The cost to stay at the Sheraton Centre Toronto was CAD 444/night including taxes and fees, or 43,000 Bonvoy points.
Since the cash rates for downtown hotels are quite high, I opted for the points rate. I used the annual 35,000 point certificate which I earned by being a holder of the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card along with an 8,000-point topup.
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The best way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points for free stays at more than 7,000 hotels around the world is with the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card (and/or the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card).
In addition to the great welcome bonus on both cards, you’ll earn 2 points per dollar on all purchases and 5 points per dollar at Marriott locations. And each year, you’ll earn a certificate for one free hotel stay (35,000 point value) and 15 Elite nights toward your Marriott Bonvoy status.
The Sheraton Centre Toronto is centrally located on Queen street, at the northern end of the central downtown district. It’s a maximum of a 15-20 minute walk to most any other downtown location, and about 25 minutes to walk to the waterfront.
The plus of being on the northern end of downtown is that you have all the downtown locations within easy walking distance, while everything north of downtown is also in close proximity. This includes City Hall, Nathan Philips Square with its outdoor skating rink and iconic Toronto sign, the popular Art Gallery of Ontario, and Yonge-Dundas Square.
Public transport can be accessed by The Osgood subway station one block away, and various other bus routes which stop near the hotel.
A drive from Toronto Pearson airport will take at least 30 minutes plus traffic delays. Or the better way to get downtown is to take the UP Express train direct to Union station downtown. The hotel is a 10-15 minute walk or short taxi drive away.
If arriving at Billy Bishop city airport, take the free shuttle to the Fairmont Royal York, then proceed to the Sheraton which will be a 10 minute walk away.
The hotel has one main entrance which can be accessed via Queen street to the north, or Richmond street to the south.
The entrance has one of my favourite features when visiting a downtown big-city hotel: An entry off the street in a private enclosed area. This makes for a stress-free arrival experience compared with some other downtown hotels where the hotel’s main entrance is right on the busy street.
At the Sheraton you drive up to the entrance and the valet will park your car for you. The cost is a steep 60 CAD/night. Since I arrived via train from the airport I didn’t have a car to park.
The Sheraton has a large and chic reception area with plenty of comfortable seating options. There is even a green space right outside the window with a small waterfall which helps to add a more natural feeling.
Being a downtown Toronto hotel, there is a focus on having multiple work areas for businesspeople. There are several single-person pods with a door that closes so one can work with some privacy right in the lobby area. There are also “Collaborate Studios” which can be booked to have a group meeting.
As a Platinum Elite member I was given an upgrade to a Deluxe King room way up on the 41st floor. The check-in agent was super friendly, and who I would see multiple times during my stay both in the reception area and in the club lounge. My other upgrade options included a Junior Suite, however it wouldn’t be ready for another hour and was on a lower floor with a worse view. Considering that I was travelling alone and anxious to get checked in, I chose the Deluxe Room with a nicer view which would meet my needs.
The agent also had a couple of vouchers delivered to my room for free cocktails in the club lounge. This was on account of my status and the fact that it was my first time in the hotel which was a very nice touch.
The room was a very good size for just one guest with a super comfortable king-sized bed. The room was also tastefully appointed with an armchair, ottoman and side table, a work desk with two work chairs, and a good amount of drawers for storage.
There was the typical in-room safe, and coffee/tea station which featured Urbanista coffee products and a Tazo tea selection. There was a small mini-bar area with bottled water (free for elite members), an ice bucket, and plastic cups. Now I don’t know if this is a personal pet peeve of mine, but the plastic cups always annoy me. It was otherwise a pretty high-quality room for a mid-range hotel brand. But the plastic cups, wrapped in yet more plastic, is not only terrible for the environment, but also cheapens the feel of the room in my opinion.
As promised, the view of Toronto was great, along with Nathan Philips Square.
The bathroom was quite small with a single sink. For me alone it was fine, but if a family of four were sharing the room it would be a tight squeeze. All the fixtures were of good quality, and water pressure was always great. The toiletry products were by Gilchrist & Soames and were quite nice. I was actually contemplating buying some to have at home too. But alas, more of the plastic glasses were here, wrapped in yet more plastic!!
