Travellers to Toronto who want to stay close to the city’s Pearson International Airport, or who want a place to lay their head that is conveniently located between Toronto and Niagara Falls, have a stylish new hotel to consider. ALT Hotel Pearson opened in June 2012, offering small, cheap and chic-style accommodations onsite at the airport.
After landing at Pearson, jet-lagged travellers can simply hop on the free LINK train that connects the airports terminals and the two onsite hotels (the Sheraton Gateway Hotel opened at the airport in 1991) for the quick ride over to ALT Hotel Pearson. Upon entering the lobby, guests will notice ALTEXPO, a work of art created for the hotel from thousands of Instagram-submitted photos, which are shown on LCD screens. Also in the lobby area are several comfortable and modern-designed seating areas for guests to relax in, as well as a lounge with a pool table. Guests can access the internet from two computers in the lobby or tap into the complimentary WiFi available throughout the hotel.
The ALT Hotel chain – from the same company that runs the Le Germain chain of hip boutique hotels – operates around the concept of “service light,” which means doing away with room service, doormen and valets. This allows the hotel to offer a unique pricing arrangement. Of its 153 guest rooms, some offer 250 square feet of space with one queen bed and a simple-but-stylish bathroom with shower, while others are slightly larger at 330 square feet, with two queen beds and a bathroom that includes both a shower and tub. Both room types feature goose down duvets and feather pillows, an iPod dock, flat-screen TV, desk and designer Italian armchair. And all rooms are available at $149 per night, year round.
And “Service Light” doesn’t mean the ALT Hotel Pearson is lacking in guest comforts, either. In addition to the lobby amenities, the hotel features a 14th-floor fitness centre and Altcetera, a grab-and-go food service area offering fresh hot and cold food offerings from breakfast to dinner. Those in town for business can gather in 11 meeting rooms and order meals and snacks through the hotel’s catering service.
Parents travelling with children will be happy to know that those under age 12 stay free at ALT Hotel Pearson, and the hotel welcomes well-behaved dogs, too.
