World Traveller 73 
Review: Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre, Canada
Our recent return to the Toronto Airport area had us testing out another full service hotel. While most hotels within the Toronto Airport area are on the functional side, this hotel would be no different. We would end up arriving to this property prior to travelling onwards towards southern Ontario the very next morning. Our stay at the Sheraton Toronto Airport hotel and Conference Centre met the mark in terms of a no frills stay with most of the amenities that you’d expect of a full service Sheraton hotel.
Review: Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre, Ontario, Canada
“An old school Sheraton located close to Toronto Pearson International Airport that will satisfy old school Sheraton loyalist travellers “
This review is of the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre. For a review of other nearby airport hotels, please see our review of the Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Toronto International Airport and the adjacent Marriott Toronto Airport Hotel.
Booking The Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre:
We were coming into Toronto on a day flight and were headed down for a family visit to London, Ontario. The city of London, Ontario happens to be located about two hours south of Toronto. As a result, we elected to stay the night in Toronto before setting out on the drive to London.
It’s also worth mentioning that there are two Sheraton Hotels at the Toronto Airport. The Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Toronto International Airport. This Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre is a short five minute drive away from the airport terminal.
My husband has previously stayed at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Toronto International Airport and the Marriott Toronto Airport Hotel. The Marriott Toronto Airport hotel was adjacent to this version of the Sheraton Toronto Airport, but it wasn’t deluxe enough to have us feel the need to stay there again. As a result, we ended up selecting this nearby property to look at the other full service hotel in the Marriott Bonvoy program that happens to be located within relatively near proximity to the Toronto Pearson International Airport.
When booking at the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre, I was able to get a regular Marriott Bonvoy Membership Rewards rate of $254 CAD which booked into the basic 1 King Bed, Airport View, Traditional Guest Room. While I usually leverage my husbands’ higher elite status, I needed elite qualifying nights to re-qualify for Platinum this year as a result of a drop in work travel. As a result, I booked the room under my name direct on the Marriott Bonvoy website. As a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Level member, I would also be entitled to Upgrade to best available room, including select suites.
Generally speaking, the rates at this property are most expensive on weeknights. Like many other airport hotels, the rates are softest on the weekends. During our summer travels, i found rates that varied between $198 – $360 CAD. The hotel also offers a large conference facility, which also has a tendency to put price pressure on rates if an event is occurring. If I can provide any advice here, it would be to book relatively early.
Marriott Bonvoy Reward Opportunities:
The Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre prices awfully expensive in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program. The property generally prices between 32,000 to 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy reward points, for a standard level room. During summer months, I found rates as cheap as 21,000 and rates as high as the usual 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
If you value Marriott Bonvoy Points at 0.008 cents, you’ll come out ahead by redeeming points against a room at the property if you rate is above $280 CAD on a 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy redemption. Given the value of airport hotels on a weeknight, you’ll possibly find some outsized value in the event the cash rate is exceptionally high during a week day stay. However, you’re probably better off paying a cash rate assuming you can find a good deal or package.
Getting to the Sheraton Toronto Airport:
We arrived into Toronto Pearson International Airport on an Air Canada Boeing 777-300 ER High Density flight. While we had anticipated arriving at 8PM, the Air Canada was in the middle of an information technology meltdown which caused our flight to be over four and a half hours late. As a result, it was almost one in the morning before we set foot off the plane.
We hopped it over to Hertz Ultimate Choice Toronto Pearson International airport for a rental car for the week. After getting on the way, we set out and self drove to the hotel courtesy of Google Maps. We were at the hotel in almost 5 minutes drive.
The Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre is located in an office park environment around the hotel. The area is pretty full of hotels and generally not very inspiring ones. Aside from a few steakhouses like The Keg, Jack Astors’ and other casual dining restaurants like Montana’s and Boston Pizza, there isn’t much in the way of interesting features of this particular postal code. All to say, I wouldn’t be sticking around this neighbourhood any longer than I’d absolutely have to.
Checking into the Sheraton Toronto Airport:
After that short five minute drive, we arrived to the Sheraton Toronto Airport. The property was spread out over a large city block foot print, and consequently, easily to locate.
We arrived to the front desk at about 1:30 AM and were promptly attended to by the night manager. We were thanked for our elite status, which was Marriott Bonvoy Platinum at the time.
We had been proactively upgraded into a large Executive Suite, which I wasn’t expecting as a Platinum member. As a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum member within North America, it’s been pretty rare to get upgrades into Suite Categories, so I really appreciated the hotel for this particular touch.
