Canada Toronto Sheraton Centre Downtown

[nlrjkr]

I just returned from a one night stay at this hotel through a Hotwire reservation for $54 USD/night. Valet parking was not available, but parking was available ($16.25 CDN) across Queen St W under the City Hall building. The lobby of the hotel can be reached without going outside by following the Path. A warning: the route to take was marked with a pedestrian walkway, but unless you knew in advance this would take you to the stairs and elevators leading to the hotel lobby it was very confusing. After the initial problem it was fine - just be sure to note the level and area where you're parked. I never did find the elevator to get from the 3rd level in the parking garage to the lobby level which would have been very inconvenient if we'd stayed longer than a day. The area under the hotel is filled with shops and fast food type restaurants. There are also better restaurants located on the lobby level and level 2. The lobby level is also filled with shops and it can be difficult to find the reservation desk. Upon arrival there we found a long line of people waiting to check in. Since I'd already emailed the hotel with my Starwood Preferred Guest number, I went to that counter, where there was virtually no line and 3 people helping with check in. It was no problem at all using the SPG desk, even with my Hotwire reservation. We were given a room on the 32nd floor with king sized bed, non-smoking, a view of Lake Ontario and the CN tower. It was nicely decorated and quite comfortable. All the regular amenities - shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap were available, as well as a hair dryer, coffee maker, coffee, tea, etc. The prices for room service seemed reasonable, although we didn't eat at the hotel. There is an indoor/outdoor pool, open year round on the 3rd floor. There was also a large fitness center and jacuzzi there. The location of the hotel was good although due to unforseen circumstances, we weren't able to do much exploring. For $54 a night, I'd definitely stay here again. Thanks again to betterbidding!

[byeloe]

I just returned from this hotel from a 3 night priceline stay. Mar 12 -15th.

Had 2 double non smoking on the 8th floor. All beds in this hotel have recently been upgraded. Room was ok. Arm chair had a rip in one of the arms, and should be moved to vacuum as we found a couple of toys and some cheesey's underneath.

room was quite dry causing a lot of static.

early check-in was no problem. Ihad made this reservation nearly 1 year in advance using a bonus link so I paid $22/night($32 with bonus)

At that rate I have nothing to complain about. I would definitely stay again even at the $54 paid by the previous poster, but not for the $125 price on their website.

I liked the location, easy walk to ACC and Hockey Hall of Fame or any of the Theatres.

A great 3* in T.O.

I liked it better than the Courtyard.

Valet Parking $33cad /night too steep so I parked across the street.

[lindisfarne]

Hi,

The Sheraton Centre Toronto is now considered a 4* by Priceline. (paid $61/night before service fee/taxes).

Dates were June 11 - 17. The hotel was still undergoing renovation. The lobby for several days really smelled from paint or varnish; June 12 (evening) it was especially bad. Sheraton didn't seem to be making any effort to provide adequate ventilation - no fans, no doors propped open (at least not the first day or so); I'm absolutely certain there was a warning on the cans of whatever they used saying ventilation was very important. In addition, they could have used a much safer product which didn't contain volatile organic compounds; it would have cost 15-25% more, but if Sheraton values its guests and employees (many of whom HAD to be in the lobby, where the smell was by far the worst), they would have gone this extra step.

My room was fine (although if it was recently renovated, they didn't have very good workers: the wallpaper was already peeling in one spot), although unfortunately, the smell from the paint/varnish ended up in my room on June 12. I had opened my window as soon as I got back and that helped with the room, but when I went in the bathroom a few hours later, it still smelled strongly - maintenance said the vent in the bathroom was only for exhaust, so it's not clear whether the smell was backwashing from the exhaust vent or what). Maintenance tried to help (ended up taping up vents to/from the room and I left the bathroom door shut and put a towel at the bottom of it) but had management thought about the fumes from the paint/varnish and used a safer product, neither guests nor employees would have been exposed to potentially neurotoxic/ carcinogenic/damaging to respiratory systems / who knows what else?? fumes. Originally, they had said April, then June 1, and now July 1 for the final date of renovation, so perhaps this will not be an issue from now on (although I wonder what other chemicals/toxins Sheraton is exposing guests to, if they weren't concerned about the paint/varnish??).

