# hotel room



## couchman (Oct 10, 2013)

I live in Ottawa and my daughter has to fly out of Toronto early Monday morning. WE are going to drive to Toronto Sunday afternoon. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions on an OK motel in west end of Toronto. Nothing fancy.. place to sleep and clean...


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## none (Jan 15, 2013)

Why not stay at a airport hotel? You can usually get them pretty cheap on Priceline or hotwire. Go higher star. Airport hotels are CHEAP.


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## NorthKC (Apr 1, 2013)

Not to mention that they often have extra soundproofing insulation. A plus if you're a light sleeper.


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## Ag Driver (Dec 13, 2012)

Take a look at some Air BnB's.


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## leoc2 (Dec 28, 2010)

I use hotwire for hotels.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

leoc2 said:


> I use hotwire for hotels.


I have to second hotwire, in most cases I've been very pleased with the hotels.

I do recommend the higher star ratings, it's only a small increase, and much nicer hotels.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

I second the recommendation for airbnb, we've had good luck with them to date and excellent prices for the most part. I stayed in one in Toronto earlier this year for $60/night in the heart of the Annex. We rented an entire apartment in Rennes, France, for $64/night Canadian; a comparable hotel would have cost us more than $100.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

leoc2 said:


> I use hotwire for hotels.


Thanks for the tip. I have to travel to Toronto on the 24th and was looking for a way to book the Don Valley Inn and suites.
I just used hotwire. Got a reasonable rate for 3 nights (I think) for fri/sat/sun) for $394.40 Cdn.


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## Prospector (Jul 25, 2014)

Don't bother with a Toronto Hotel.

The Brock Street interchange in Whitby has 3 hotels right at it, and a GO station. Stay in Whitby, take the GO to Union, then the UP to Pearson. Avoid the traffic and cost of Toronto. Cut an hour each way off your drive.


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

If her flight is early Monday morning ,stick to airport area to avoid the traffic.Four Points by Sheraton on airport road is a nice hotel about $130 with breakfast.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Hotwire is the way to do it ... especially in Toronto. It works great.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

marina628 said:


> If her flight is early Monday morning ,stick to airport area to avoid the traffic.Four Points by Sheraton on airport road is a nice hotel about $130 with breakfast.


I booked my hotel (Don Valley Inn and suites) with Hotwire. 
This hotel is closer to where my mother and brother live, but I can't stay with them anymore because of the stairs,
and I have to rely on a power chair these days. I'm travelling to Toronto with a Hertz wheelchair van and
my friend is driving and staying with me in a room with two single beds. 

For 3 nights with taxes it came out to $394.40. Room rate averages out to $113 a night. Fri: $115, Sat: 120, Sun:$105

The only extras appear to be breakfast $12.95 per person and a self parking fee of $11.95 per night, so this actually raises my room rate to $113 + $26 (breakfast) + $11.95 parking = $151 per night. When the extras are added in with the room rate, it doesn't seem to be such a good deal, even booking online..but these are downtown Toronto rates.


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## coptzr (Jan 18, 2013)

I would not hesitate at staying near airport. I did this for a week in April, cost was around $120 per night, had full hot and cold breakfast, parking is at a premium so look into this. Fairfield Inn had very limited, but I got a spot and left vehicle there until end of stay. Also had Marriot on Dixon little cheaper in May but $15 per day parking. In this weather you can walk to any restaurant, I normally Uber for about $10 each way.

For those worried about the $10-$20, just do the 4hr drive non-stop both ways, pack a homemade lunch, some snacks and drinks.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

An example, saving money on hotel rooms and the technique I use. I just booked something in southern California for early January. For consistency below I show all price in USD after all taxes and fees, for a three day booking.

I started on hotels.com and looked around. I found a reasonably good hotel with a sale, and booked a fully refundable hotel. This price was $287. I always make a refundable reservation first, so I have something to fall back on. This is a hotel I stayed at before and like, and it really is a good price, so I know it's good value. I'd be happy paying this $287 if I got stuck doing that.

Then I went to hotwire.com and looked around. I always look at 3 stars and above on hotwire. The price there would have been $258, but I did not purchase it just yet. This is a secret/unknown hotel, but at that star level and in that location, it would be acceptable too.

