Following a week on the West Coast of Canada, my partner and I flew to Toronto and stayed at the Sheraton Centre in downtown Toronto for three nights.

Research & Booking

The Sheraton Centre Toronto is right in the centre of the city near the old city hall and is ranked #26 out of 137 hotels in the area on TripAdvisor.

I booked a Traditional Guest Room for two nights at an SPG Member flexible rate, which averages $300 CADincluding all taxes; otherwise, as an SPG Category 5 hotel, I could have used 12,000 Starpoints. SPG and Marriott Rewards are in the process of merging, with pricing changes coming from August 2018.

I then used a free night certificate I gained through a previous SPG ‘three stays and receive a free night’ promotion for the last night.

At check-in, the helpful Stephie provided an upgrade to a Deluxe Room as no suites were available due to the hotel being fully booked with a high number of conference attendees. The Deluxe Rooms are the same as the Traditional Rooms, however, they are on higher floors with better views.

I opted for the Starpoints welcome bonus considering that breakfast was already included for free in the Club Lounge. As this was split across a paid booking and a free night, I received two 500-point welcome bonuses and it was classified as two ‘eligible stays’ according to my SPG statement.

The room: Deluxe Room

The 30m² room was compact, yet there was still enough spare floor space to open our two clamshell bags on the floor. There are a king-sized bed, armchair, large mahogany desk and large flatscreen television.

The Deluxe Room had views north over Osgoode Hall and Nathan Phillips Square.

There is an alarm clock with iPhone dock:

and the bedside tables have built-in USB and power adapters. The styling is dated and could use a refresh to bring it up to the standard of the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre.

The bathroom features a combined bath/shower with excellent water pressure yet limited bench space on the vanity.

Le Grand Bain toiletries are included.

The hotel

The grand lobby of the hotel was always a hive of activity, with an atrium which fills the otherwise dark space with sunlight during the day.

The hotel has an excellent double-height ceiling Club Lounge on the top 43th floor, with incredible views out to the north and south. In the morning, there is a hot breakfast buffet.

Canapés are served in the evening. However, there are no complimentary alcoholic beverages.

The BnB restaurant and Link Café are located on the ground floor, and there is also a pub and deli on the lower floor.

Facilities

The hotel has a large indoor/outdoor heated swimming pool, however, the -24°C-with-wind-chill temperature outside impacted the warmth of the pool inside.

A large 24-hour fitness centre also includes a jogging path and sauna.

Around the hotel

The Sheraton is directly across the road from Nathan Phillips Square, where you can go ice skating during winter. It is also walking distance to Chinatown, the theatre, department stores, the main bus terminal for services to Niagara Falls and the CF Toronto Eaton Centre.

The CN Tower, Harbourfront and Historic Distillery District are a quick taxi or ride-share away.

UberX is available in Toronto, however, only the more expensive services are available from the airport.

The Winterlicious Food Festival was on during our stay, which is similar to the Dine Out Festival in Vancouver, during which restaurants around the city offer three-course fixed-price menus throughout winter.

Other Sheraton reviews

Summing up

Although the rooms need a styling refresh, the Sheraton Centre Toronto was a comfortable place to stay for three nights.

All the major sights of Toronto are either within walking distance or a short drive away. The Club Lounge offered a hot breakfast in the morning and hot canapés in the evening, with panoramic views of the city.

All hotel staff we encountered were friendly and accommodating to our requests and we were especially grateful that the reception team was able to arrange an early check-in and a late checkout at 5:30pm on our last day.

Supplementary image courtesy Sheraton Centre Toronto.