Hotel X Toronto, a Destination by Hyatt Hotel

Rooms and decor

Picture a hotel where you open the curtains in the morning to Lake Ontario stretching out as far as you can see, or to the Toronto skyline lined up on the other side — that is the pull of Hotel X Toronto, a tall, handsome high-rise set right inside the Exhibition Place grounds on the water. The hotel runs to roughly 404 rooms and suites, done in a warm, dark, modern palette that plays against the natural light from the big windows, and almost every room opens onto a view. Some face the lake and feel as open and easy as a stay by the sea; others face the city and give you the skyline lit up after dark. Rooms run a fair bit larger than the city-hotel norm, the beds are soft, and there is a sofa nook by the window that suits a morning coffee over the view. What sets the place apart is the sense of a building designed for living well, for more than just a night's sleep, and anyone who likes a good view and plenty of space to spread out should be happy here.

Food and amenities

This is where Hotel X goes big, almost to the point of being a resort in the city. Up on the top floor is the rooftop Sky pool, with a panorama of the lake and the city, paired with the 9 Sky viewing deck that turns into a favourite spot for photos and a drink at sunset — the part reviewers like most. A floor down sits the Guerlain spa for unwinding, plus a full gym, but the standout you will not find in an ordinary city hotel is the Ten X sports centre in the building: squash, a basketball court, a climbing wall and indoor courts, nine in all, which is ideal for sports fans and for families who want the kids to run off some energy. The biggest surprise is the private 250-seat cinema inside the hotel, which keeps a rainy day or a leg-resting day after the ground genuinely fun. For food there are several restaurants and bars, both proper meals and a rooftop bar with the view — enough going on, as plenty of reviews note, that you could happily stay in all day without getting bored.

Location and getting there

If you have come to Toronto to watch Toronto FC or a concert at BMO Field, the location here is the real trump card, because Hotel X is the only hotel set inside the Exhibition Place grounds, the same site as the stadium. From the lobby to BMO Field is only about 650 metres, under 10 minutes — and on a game day, when traffic is heavy and parking is full, being able to walk to the ground with no car to fret over and no streetcar to catch is an edge no other hotel in the city can match. Around the hotel, the Exhibition Place area has open plazas, a waterfront park and a lakeside path for a morning stroll or a run. Getting into the city is no trouble either, because the Exhibition station sits right next door: a GO Train reaches the centre in a few minutes, or the 509/511 streetcar links you into downtown, the waterfront and the main sights. The short version: if you want to walk to the ground on a game day and still reach the city easily on the others, this location scores full marks for football fans.

Things to know before booking

To help you decide, here is the straight talk. First, the trade-off in the location: as close to the stadium as it is, Exhibition Place sits a fair way from downtown, the shopping and the range of restaurants, so on a day with no match and a wish to eat and wander in the city, you take the streetcar or a GO Train — it is too far to walk, and anyone who likes opening the door to a buzzing street may find this zone a little quiet on an ordinary day. Second, the big events: whether it is a concert or the CNE, room rates climb sharply and the area around the hotel gets very crowded, so traffic in and out can snarl and it can be noisier than usual — if you are coming at peak, book well ahead and leave time to travel. Last, the extras and consistency: parking, service charges and the hotel's food and drink all run fairly high, so plan the budget, and some reviews note that a few rooms are starting to show wear, with service that can be uneven on busy days, such as a slow check-in or a long wait on requests. Best to set your expectations on the location and the amenities, and treat good service as a bonus.

Our take

From sitting and reading through several hundred real reviews, Hotel X Toronto sells the closest-to-the-stadium location in the city, a full set of amenities all in one building, and lake-and-skyline views — and does it well enough that it is hard to find a match for football fans. If your picture of a trip is waking in a lake-view room, walking a few minutes into BMO Field for a Toronto FC match or concert with no car to fret over, then coming back for the rooftop pool, a workout at the on-site sports centre or a film in the private cinema, this is about as neat a fit as it gets, and it suits families who want the kids to play in the sports centre too. But if the heart of the trip is staying in the middle of the city, shopping and eating out every day, or keeping the budget tight, the distance from downtown and the rates that spike during events may give you pause. Overall we give it 9.0/10, best for football fans and families who want to walk to the ground without a car, and who value having everything to hand in the hotel over being downtown.