Next I went to priceline.com and used "bidding". I selected a zone and again specified 3 stars. I made one bid at $239, which was rejected. Then I made a second bid at $242 by adding another zone and it was accepted. The resulting hotel turned out to be the same one in my original refundable booking. Note that this is a nonrefundable purchase so you should be positive about your travel dates.

So with just a bit of work I brought the price down from $287 to $242 ... a 16% reduction. In this case it's not a massive savings and in hindsight I probably could have bid an even lower price. But this is the general idea. Now I'll go back and cancel my refundable booking.


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

Should be able to get a decent hotel, near airport, if you want, for <$125.

http://toronto.parksleepfly.com/

Some offer free shuttle, some offer free longer-term parking.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Hotels near Toronto YYZ are a cinch. Start the stopwatch...

Go to hotwire. Put in YYZ and maybe Dec 14, one night. Click Toronto Airport West and East regions only. Sort by price.

Found 3.5 star hotel in Toronto Airport East, with airport shuttle listed under services. This is going to be a good hotel, at this star level. $88 for one night, all taxes included. Yes it's in Canadian dollars.

Stopwatch is at 02:30

(Note: parking can be a complication when you use Hotwire. Look for hotels that say there is free parking. But since you don't know the exact hotel, you don't know if it will be near long term parking. This $88 one I showed does not offer free parking.)


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## Argonaut (Dec 7, 2010)

I may be starting to get too old for this, but I always just book a hostel if I'm travelling alone. Can't justify paying ~$100+ for a bed to sleep in for one night. Even did this the night before my CFA exam. Good to go with earplugs.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

In Europe, Australia or NZ, sure ... but can you really do that in US & Canada?

In this American city, the only "hostels" are basically homeless shelters, totally out of the question.


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## Mitch (Nov 26, 2016)

Argonaut said:


> I may be starting to get too old for this, but I always just book a hostel if I'm travelling alone. Can't justify paying ~$100+ for a bed to sleep in for one night. Even did this the night before my CFA exam. Good to go with earplugs.


You're brave!


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

marina628 said:


> If her flight is early Monday morning ,stick to airport area to avoid the traffic.Four Points by Sheraton on airport road is a nice hotel about $130 with breakfast.


That makes more sense, provided you can get a reservation there.

Fighting the 401 traffic coming from the eastern parts of the GTA does not make sense for an early flight. 

IF there is an accident on the 401 west, (and there usually is.... or a slowdown, especially in snowy road conditions), you could be stuck in fraffic for hours and miss your flight, not to mention you have to be there at least two hours earlier to park your vehicle and get your bags into the terminal to line up to check in with
the airline and be at the boarding gate in time. 

Staying in Whitbym, even if it's a bit cheaper for the room, could also mean having to get up at 4am in a motel in the eastern part of the GTA to get ready (breakfast etc) to catch a 8am flight.
Makes more sense staying at close to the airport as you can and staying off the 401.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

carverman said:


> {Sticking near the airport for an early morning flight} That makes more sense, provided you can get a reservation there.
> Fighting the 401 traffic coming from the eastern parts of the GTA does not make sense for an early flight.


I'm looking around the airport for a couple of weekends down the road but so far am finding $76 to $120.


Cheers


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## Argonaut (Dec 7, 2010)

james4beach said:


> In Europe, Australia or NZ, sure ... but can you really do that in US & Canada?
> 
> In this American city, the only "hostels" are basically homeless shelters, totally out of the question.


I've stayed in hostels in Canada/US. Never a problem. Booking online gives you access to ratings where you can filter out the "homeless shelters". Like I said, I may be starting to get too old and starting to make too much money for this to be a thing for me much longer. But frugality always stays with you, and hotel prices for one person are still unreasonable.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Which web sites do you look at? I'm curious about trying this, as long as I don't get bedbugs or fleas.

Can you give me an example of a hostel in Toronto or Vancouver, one that you actually would stay at? Maybe I'll try this.


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

james4beach said:


> Which web sites do you look at? I'm curious about trying this, as long as I don't get bedbugs or fleas.
> 
> Can you give me an example of a hostel in Toronto or Vancouver, one that you actually would stay at? Maybe I'll try this.


I've stayed at Hostelling International hostels in Sweden, and they were very nice. Hopefully, that means their hostels in North America are also nice. http://hostellingtoronto.com/

The only thing to be aware of is normally, they ask you to bring your own bed linens, or you can rent them for an additional fee. Although, the Toronto one says linens are provided, so I guess it varies by location.


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