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| - Bollywood
I had a last minute biz meeting at the Mississauga convention center and as such, all of the hotels I normally frequent, which are closest, were booked. Thus, the only room at the inn I could find for my better half and I was at the Radisson Plaza near YYZ (Derry Rd E). I booked a "deluxe" suite with king for a Thu and Fri night.
Being a Radisson, I expected it to be better than the other hotel/motels in the area but had lower expectations. To be clear, it's a Radisson - like a Holiday Inn Express or Quality. It's not the Charles Cinq or the Taj so don't expect the service/amenities and compare like kind/quality - which is what I normally try to do having stayed at multiple hotels in the area on business.
On arrival, in my opinion, the hotel is a bit quirky in its colonial, renaissance decor: stone fountains in the (then) empty parking lot, gryphon-armed chairs, dentate molding and ceilings painted. However, passing appearance, the check-in receptionist was better than the Taj Boston. She actually made us feel like we were the center of her world.
We were assigned room 6-- and a short distance for the painfully slow elevator, it was a good location. However, on entering, the overtly and overly stained carpet in the "living room" appeared slum dirty; the faux fireplace chipped; the cabinet broken/non-functional; furniture scratched; and overall, the room dingy. I am happy that I do not carry a backlight as I would rather not know about the sheets. This is not a place to entrust young children.
We chose not to unpack and headed downstairs for eats. It was lunchtime and the restaurant was completely empty - we were the only patrons. This alone should have made us run away. After a 15 minute wait, we met our waitress (and I use that term very liberally) who as the twilight-zone type meal progressed, was very affable but inept and poorly trained. She was unsure what was on the very limited menu that day and could not accommodate simple requests. So when we got our third round of silverware - this time clean but still not matching - the food (if you could call it that) turned out to be almost inedible - except of course for the naan. Even the plain house salad - and I am still unsure how one can mess that up.
I've eaten viande de cheval (horse) in Paris, cuy (guinea pig) in Lima and suri (beetle grubs) in Iquitos so trust me - when I say it is bad, it is bad. Bad service, scary food, overpriced - Don't eat here.
Following, I decided to work-out and use the facilities. The fitness center is downstairs in a basement area - a bit sketchy - and very small. However, there was no one else there so it was very adequate. However, the pool while beautiful was too cold and too chlorinated - itchy to swim. Both the hot tub and dry sauna were out-of-service and from reading other reviews, apparently never are in service.
We went to dinner at Zorro's that night - a separate review - and made sure to drink a bit too much in able to immediately fall asleep without having to think of what might be swarming in our bed.
The meeting went well the next day - the "hotel" very close to the convention center - and returning that evening, the place was packed. There was literally no place to park. The bar was full of only men and in the hallway next door, people were practicing Bollywood style synchronized dancing. There was also a traditional wedding going on in the ballroom that connects to the hotel so saris, turbans and full regalia.
Did I mention that this Radisson clearly caters to the Subcontinent? Did I mention that we were probably the only North Americans there - even including the staff? Did I mention that the place is more façade than factual - many props that do not work (sauna, spa, restaurant, etc.) or are in disrepair. From a distance it looks good - just don't get to close.
Don't get me wrong: the staff and guests at the hotel were very friendly - extremely affable - and made this traveler feel important. But the hotel itself is less than desirable.
If you are travelling in large group or having a large event (like a wedding), this hotel would most likely be perfect. However, if you are not from the Subcontinent and a family or less, I would definitely consider staying anywhere else.
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