hotel!). I have stayed there a few times, but the pricing is so high, so convenient or not, it’s almost as convenient to go to the Regency with its reliable shuttle. Just be sure to know that they all pick up at the transportation center. This is a bit of a walk if you have a heavy backpack, duffel. It’s like walking to the Hilton, but then upstairs (elevator) and across as if you were going to the parking lot. However, on your way back, the hotel shuttles drop you directly at your terminal.
For the Hilton ORD when not caring about getting Hilton points and status benefits, it can be booked much more cheaply as a Hot Rate hotel on Hotwire, and it is rather easy to unmask before selecting the Hotwire Hot Rate/“opaque” hotel booking for it. That is how I still end up at the aged Hilton ORD on overnight layovers when I want to be there. More typically I am at a Hyatt around the airport when needing an airport area hotel with a free way to and from the airport’s check-in counters/baggage claim/offices.
Thanks for the suggestions. The flight is from T5 via Austrian Airlines.
It all depends on what time my flight leaves in the morning. I’m NOT a morning person by any stretch of the imagination, so if I have a flight that necessitates getting up before 7 am, I’ll pay the extra money to stay at the hotel connected to the terminal. The extra half hour of sleep is worth it to me. Otherwise, I’ll absolutely save the cash and stay at a cheaper hotel off-site. As much as anything else, I prefer having real places to eat nearby, rather than having to settle for overpriced hotel food.
This place doesn’t look too bad, but another commenter mentioned the Four Points YYZ. I’ve stayed there, and it’s not bad, especially for a Four Points. It’s nice to just walk across the street to T3.
Hey Matthew, can I ask why you don’t trust wifi on planes? Is it less secure than other public wifi? Just curious as that is something I’ve never seen a travel blogger mention before. Sheraton Gateway is very convenient but definitely pricey, have begrudgingly booked there to/from Havana due to bad connections onward to Australia. Look forward to the PH review once you get a chance to visit longer.
Can’t count on the wifi always being there and working. And to count on it working with a VPN? I find that even more risky.
I don’t have security concerns, but ever since I made a very costly assumption from ORD-FRA years ago that wi-fi would work and was unable to complete critical work when the wi-fi was inoperative, I prefer not to leave anything critical to chance.
And I’ll write about the WestJet flight later today…I was RIGHT. The wi-fi did not work!
One night for a layover at YYZ, I booked the cheapest hotel with a complimentary airport shuttle. It ended up being some Marriott IIRC. Unfortunately, the shuttle bus cut off at 11pm or something like that and I missed it by one or two minutes. I ended up needing to take an expensive taxi to get to the hotel. Not a happy camper as I could have just used points for the Sheraton Gateway YYZ at the time.
For the price you paid, it looks like a solid option.
In the future, the Park Hyatt Toronto is good. Really good. Like so good, you don’t feel like you’re at a hotel in North America good. $450 is a good rate. I’m happy to use a cat 1-7 cert here.
Both the Hilton and Garden Inn at YYZ are good and not too fancy choices. The Hilton may have beautiful views on the tarmac, too.
Airport shuttles are worthy of an article in themselves. In Madrid, they’re all included in the hotel’s price and run pretty much ‘all day’ (defined as, say, 0500-2300hrs). At CDG, by contrast, they’re not only unavailable for most of the day (3 to 4 hours in the morning and evening, if you’re lucky) but you then have to pay extra for them.
Looks like a great Father-Son trip. The price was very good..Will you write about the room and food..etc?