Review: ALT Hotel – Toronto Airport

I booked this hotel on the Orbitz VISACHECKOUT $100-off promotion from a couple weeks ago, paying $33 in the end. Even with this significant discount, I regret staying at the ALT Hotel-Toronto, and would have rather paid more or used points to stay at a different hotel.

First Impressions

The ALT Hotel is reached by the free train between Terminal 1 and Viscount station at the Toronto Airport, and takes no more than 8 minutes to get to. Once at Viscount station, it’s a 30 second outside walk to the hotel. Except for the in-terminal Sheraton at T3, you can’t get much better than the location of the ALT Hotel for an airport stay.

It’s a new hotel, with a funky modern design. Lots of cool coloured lights, geometric shapes, etc. I rather liked the look of the hotel. We were greeted warmly at check-in, and given Room 511, a Queen Room.

We were staying during Christmas Eve, and there were yummy gingerbread cookies waiting for us in the room. The room was small but well designed, with a nice bathroom/shower, and a cozy bed. The TV reception was good.

Bad Sleep

When I stay at a hotel, I’m looking for three things: (1) a good sleep, (2) decent location, and (3) cleanliness. Everything on top of that is great, but if all three of these conditions aren’t met, I consider the hotel poor. Although the hotel was well located and very clean, it did not provide for a good sleep, and therefore, I can’t recommend it.

First, there was a repetitive and annoying clicking sound coming from the ceiling, despite turning off the ventilation. Think of a pen being clicked by your ear, non-stop. It was really frustrating and made it impossible to sleep. We called down and all they said was “sorry,” and they couldn’t do anything for us, like providing earplugs.

Second, there was a dog (Chihuahua? AKA a rat-beast) yapping at midnight. Who the hell leaves a dog, on Christmas Eve, alone at an airport hotel!? Eventually I called the front desk, and to their credit, they went and investigated. Turns out the owners were in the room, and they were inconsiderate enough to allow their rodent to bark at night. Happily, it eventually shut up.

Last, the sheets were really uncomfortable, trapping in an enormous amount of heat, even with a relatively cool temperature. With the noise and excessive heat, neither of us were able to sleep for more than three or so hours.

Conclusion

Although the hotel looked appealing, like someone you’re trying to pick up at a dark bar, their appalling nature comes out after spending the night. I would not recommend the ALT Hotel-Toronto Airport unless they do something for better soundproofing and increasing the quality of their bedding. I’m typically OK with a little noise and hot sheets, but these were both excessive.