Airport Hotel Or Downtown Inn? Advantages to Getting Geo-Specific on Your Hotel Choice

It is not uncommon when searching for a hotel room• How far is the airport from the downtown core?
in a large city such as Toronto, to find significantDo you really need to be downtown, or can you
price differences between airport and downtownafford to stay outside of the downtown core in
hotels. In some cases, this price difference can beorder to get a discounted rate?
substantial when booking for multiple nights. The• All downtown Toronto hotels charge between
question is then raised; does it make more sense to$20 and $40 for parking per night, whereas most
book the less expensive airport property as opposedairport properties offer complimentary parking or a
to the downtown hotel?lower cost parking. For longer term stays, this can
Let us use the example of a family of four planning aadd up to large savings.
visit to Toronto in mid July for a total of five days. In• As airport properties are typically larger than
this case, it may well be cheaper in the long run todowntown hotels, most offer more services for
book the airport hotel. A mid-level hotel in downtownfamilies such as pools, games rooms and other
Toronto in July will cost approximately $169 a nightentertainment. While some of the downtown
plus taxes. An airport hotel however, may cost onlyproperties do offer pools, not all have them.
$119 per night. This $250 savings over the five day• What activities are planned for your visit? If
period can often make a decision easier to make.several of your planned activities are located outside
In the case of Toronto, the airport is approximatelyof the downtown core, is there really a need to stay
30km from the downtown core or a 20 minute drive.there and pay the extra cost?
If this distance is not an issue for you, then it makesBy taking the time to research the rates at both
better financial sense to book the property which islocations, you are apt to stretch your travel budget
the cheapest.and perhaps be able to add activities to your itinerary
Some points to consider when deciding where toyou originally thought you could not afford to include.
stay.