One of the features I appreciated the most at the Sheraton Centre Toronto was its recently renovated club lounge. This was up on the top floor of the hotel and was quite stylish and comfortable, with terrific views all around of downtown Toronto.
There were various seating arrangements useful for eating, socializing, or working. I had access to this thanks to my Platinum Elite status. You can always book rooms which give you access to this if you don’t have status with Marriott.
Starting at 5:00PM each day, complimentary evening canapés are served, which were all pretty nice. Where the lounge really excelled though was a full bar service. The bartender was even able to produce smoked versions of Old Fashioned cocktails, which are some of my favourite. While many club lounges have alcohol available, it’s nice to have not just bar service with a bartender, but a cocktail list which was quite more extensive than you’d normally find.
In the morning the staff put out a full breakfast including eggs, sausages, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, granola, toast&bagels, pastries&muffins, and a platter of meat and cheese. Water and a selection of juices were available to drink. They also had a mango lassi which was absolutely dynamite! I think I had three of them. Again you had wonderful morning views of the city while you ate.
I recently visited the club lounge at Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel, which was was also recently renovated. Between the two of them, I have to give a slight edge to the club lounge in Montreal. The food selection and service were slightly better there. But for the best cocktails, Toronto wins hands down! But you can’t go wrong with either one, they are both really nice and a great perk of Marriott Elite status.
Other than the club lounge, the hotel offers three other choices for food service:
If you have drinks at your hotel’s bars and restaurants, don’t forget to charge these expenses to your room bill, earning up to 17.5 points per dollar based on your Marriott Bonvoy status!
When you check out, pay with your Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card to earn 5 points per dollar!
The hotel has ample event space for meetings, social events and weddings of all sizes. In addition to this, there is a gym which was being renovated while I was there. To make up for this, the hotel setup a temporary gym space which could be accessed with your room key in one of the rooms of the shopping area attached to the hotel lobby. I have to admit it was a pretty decent setup for a temporary gym with a fair amount of equipment for both cardio & strength training, and water and towels freely available.
My personal favourite though was the pool area, and was one of the main reasons I chose this property. The hotel has quite a unique heated indoor/outdoor pool which can be enjoyed year-round. In the winter (when I visited), there is a door which mostly closes to keep the cold air out, but you can easily swim under it and be able to swim outside. On the day of my visit it was a very crisp early winter afternoon with a blue, sunny sky. To be able to swim outdoors and enjoy the fresh air, surrounded by the skyscrapers of downtown Toronto, was a very cool way to workout!
In the summer the door is fully opened and the outdoor pool deck is used more extensively. There are lots of seats and loungers available with towels. You can also order food and drinks to be delivered right to you via the Marriott app. A very enjoyable place to spend some time! The only thing which was regrettably missing was a jacuzzi.
On the service side, it’s funny I kept seeing the same staff member. The same young woman who checked me in, also greeted me in and out of the club lounge, and then checked me out the next day. She was lovely, and the other staff I saw all seemed quite friendly as well. I also interacted with the staff in the club lounge who were very helpful, and the bartender was great with the specialty cocktails. The general feeling of hospitality I experienced was quite good.
I feel like Sheraton has been known in recent years for inconsistent experiences and sort of vague branding overall. But with my experience at this Sheraton downtown hotel, and my recent one with its counterpart in downtown Montreal, my feelings on that are starting to change. This refurbished Sheraton look is chic and modern, with quite friendly staff. This overall makes the hotel quite pleasant for either business or pleasure.
I chose this hotel for three reasons: The location, club lounge, and pool area. All of these were great, but I was pleasantly surprised with the entire experience being quite good.
The room cash rates are quite high however, but to be fair that is getting to be par for the course for hotels of this level in the downtown Toronto area. If I were staying for multiple days on a cash rate, and wasn’t planning on spending much time at the hotel, I might shop around a bit for other comparable properties to see who has the best rate. But overall I’d recommend the hotel, especially if you can use Bonvoy points which are a decent value here, particularly using 35,000 point certificates offered through the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express® cards.
Keep reading with our hotel reviews in Toronto:
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