George Nugent Travels

As someone who travels regularly I have found myself in a variety of different hotels, and in my experience, the one area that most struggle with in checking in. Most hotels require photo ID and will then do their best to upsell the amenities that are on offer, even if you are only staying for one night.

A trend that is becoming increasingly popular is “self check-in” hotels, allowing the guest to receive their room key and number before arriving, thus allowing them to go straight to their room upon arrival.

For my stay in Toronto I knew I would be arriving late and found the Beverley Hotel while looking on Booking.com. The hotel is owned by a company called “Sonder” who specialise in self check-in properties, ideal for me given my late arrival time.

Below is my review of the Beverley Hotel, and crucially my verdict on recommending this hotel to you.

Stay Details

Date Booked – 19/11/2022

Check In Date – 07/06/2023

Check out Date – 09/06/2023

Room Type – Double Room

Price Paid – $732.06 – £429.79 (Economy Rate)

Booking Process

I booked my stay directly on the Sonder website (I usually book hotels directly as this is usually easier).

During the process I was offered a range of different Sonder properties within Toronto, as well as a number of different room types, I went for the cheapest room that this particular hotel had to offer.

After booking you download the Sonder app and add in your details, this allows you to provide a picture of your passport for verification purposes, when this is complete your booking is confirmed.

After booking you can use the app to modify your booking, as well as to access the live chat function, this allows you to connect with a customer service representative who will be happy to assist with any queries or questions you have.

Check In Process

I checked in using the live chat feature on the app as I needed to ask a question as I would be arriving late at night.

The latest time I could select on the app was 20:00, however, I would not yet have landed in Toronto at this time, therefore, I was unsure of what I should do.

The agent advised me that there would be no issues with late arrivals and that he could check me in. After this he advised me that I could active my room key when I arrived in Toronto or when I arrived at the hotel, whichever was easier for me.

The Room

I arrived at the hotel just after 2230 and made my way to my room. I thought given the size of the corridor that the room would be small.

Surprisingly there was enough room for me to store all of my stuff that I would need for the two days I was in Toronto, as well as my large checked bag which could easily fit under the bed.

The bathroom was in a separate room, and was a decent size compared to the room, the shower was located in a conveniently cut out section of the wall in the bathroom with a swing open door.

There was enough towels to last my entire stay, however, if you need more you can use the app to request more, these will be dropped off by a member of Sonder staff.

In the cupboard next to the door there was a small fridge that was ideal to store a number of bottles of water or some food. On the wall facing the bed there was a TV that was a decent size and of a good quality.

Guests were asked to make sure any trash they had was put in a shared bin at the exit, not an issue and it took less than 20 seconds to do.

Using The App to Explore The Local Area

The biggest advantage of the Sonder app is a breakdown of things you might be interested in that are near the hotel.

This includes things such as sights to see, restaurants, cafes, bars, local businesses and general stores & supermarkets. This information is useful for tourists visiting the city for the first time and can also provide useful information in emergencies.

Overall I found the information on the app to be very useful and very accurate and it helped me to find a place to buy some food and drinks to keep in the room, the next section will explain why this was so important.

The Elephant in the Room

Now I ended up spending significantly longer in my hotel room than I intended.

I was visiting Toronto at the beginning on June which was the same time that Canada was struggling with a major wildfire to the North West of Toronto.

Due to the winds during my stay the smoke from the fires were being blown towards Toronto, as a result the Government issued advice saying that staying indoors was the best option, particular on the Thursday morning when the wildfire smoke was at its worst.

My Final Thoughts

Overall, I would say this hotel provided everything I needed for my two night stay, as well as providing excellent value for money, especially when compared to other hotels in the area.

Every part of the experience was easy and seamless from my point of view. The live chat was friendly and quick to use. The hotel was easy to find and was very easy to access. Despite there being no staff I would say there was no point at my hotel where I felt my safety was compromised. Sonder have a robust policy in place to ensure that the only people who have access to their hotels are guests and staff.

When I return to Toronto I will definitely look at staying in the Beverley, or at another Sonder hotel in the city.