TIFF hotel to venue transportation
Most Toronto International Film Festival guests stay downtown and move the same short distance several times a day. The hotel forecourt is a far better place to start an evening than a kerb you are hunting for.
TIFF Hotel to Venue Transportation rates
Hotel-to-venue work is short and repeated, which is why it is priced by the hour rather than per trip. Figures come from the published rate card.
All rates are plus HST 13% and gratuity 15 to 20 percent. A multi-night stay is quoted as a block. Hotels outside the core are priced on distance rather than the GTA hourly figures.
How guests actually move during the Toronto International Film Festival
The pattern is remarkably consistent. Guests stay in the downtown core, and the Toronto International Film Festival venues sit together in the Entertainment District, so the festival venues sit within roughly 200 metres of one another. The journeys are five minutes. There are just a lot of them, and they happen at the times when a five minute journey is hardest to arrange.
A morning screening, a lunch, an afternoon film, back to change, then out again for an evening premiere. That is five movements, four of them at peak, one of them in evening dress. Booked separately it is five separate waits and five prices set by whatever the moment costs.
Why the hotel forecourt beats the street
This sounds like a small thing and it is not, particularly on the evening you are dressed for a premiere.
From the forecourt
Escalade, held.
- Covered, lit, and out of the weather
- The doorman knows the car is coming
- No standing on King Street West in evening dress
- Luggage and coats handled at the door
From the street
Whatever you can flag.
- Fine in daylight, poor at 11pm
- Festival week fills the kerbs
- You are outside while you wait
Walking
Genuinely fine some of the time.
- The venues really are close
- Works until the weather or the outfit says otherwise
- No answer for the late run home
We will say plainly that on a dry afternoon between two screenings, walking is the right answer and we would rather tell you that than sell you a car. The forecourt earns its price on the evening runs.
Booking a whole stay rather than each trip
For a stay of three nights or more the sensible shape is a block of hours across the days rather than a booking each time you move.
If the stay includes a gala, mention it. A carpet arrival is sequenced by the event, so it sets the departure time from the hotel rather than the other way round. That is covered on the red carpet page.
TIFF hotel to venue transportation: questions buyers ask
Do you run hotel transfers during the Toronto International Film Festival?
Yes, and it is one of the most common bookings of festival week. Most Toronto International Film Festival guests stay downtown and move the same short distance several times a day, which is why it is booked hourly rather than trip by trip.
How much is hotel to venue transport?
A Cadillac Escalade is $175 an hour from $525 and a Regular Sprinter for up to fourteen is also $175 an hour from $525, both within the GTA and plus HST 13% and gratuity 15 to 20 percent. A Lincoln Navigator is $165 an hour with a four hour minimum.
Should I just walk? The venues are close.
On a dry afternoon between two screenings, yes, and we would rather say so. The venues sit within roughly 200 metres of each other. The car earns its price on evening runs, in weather, and when you are dressed for a premiere.
Do you collect from the hotel entrance?
Yes, from the forecourt rather than the street. It is covered, lit, the doorman knows the car is coming, and you are not standing on King Street West at 11pm in evening dress.
Can one booking cover a whole stay?
Yes, and for three nights or more it is the sensible shape. A block of hours across the days costs less and removes the arranging, rather than booking each time you move.
Can you collect people from several different hotels?
Yes. Each passenger gets their own pickup time and the route is ordered so everyone arrives together, which matters when the screening is a fixed start.
Which hotels do you serve?
Any of them. The downtown core and the Entertainment District are the usual ones during the festival, but a hotel further out is simply priced on distance instead of the GTA hourly figures.
Can we leave coats and shopping in the car?
Yes, and it is one of the better reasons to hold a vehicle across the day. It saves the trip back to the room between an afternoon screening and an evening one.
What if our screening times change?
Within an hourly booking the driver goes where you direct, so a change is a conversation rather than a rebooking. Extra hours bill at the same rate.
How many people fit?
Six in an Escalade, seven in a Navigator, and up to fourteen in a Regular Sprinter. Above fourteen we quote a 27-Passenger Mini Bus at $250 an hour.
Do you do the airport leg as well?
Yes. Arrivals from Pearson use the Pre-Arranged Limousine Desk, with the vehicle brought to the post, and it can sit on the same booking as the stay.
Is gratuity included?
No. Every rate is plus HST 13% and gratuity 15 to 20 percent, quoted separately so you are comparing like with like.
What if the stay includes a gala?
Tell us, because it changes the timing. A carpet arrival is sequenced by the event, so it sets your departure from the hotel rather than the other way round.
How far ahead should I book?
Two to three weeks for festival dates, and earlier for a multi-night block. Vehicles held across several days place before single evenings do.
Can the driver wait during a screening?
Yes, that is what the held hours cover. The vehicle is not released while you are inside and there is no charge beyond the hours.
Is this only for festival guests?
No. The same shape suits any downtown stay with a lot of short movements, but festival week is when the streets are busiest and it matters most.
Can you handle luggage on the last day?
Yes. A checkout run to Pearson on the final day sits on the same booking, and the boot space is one reason people choose the Escalade or the Sprinter over a sedan.
Do you take corporate bookings?
Yes, with invoicing rather than a card at the desk, a named driver confirmed in advance, and one booking covering several hotels.
What about late nights?
The late run back is the leg people forget to book and the hardest to arrange on the night. If you book one direction of an evening, make it that one.
Do you serve hotels outside downtown?
Yes, including near Pearson, which a lot of out-of-town guests use. Those are quoted on distance rather than the GTA hourly figures on this page.
Can we add a dinner stop?
Yes, and it is common because the restaurants sit between the venues on King Street West. Build it into the hours rather than adding it on the night.
How do I get a firm price?
Send your hotel, the dates and the number of people. A fixed block figure comes back and nothing is charged until you accept it.
Related TIFF services
Book the stay, not each trip
Send your hotel, your dates and how many of you there are. We quote the block and hold one vehicle across it.