After a great World Series run last fall, I wanted to see a Toronto Blue Jays game in a unique way through the Toronto Marriott City Centre’s baseball stadium view rooms. While this concept is more common in Europe, this is the only hotel in North America situated inside a major sports stadium, with windows that open to the stadium and provide a really great perspective, and unique experience to essentially sleep inside a stadium for the night.

I booked a regular stadium view room for ~$1020 CAD during a Monday night game when the bookings opened in early December. For anyone looking to snag a specific room and specific game in the future, the field view rooms become available for each season once MLB announces the game start times for their schedule. The hotel also announces when they’ve become available on their Instagram page.

In late March, they announced the Rawlings Room, a baseball and Rawlings gear themed 1 of 1 field view room, with bookings opening as of May 1st. I emailed the hotel to figure out if they knew the rates ahead of time, and they told me they didn’t know, as well as the fact that the room was already sold for my desired date. This seemed false, so on May 1st, I hopped online and I managed to upgrade my room to the Rawlings Room with an online booking and a call to the hotel to switch my booking credit. Kudos to the duty manager, who was very helpful with this. Whoever was answering emails didn’t have the right info, I guess. The room total was around ~$1700 CAD. Poor financial decision. Great fun decision.

Pros:

The room itself is really well done. Baseball lamps. Baseball leather chairs. The mural of baseballs spelling out 1977 (founding year of the Blue Jays). The home plate and clay painting of the bathroom floor. The equipment scattered around the room.

You even get a personalized, seemingly 3d printed, locker room name plate. If you want multiple, email the hotel ahead of time, and they can make you a second one. I asked for my wife’s last name to be put on the second one.

It may not be for everyone, but I love themed kitschy experiences like this.

Great view for the game, and if you get checked in early enough, you’ll get to watch batting practice and the field setup. We even saw Vladdy Jr taking batting practice solo long before anyone else came out. We watched the grounds crew work on the clay before and after the game, and even caught them setting up for the next game in the morning.

You’re provided a pair of binoculars in the room so you can really zoom in on the action if you want.

Concierge Lounge access was included with this room, and we were even delivered an amenity kit of soda, sparkling waters, and caramel corn before the game.

Cons:

- The two poor design choices: the oversized photos of George Springer on the back of the hotel room door and Vladdy Jr. overlooking your bed. Too tacky. Not really in theme, imo. I would’ve preferred an outfield wall, or just some Blue Jays mural of logos. The back of the hotel room door could’ve just been Rawlings red. Don’t really understand the design choice.

- The view of the field is great for watching the game, though you have a couple blind spots in the deep outfield due to you being right above the giant video board. It sticks out enough to block the view, and you cannot see what is on the scoreboard in real time. You can always turn on Sportsnet on your TV and see everything with a 15 second delay, but I thought a scoreboard feed would be cool. Not a huge con.

- Attending a game on a bobblehead giveaway night? Despite the high price, you do not get the giveaway for the game. The hotel says they’re not part of the Blue Jays organization, hence why, but like… you just made a room with Blue Jays players’ likenesses in them. Seems like something they should work out with the Jays for the field view rooms, considering other premium seatings get the giveaways.

- The influencer promos stated a real Gold Glove Award was supposed to be displayed in the room. Apparently, it had to be removed for repairs less than a month into the room’s use. This is why we can’t have nice things, I guess.

- I had also heard that you could basically get whatever food from the stadium delivered to your room. That’s not the case. But you can get pretty much anything from the Sportsnet Grill menu delivered for in room dining. Had some steak bites and butter chicken while watching the final innings.

- And if I’m being nit picky, the shower is a little narrow.

All in all, my verdict is that my wife and I had a blast watching a game and sleeping over in a stadium. Pulling the curtains open to an empty stadium in the morning was really something as avid sports fans. The value proposition for the field view rooms isn’t for everyone, let alone the Rawlings Room, which is nearly double the cost a normal field view room… but it was really perfect for my tastes. The issues I had with my stay were really minor in the grand scheme of things.

If you want to sleepover with a stadium view at a budget rate, the Rawlings Room and other field view rooms are available on non-game days. I think I saw the Rawlings Room for $600 on a non game day this summer. You can also take a tour of the field view rooms for free by just walking into the hotel.

Final bits of info: The room sleeps four, and can host eight for the game. You can bring in any of your own food and drinks. And sorry for the crummy pics. They’re screenshots from a video. Was trying to live in the moment rather than document the room a ton.

I’d never do this again at Rogers Centre (well, unless there was a differently themed room. Maybe then). But I’m so glad I did it once. Now I have to do some other stadiums in Europe and Asia…

Cheers, and play ball!