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| - My colleague and I were in Toronto a couple of weeks ago for work. We probably shouldn't have waited until the last minute to book a hotel and *I* probably shouldn't have left the choice to Colleague but Colleague claimed that the Courtyard was the only "cost effective" hotel in our corporate travel policy and that was that. Because this was a work trip, I didn't spend much time at the hotel or in my room but I was there long enough to note the absence of finishing touches and the presence of a general air of what I can describe only as "tiredness."
First off, it looks like the building was not born as a hotel: the corridors were narrow and confusing, the elevators were oddly placed, my room was strangely shaped, and the tiny bathroom contained only a toilet and shower--the mirror and sink were elsewhere in the room, which required a naked, dripping and barefoot (ick) walk from the shower. While my room contained a number of lamps, none was fitted with a particularly bright bulb--cost-saving measure or just a cheap way to hide the need for refurbishment? The drain in my sink was clogged through my entire stay and although I didn't bother complaining, I don't see why the maid wouldn't have noticed on one of the three days that she supposedly cleaned my room. The brightly-lit lobby looked fine from a distance but up-close, the furniture was threadbare and worn. It reminded me of the waiting room of a second-rate hospital, the sort of place where people in the U.S. are sent after the "good" hospital learns that the incoming patient has no insurance.
On the brighter side, my bed was very comfortable, the room contained a decent-sized flat-screen television, and the carpet looked either fairly new or freshly cleaned. My room had a balcony, which could have been nice at a different time of year (watching the people in the apartment house across the way was better than TV, actually) and the free wireless internet was a definite plus. The staff were also very nice even though no one at the front desk knew where I could get my shoes shined, a necessity after getting caught in a nasty rainstorm.
As far as food options go, there was the obligatory hotel bar and equally depressing-looking restaurant. (No offense meant, of course, but there's something about dining establishments in business-traveler-targeted hotels that make me hate the world.) There's also a Second Cup cafe on the corner and a fair amount of pizza parlors and restaurants in the immediate vicinity. The hotel's location on Yonge Street, about a ten minute walk north to Bloor Street and ten minutes south to the Eaton Centre, was just fine; however, the immediate neighborhood might best be described as "transitional." At least that's what my Toronto-based coworkers laughingly called it when I told them where I was staying. I found out what they meant on my walk to the office when I passed the strip clubs, dirty movie theater, fetishwear store, and 24-hour sex toy emporium (Not Just Condoms) and adjoining video parlor. Not that I'm complaining; I'm just hoping that I didn't confuse my corporate Amex with my personal Amex, which could make for an interesting discussion with my boss, who felt the need to warn me about the appropriate use of the expense account (duh) before I left on my trip.
I wouldn't recommend this particular Courtyard for someone who's interested in a lot of amenities or who wants to be in a really happening neighborhood but at $189 a night, my room wasn't terribly expensive and it was more or less convenient to where I had to be. I guess that's all that matters but the next time I'm in Toronto, I will book my own room and I will not wait until the last minute.
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