Hilton Hotel Pearson Airport, Toronto, Canada

Description

Located near the Toronto airport, the hotel is about a half hour drive from downtown Toronto.  We found this hotel's room rates reasonable if purchased through a on-line discounter. We found particularly good pricing through PriceLine.com. At its advertised rates, it was not a good value. PriceLine.com rated the hotel as having four stars. We would give the hotel three stars at most.

Everything was ala carte to the extreme. As expected, there was a mini bar with overpriced everything. What was not expected was that Internet access, both wired and WiFi were overpriced. The costs of room service, the breakfast buffet, and the dining room were overpriced. Many hotels include a free continental breakfast bar in the lobby, not the Hilton. We drove down the street to a coffee bar and had breakfast for less than half the cost. We noticed several diners had their laptops open and connected to the Web—escapees from local hotels.

The room

Lighting

As is typical with many hotels, there was not enough light in room.  The lamps had low wattage fluorescent lights that did not put out enough light with which to read unless sitting next to them. 

Beds

Our room had two king size beds which were comfortable. However, they squeaked. The frames needed tightening. Bedding The pillows were made of two layers. The inner core was feather and the outer layer was synthetic fiber. The pillows were labeled as hypo allergenic. This type of pillow will satisfy those who like a low compressible profile, but will not satisfy those who need their heads elevated. The sheets were of good quality and didn't appear worn.

Carpeting

The carpeting around the mini bar and coffee stand was stand was stained. The stains were probably from spilled coffee or tea.

Bathroom

Our bathroom had a full host of amenities, minus terry cloth robes, but including a bidet. Because the hotel charged for every little amenity, we were almost afraid to use the soap and shampoo. There were just enough towels for our needs. The bath towels were just large enough to be useful. Most of the fixtures were in good condition. Unlike many recently visited hotels, the bathroom tiles appeared in good condition.

Coffee and Tea

A coffee maker was set up in the room, but the coffee and tea were not free. Again, the ala carte issue prevented us from enjoying our stay as much as we would have liked.

Television

The television was enclosed in a cabinet at the foot of the beds. It was a surprise to open the cabinet to discover that the television only occupied a small amount of the available space. It looked like a 21 inch screen. The television reception was poor to good.

Radio and Alarm Clock

The alarm clock was set for the middle of the night. This seems to be a common trick for hotel visitors to play on each other. Before they check out, they set the alarm to go off in the middle of the night with the radio set to high volume. It is a good idea to always check the alarm clock radio when before you go to sleep in a hotel room. The radio of was typically cheap and had poor sound quality.

Sound Insulation

Our room was not as well insulated from sound as we would have liked. We could hear everyone who walked past our door even if they were talking in hushed tones. Late night revelers and children in the morning were especially annoying. Our room was on the first floor facing the parking lot. Cab drivers park in this area until very late at night, possibly all night. They stand outside their cabs and chat as they wait to be dispatched to pick up customers.

Swimming Pool

We were told by one desk clerk that the pool was open until 11 p.m. We later found out, when we wanted to use the pool, that it closed at 10 p.m. The pool did not appear to be heated. We never used it. Extra towels were readily available near the pool.

Exercise

The hotel exercise rooms were well equipped with weights and exercise machines.

Hotel Gift Shop

The hotel has an Asian run gift shop that has almost anything the traveler might require and much more. Parking There was a fee for parking. The fee was high, but typical of rates charged in and around Toronto. Toronto is not a car friendly city. Parking is available almost everywhere, but the cost can easily run as much as $25/day. Public transportation provides no relief. It is also expensive and the daily cost equals or exceeds the cost of parking without the convenience.

The service

The hotel staff were internationally diverse and well trained, but we did receive misinformation from them about hotel pool operating hours.

Nearby attractions

Toronto, Canada

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