The hotel charges $Can9 per day (not sure if this is a calendar day, or a 24-hour period) for the fitness room (or $18 for a week), which is ridiculous, in my opinion.

Parking will cost you a fortune. But for those who are willing to take public transit, you can take the 192 bus from the airport to the subway, and then the subway to Osgoode station (transfer at St. George rather than Spadina; you walk much further at Spadina to transfer from the one line to the other). It costs about $2.50 and takes less than one hour; the 192 and subway run until after midnight (subway opens at 6 am weekdays; Sat and Sun it is later; check how much later) - it's as fast as the bus service which goes to various downtown hotels and is much cheaper! You do have to walk a little, and sometimes the escalators are going in the wrong direction - I did carry my bag up/down steps to get into the Ogoode station, and down a few more steps to get down to the platform at Osgoode, so for those who have lots of baggage or cannot handle the weight of their bags, this may not be a good option. Getting onto the train is no problem; they're level with the platform. The Toronto subway is very safe; they have also provided "Designated Waiting areas" which have video cameras and an audio connection to the person up in the payment booth.

You don't need a car in Toronto if you're willing to walk 3-5 miles/day, depending on where you're heading, and take public transit - the subway plus streetcars and buses are very good (there's a Hertz rental location (and other rental agencies) located within a mile of the Sheraton, if you want a car for a day or two). The Concierge can give you a map of the underground PATH system - but watch it closely; it's easy to head in the wrong direction.

I would definitely ask for a room in the tower facing City Hall - the higher the better - I believe that's a north view. The view to the south has a tall building blocking it - although according to one previous post, you have a good view from the 32nd floor (Club level starts at 35). Avoid the "cabana" rooms which are in the part of the building attached to the tower to the east - various reviewers said they were noisy and lower quality; although I didn't see them, I can definitely understand that they would be noisy, as they're closer to the street.

For the most part, the Sheraton employees were friendly/helpful. Traders Bar and Grille is open until very late, after midnight, and the food is fine (nothing fancy, but good); the service is good too. TVs are blaring and it can be noisy (I was there during NBA playoff games) but it's about the only place around to get a meal after 9 pm in the surrounding area! The smoking area of the bar is completely enclosed with a separate ventilation system so you don't have to walk out of the main section smelling like an ashtray and coughing up phlegm for days to come! (There's a Marriott nearby which has something that looked a little more upscale).

Sheraton does need to either air condition its elevators, or better yet, install fluorescent bulbs which don't generate the heat that the halogen? bulbs do (fluorescent bulbs have undergone a revolution and there are very attractive options available, and they'll save a fortune on the electricity bill). Toronto had a heat wave while I was there and the elevator ride was very uncomfortable; maybe in the winter the extra heat is welcome! But they're wasting energy with those bulbs.

[pirate]

Stayed here 26th to 29th August on a Priceline bid of $61 per night. Checkin was very professionally handled and my room request was met. I was allocated a room on the 20th floor, which is the "Amex club level" so obviously no Priceline bad attitude here!

Room was clean, spacious, and tastefully decorated in shades of cream and royal blue. The view was down to the pool or out across the Toronto skyline; there was a small opening section in the window so that one could get some fresh air, which was nice. The bathroom was small but aceptable and well presented.

We did not have a car, but valet parking was $28 CAN per night! The Sheraton is very well located at the junction of the Financial and Entertainment districts and only a few blocks from Chinatown and most other attractions.

Overall I would rate the Sheraton as a good choice wether in Toronto for business or pleasure and a steal at the prices currently being reported for Priceline bids.

:) Pirate

[rcw]

Great Hotel. Paid $79 for Oct 29 - 30. The location was perfect. Close to everything. Parkig was expensive, but what else would you expect in a major city.

[thestugots]

This is a very nice hotel available as a customer favourite on Hotwire, got it for US$65/night. Reading some of the previous posts on this property, here's the latest from downtown Toronto. There is no indoor smoking allowed in public places in Toronto anymore, so the enclosed smoking area in Traders Bar is gone. We had a great room on the 22nd floor facing CN Tower, everything was new inside the room. Check-in mentioned the room was prepaid, but no bias towards us with the opaque booking.

