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| - The first time I stayed here (~2 years ago) I was "upgraded" to a better room - 15th floor with a view of the CN Tower and lake. It was so amazing my family decided to splurge and stay here again on our mini Canada vacay.
Second time around I have mixed feelings about my stay. We arrived 2 1/2 hours early and decided to use the parking lot underground ($32 CAD for 24/hours with no in/out privilege) again like our last stay. I asked if we can check in early (we were - YAY!!) and if we can have a room with a view of the CN Tower (no, they didn't have one avail until maybe after 4pm - bummer!). We did get a corner room on the 9th floor with a view of the city ... in fact this room had two sets of windows which was great but didn't let in much light with the tall building with tinted windows smack in front.
As a New Yorker I really didn't care for the city view as nothing will beat NYC's skyline so I was bummed I didn't get my tranquil lake view. I guess I wouldn't have been so bummed if the tall building with tinted windows didn't reflect the CN Tower and lake - it's like being teased of the view I wanted but couldn't get!
But the window viewing aside here are the pros & cons of this second stay:
+ spacious room - they have recent renovations but I can't tell what is/isn't new
+ complimentary toiletries from Aveda (smells really nice and not skin drying)
+ free WiFi if you are an IHG member (which I am and you should sign up for since it's free)
+ indoor pool
+ security: you need to tap your room card in the elevator to go up any level higher than the lobby and lower level
+ access to Club Lounge on the 8th floor. This was the biggest positive with the room upgrade this time. The lounge comes with complimentary tea, coffee, flavored water & fruits from 6:30-10pm AND complimentary breakfast (6:30-10am); tea time (2-4:30pm) and hor d'oeuvres (5-7pm).
The first time we stayed here we payed extra to include breakfast at the restaurant downstairs but not this time so it was a treat to have a complimentary breakfast buffet at the lounge. We didn't get to try tea time or h or d'oeuvres but the breakfast spread was amazing: grains, fresh cut up fruits, pastries, oatmeal station with several topping choices ... my favorite was the chia pudding in almond milk!
Now for the negatives of our stay:
- missing sofa/reading chair. Every hotel I've stayed at had a sofa/lounge/reading chair including this one. However, the room we stayed in didn't and when I asked the front desk they said not every room had the extra piece of furniture after the renovation (weird?!)
- small fridge was filled with drinks (room charge if you use) so you can't really use it
- overhead vent was noisy when we turned the thermostat up (room still chilly at 75)
- not enough space: tv was on top of dresser/mini fridge, there were snacks set on the table with the coffee machine (room charge for the snacks), there isn't a lot of space to put your things without feeling clutter/messy
- on our second night the staff knocked on my door after 8pm to offer water (weird again?!!) even though I didn't ask for/order it. Now I wouldn't count that as a negative but prior to knocking on our door she was having a very loud conversation with another employee about having to service a room. That convo went on for over ten minutes, at first I thought it was some sort of argument. I get employees need to vent, but there's a time and place -- just not outside my room.
These negatives (plus not getting my view of choice) were not a huge deal BUT considering how expensive it is to stay here compared to other IHG hotels I'm going to ding off a star.
Although our second time was not as impressive as the first it was still a pleasant stay and we may come back again in the future.
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