In terms of a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Welcome Amenity, we accepted the 1,000 points for the stay. We were offered breakfast in the hotel’s Club Lounge; access was complimentary for Marriott Bonvoy Platinum elite and higher levels. The hotel had reasonably landscaped views off the hotel lobby.
Lastly, since we had a early morning arrival, we asked about getting a late check out courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy Platinum benefits. The latest they would offer us was 2 PM, given the fact that they needed the suite for that evening’s customers. This wasn’t all too bad, and we accepted the late check out.
Ther lobby has a very small market featuring the usual snacks and other amenities available for room purchase. There isn’t really enough here to substitute for a meal replacement, but it’s always nice to have an option. In this case, there are not a lot of other options that are within a walkable distance from the hotel.
North American travellers will also note that beer / wine isn’t normally served at the Market, and this version was no exception. If you were seeking alcohol, you’d have to order it through the food and beverage outlets of the hotel; assuming they were open.
The Room: Executive Suite, 1 Bedroom Suite, 1 King, Sofa bed
We were assigned room #314, which was located on the third floor. We self navigated up to the rooms. Although we were travelling with bags, there was no luggage or porter assistance offered or available at our late hour of arrival midnight.
It was a short walk up to Room #314. The hallways were decorated in the typical Sheraton colours that were more functional, than inspiring.
I happened to locate a few holdovers from a better era. The hotel still featured a few markings from the more customer centric Starwood Preferred Guest program, despite the merger occurring several years ago.
The Living Room:
Upon entering the room, we found ourselves in the Executive Suite’s living area. The living area was softly modernized in appearance, but still contained the usual Sheraton brown base themes.
The couch offered a blue sofa bed, which would probably be a compact fit in this room when it was opened. There were two occasional chairs that made up the other half of the living room furniture.
The living room featured a long desk that ran the length of the room. This ended up being an electronic dump zone for charging of devices.
Overall, the living room space as about as expected for an airport suite. The space offered some breathing room for those travelling as a couple.
The Bedroom:
The bedroom was contained in a separate room that was behind a single french door. The bedroom featured a large Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed.
The king size bedroom took up much of the space in the room. There wasn’t a lot of space surrounding the bed, although admittedly, we didn’t spend much time in here other than sleeping.
The bedroom contained a second flat screen television, which could be viewed from bed.
Instead of room service menu’s there were QR codes available for ordering of food at all hours.
The integrated – into – the – wall USB Power Ports on my side of the bed didn’t happen to work, something that I didn’t happen to discover until the next morning and found my device at a 60% charge.
The bedroom also had an occasional chair located in the corner. Given that we had access to living room space, we never had the need or the opportunity to use this chair.
In terms of sleep quality, the hotel happened to be directly underneath the departure track for Toronto Pearson International Airport Runway 16L. My husband happened to notice a lot more aircraft departure noise in the room than at his earlier stay at the nearby Toronto Airport Marriott hotel. This wasn’t super disruptive, but light sleepers may find this annoying.
In Room Amenities:
The Executive Suite offered the usual suite of in room amenities that you’d expect at a Sheraton hotel. These included an In Room filtered coffee maker, complimentary bottled water and an in room safe and fridge.
Accordingly to the floor plan on the wall, there was only one suite per floor in the hotel. I applaud the hotel for honouring the Marriott Bonvoy suite upgrade policy, given the limited number of suites available
Bathroom:
The Sheraton Toronto Airport and Conference Centre Executive Suite featured an oddly shaped bathroom. After passing down an angled hallway, that contained a suitcase rest or stool, we found ourselves in the single bathroom for the suite.
Like many older hotels of this generation, the bathroom featured a single vanity sink. This was followed by a shower / tub combination with dispenser toiletries.
Room with a View:
Our third floor room fit into the category of being one the less desirable suites. It offered a pretty pedestrian view overlooking the hotel Olio Restaurant.
Overall, the room was softly upgraded. While you wouldn’t find the most contemporary color schemes and fashions at this particular property, the room was comfortable. Despite being located directly underneath the flight path of runway 16L of Toronto Pearson International Airport (along with most other airport hotels in Etobicoke), the room noise was mostly quiet and we didn’t find the aircraft noise to be a huge hindrance to enjoying our stay.
Food and Beverage:
It is worth noting that the Sheraton Toronto Airport and Conference Centre is located in a business park environment around the Toronto Pearson International Airport. This neighbourhood isn’t that “desirable” and doesn’t feature a lot of neighbourhood feel to it. If you don’t have access to a car rental, your options here will be limited.