Parking is recommended in the City Hall Municipal Lot across the street (in fact there is an access ramp just off Queen Street on the hotel side of the street. Weekend rates are quite good for downtown Toronto. It was $17 CDN for us to park all day Saturday and half of Sunday. This hotel is close to everything so walking to most things is quite easily done for most people.

..

I won't hesitate booking this location again.

[dizy]

My husband and I just returned from a one-night stay at the Sheraton Centre 11/3-11/4/07. I received this hotel on PL for $75 (USD), and promptly called the hotel to request a non-smoking King room as I was celebrating my wedding anniversary. When my husband and I checked in, the clerk wished us a happy anniversary (they obviously had put it into the computer), and due to our special event, they gave us a complimentary upgrade to a great Club Level room on the 39th floor. It was a beautiful north-facing room with a spectacular view of downtown!

The hallways and rooms are tastefully decorated and very clean. We did not notice any obvious problems with carpet stains, rips in furniture, peeling wallpaper - everything seemed to be in great shape (not sure if the standard rooms are the same?). The bed was VERY comfortable and the shower was great.

We followed the advice of many posters and parked across the street at the Civic Center parking to save $. No problem, very convenient.

We did use the pool and hottub which were great! It was so fun swimming in the indoor/outdoor pool in November! The water temperature had to be ~ 85 F, very warm. The air temp outside was ~40F. Very nice setup!

We did not eat at any of the restaurants onsite, so I cannot comment there, but they looked nice. Because we were on the Club Level, we got a complimentary breakfast on the 43rd floor in the AM. Very nice.

Also, the location of this hotel was perfect for us! Obviously, a wonderful stay and I would hope for this hotel again with future PL bids.

[hawk55]

I stayed here this past April. $200.00Cdn Hotwire deal, 4 adults, 2 King beds. I called befroehand and asked for King beds and to be away from the elevator, which they did. The staff here was great throughout, very helpful. The hotel is very nice with great beds. I would stay here again anytime.

[hawk55]

I stayed here this past April. $200.00Cdn Hotwire deal, 4 adults, 2 King beds. I called befroehand and asked for King beds and to be away from the elevator, which they did. The staff here was great throughout, very helpful. The hotel is very nice with great beds. I would stay here again anytime.

This hotel was the Sheraton Toronto Centre.

[Randi66]

Paid 70.00 for July 13-16th. Upon check-in was told that we had a traditional room and could upgrade for 50.00 a night to a room on the club-level which was a larger room( suite) with a separate bedroom/living room. This also included access to the club lounge and breakfast each day for 4ppl as well as afternoon appetizers. Supposedly, this room came with better ammenities, but I didnt see any.

The room was smaller than I expected, with 1 queen size bed and a pull-out sofa. They were going to give us a rollaway bed as well. When they came up with the rollaway bed, they told us that only a child should sleep on the sofa bed as its a very thin mattress. They offered to bring in a second rollaway bed. The mattresses on the rollaways are thick( same as on the regular beds), but a bit soft. I was going to get a fridge for my insulin, but I was told to empty out the mini bar and use that.

The hotel is very large and centrally located. Parking is RIDICULOUS at 40.00 a night. We parked across the street for 20.00 a night with no in and out privledges. The loby provides lemonade and ice tea and fresh popped popcorn in the afternoon.

The breakfast was continental with hard boiled eggs, fresh fruit, crossiants, muffins, bagels, pastry, yogurt, cereal, cold meats and cheese, juice, milk, and a coffee bar( starbucks, espresso, cappacino, etc, etc).

The afternoon appetizers included cheeses, crackers, fruits, veggie platters, a selection of hot appetizers( seafood puffs, burritos, grilled shrimp( overcooked). The appetizers changed each night.

The pool was nice, with half inside and half outside. The divider is pulled down in the winter months.

The hottub was ok, not enough power in the jets. The fitness center is open 24hrs and had a lot of nice equipment.

[dbrynen]

Stayed here from December 20th-23rd, 2011 for $86/night. Great modern hotel. Best thing about it was the location. Close to everything and connected to Toronto's underground PATH network. Only thing that wasn't so great was the room size, which was a little on the small size. Fitness center and pool were pretty good as well. Didn't eat here, however ate at Shopsy's which is closeby and advertised in the hotel..great sandwiches !