2017-01-16

Introduction: Flying With Royalty (Or Not)
Review: Air Canada Premium Rouge 767 Tampa To Toronto
Review: Sheraton Gateway Toronto Airport

Review: EgyptAir Business Class 777 Toronto To Cairo

Review: Cairo Airport Lounge Terminal 2

Review: Royal Jordanian Business Class Embraer 175 Cairo To Amman

Review: Grand Hyatt Amman

Review: Royal Jordanian Lounge Amman Airport

Review: Royal Jordanian Business Class 787 Amman To Kuala Lumpur

Review: St. Regis Kuala Lumpur

Review: Plaza Premium Lounge Kuala Lumpur

Review: Royal Brunei Business Class A320 Kuala Lumpur To Bandar Seri Begawan

Review: Radisson Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei

Review: Royal Brunei Lounge Bandar Seri Begawan

Review: Royal Brunei Business Class 787 Bandar Seri Begawan To Dubai

Review: W Dubai Al Habtoor City

Review: St. Regis Dubai

Review: Emirates Business Class Lounge Dubai

Review: Emirates Business Class A380 Dubai To Los Angeles

By the time I got through immigration in Toronto it was around 1AM, and my flight the next day was scheduled to depart at around 1PM. So I decided to book the only hotel connected directly to the airport, which is the Sheraton Gateway Toronto Airport.

The price for the one night stay was 230CAD (~175USD), which isn’t cheap, but seemed worth it for the convenience. As a point of reference this is a Category 4 SPG property, meaning that a free night costs 10,000 Starpoints. Since I value Starpoints at ~2.2 cents each, paying cash was the better option.

I was arriving on Air Canada and departing on EgyptAir, and they both operate out of Terminal 1. Meanwhile the Sheraton is connected to Terminal 3, which is the terminal used by most non-Star Alliance airlines.

So upon arrival I followed the signage towards trains and hotels, which required a fair bit of walking.


Signage for Sheraton Toronto Airport

Then I had to take the train between terminals. Since it was around 1AM, the wait between trains was about 10 minutes.


Taking the train to the Sheraton Toronto Airport

Once at the Terminal 3 station, I took the escalator down a level, and then at the bottom and on the right was the entrance to the Sheraton.


Entrance to the Sheraton Toronto Airport

When I arrived at the hotel at around 1:15AM there was quite a line to check-in. There were four people ahead of me, and several people behind me as well. Most people seemed to be on airline vouchers (I guess because their flight was canceled or they misconnected), which makes the check-in process more complicated.

Eventually I was assisted by a friendly associate, who had me on my way to my room in less than a minute.

Sheraton Gateway Toronto Airport lobby

The hotel’s lobby area is pretty nice, with an escalator in the center of it, and then a lobby bar on the far left side.

Sheraton Gateway Toronto Airport lobby

Sheraton Gateway Toronto Airport lobby

Sheraton Gateway Toronto Airport lobby lounge

I was upgraded to a room on the eighth floor, which is the club level. Upon exiting the elevator I turned left and walked down the hallway, where my room was located at the end and on the left.

Sheraton Toronto Airport hallway

I was assigned room 850, which was a club king room.

Sheraton Toronto Airport room entrance

Sheraton Toronto Airport floorplan

The room was almost strangely large, in the sense that it felt like it was about 100 square feet bigger than it was supposed to be, based on how it was furnished. There was an entryway with a closet on the right and the bathroom on the left.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club king room entryway

That led into the rest of the room. First there was a big open space, which just had a bench, mirror, and coat rack.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club king room

Then the room featured a bed, desk, and sitting area.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club king room

Sheraton Toronto Airport club king room

The bed was comfortable, as I’ve come to expect from Sheraton brand beds.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club room king bed

Across from the bed and next to the TV was a single-cup coffeemaker with Starbucks coffee.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club king in-room Starbucks coffee

Also next to that was a welcome amenity, consisting of a bottle of sparkling water and a cheese plate.

Sheraton Toronto Airport Platinum welcome amenity

In the far corner of the room was a sitting area with two chairs, one of which had an ottoman.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club king room sitting area

Then across from that was a desk with a lamp. I appreciated that the desk had a built-in power outlet, so you could easily plug things in.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club king room desk

The bathroom was back near the entrance, and featured a sink, toilet, and shower/tub combo.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club king room bathroom

Sheraton Toronto Airport club king room shower/tub combo

Toiletries were the typical Sheraton ones, which I don’t mind, but also don’t love.

Sheraton Toronto Airport toiletries

As an aviation geek, I loved the fact that my room had a direct view of the gate area and runway in the distance. Unfortunately it was so foggy and rainy for much of the morning that I couldn’t even see the planes, though finally at around 10AM it cleared up a bit.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club king room view

Overall I thought that the room was spacious and the bed comfortable. I didn’t love the decor of the room, as it felt about a decade past its prime (i.e., the vertical striped wallpaper in the bathroom), but that’s a minor point for a well located airport hotel.

As a Platinum member I had access to the club lounge, which was also located on the eighth floor, right across from the elevators.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge exterior

I appreciated that the lounge was open 24 hours per day, so you could grab a drink at any hour. Otherwise breakfast is served from 5:30AM until 9:30AM (6AM until 10AM on weekends), and the evening service is from 5:30PM until 8:30PM.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge hours

The lounge is a pretty nice space from which to work, and it has both dining tables and couches.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge seating

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge seating

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge seating

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge seating

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge seating

In the back corner of the lounge was a small business center with a computer and printer.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge business center

Just inside the entrance and to the right was the buffet.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge buffet

I visited the lounge for breakfast the next morning. The espresso machine seemed to be broken, so there were a few canisters with drip coffee (which I prefer anyway) and hot water.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge breakfast

In terms of cold options, the breakfast selection consisted of croissants, pastries, muffins, fresh fruit, hardboiled eggs, yogurt, cereal, and granola bars.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge breakfast

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge breakfast

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge breakfast

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge breakfast

Then there were scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, and waffles.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge breakfast

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge breakfast

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge breakfast

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge breakfast

Overall I thought that was a very solid breakfast spread for a Sheraton, especially when you consider that those with the Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express get access to the lounge as well.

One thing I found a bit tacky is that there were slips in the lounge where you were asked to sign your name and room number, which also had a place to add a tip for the attendant. Is Canada as out of control with tipping as the U.S. is? In fairness, the attendant was very friendly.

Sheraton Toronto Airport club lounge tip slips

Back on the lobby level of the hotel was the gym, which had a good selection of modern equipment.

Sheraton Toronto Airport gym

Sheraton Toronto Airport gym

Sheraton Toronto Airport gym

Next to it were a pool and hot tub, though I didn’t have the chance to use them.

Sheraton Toronto Airport pool

I got a good night of sleep, had breakfast, worked for a bit, and then at around 11AM headed back to Terminal 1. So after check-out I got back on the train, and 10 minutes later found myself at EgyptAir check-in.

Sheraton Gateway Toronto Airport bottom line

The Sheraton Gateway Toronto Airport is incredibly convenient, given that it’s connected directly to the airport. Ultimately it’s a bit more convenient if you’re flying out of Terminal 3 than Terminal 1, but I’d still rather take a short train ride than have to wait for an airport shuttle.

The room I had was spacious and had great views. The club lounge was a nice space with a good breakfast selection. For a quick overnight, that’s all I could ask for. So I’d definitely return under similar circumstances.

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