Immediately walkable from the hotel are a Chop Steakhouse, Montana’s Cookhouse Restaurant, a Jack Astor’s Steakhouse and a Boston Pizza for casual dining. All of these options ere closed as a result of our late arrival, and many many stop serving dinner around 10 PM.
Sheraton Club Lounge:
The hotel offers a Sheraton Club Level Lounge. Access to the Club Lounge is through booking Cub Level rooms or by holding Marriott Bonvoy Platinum elite status or higher.
The Club Lounge had limited hours of operation on the weekends. The Sheraton Club did not offer breakfast in the club on weekends. I am assuming breakfast is offered in the hotel restaurant during these periods.
On our visit, the lounge was open, as follows:
- Weekday Breakfast between 6:30 AM – 10:00 AM
- H’ors D’oeuvres (Sun. -Thurs only) between 5:30 PM – 10:00 PM
- Closed All weekend (Friday at Noon to Sunday at 5:30 PM)
However, I’m happy to report that the Club was accessible outside of regular hours of operation. This meant that you could come and access the Sheraton Club to grab a bottle of water or a soft drink outside of regular hours of operation. This alone makes the stay all that more comfortable, since you’re not stuck without gaining access to amenties.
At about 2:30 AM on Friday morning, after our delayed flight, I was able to access the lounge to gain access for a few bottled waters. The lounge has a reasonably spacious environment on the hotel’s top floor. The lounge had been recently updated, and contained newer looking contemporary furniture.
The next morning, I was able to return to the lounge for their breakfast offering. Breakfast was served between 6:30 AM and 10 AM.
The breakfast was the standard Sheraton / Marriott lounge variety. In addition to two hot items, there were several cereal silo towers, fresh fruit, yoghurt and a few baked items.
The lounge view over the hotels’ conference centre facilities and towards the Toronto Airport Marriott wasn’t all that inspiring. However, it was a daylight view and not relegated to a dark basement of some type.
Olio Restaurant / Lounge:
Aside from the Sheraton Lounge, the only other on property food and beverage outlet is the Olio Restaurant. The Olio Restaurant is located just off the main lobby and hotel entrance.
The Mediterranean themed Olio Restaurant offered all day service between:
- Monday – Friday 6:30 AM-10:00 PM
- Saturday – Sunday 7:00 AM-10:00 PM
I didn’t get the opportunity to dine at Olio restaurant, but I suppose it is a possibility for those travellers that end up here without access to a vehicle and chose not to venture off property.
Around the Hotel Property:
Indoor Pool and Health Club:
The Sheraton Toronto Airport and Conference Centre is a full service Sheraton. Consistent with this position, it offers everything that you might expect from a full service hotel.
The Sheraton offered an indoor pool and a health club. The pool and health club were located on the ground floor a short walk from the lobby.
The indoor pool was located under a glass atrium. Given it’s one depth level of 4 feet, the pool was more of a place to entertain children, rather than somewhere to get serious exercise.
The Health Club offered a generous fitness area. The space included free weights, five treadmills and three elliptical machines. Given that the hotel was located at the airport, there wasn’t the usual crush of people at these machines during the usual peak periods for gym workouts.
The Sheraton offered a generous fitness area, which is great for those looking to keep up their physical exercise commitments when travelling on the road.
Checking Out Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel:
We were able to enjoy our 2 PM checkout. Our check the next day was without incident. We didn’t have any surprises on the bill and our points posted within forty eight six hours.
It was a pretty straightforward stay. While we didn’t have any issues and were really pleased with being offered a larger suite as a result of our Marriott Bonvoy benefits.
Deciding between the Sheraton Toronto Airport and the Marriott Airport Toronto:
If you were trying to decide between this property and the neighbouring Marriott Toronto Airport hotel, it’s worth mentioning that the M Lounge at the Marriott Toronto Airport Hotel is in better condition, but the rooms at the Marriott are substantially older in appearance.
In contrast, the rooms at the Sheraton Toronto Airport are in nicer condition, and I was able to take advantage of a suite upgrade courtesy of the Marriott Bonvoy program. As a result, if I wasn’t staying at the Sheraton Gateway In Toronto International Airport, I’d probably be picking the Sheraton Toronto Airport between those two off airport properties.
Bottom Line: The Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre
The Sheraton Toronto Airport and Conference Centre offered a straightforward stay that you might expect from a Sheraton hotel.
The Sheraton Toronto Airport offered a lightly refreshed room and offered us a great suite upgrade, courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy benefits. Wile I wouldn’t expect the most state of the art room, if you come in expecting an older Sheraton property, you won’t be disappointed by any means.
World Traveller 73 
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