Location, Location, Location! That is what this hotel has going on for it in spades. Kitty corner to Union station and a hundred cheaper than the Royal York right beside it makes the Strathcona an easy pick if you are coming down for a night at the ACC then back again on the train.
We reserved and were to pay when we arrived. The first hiccup was they had lost the reservation, not lost per-say but for some reason it cancelled, possibly because we didn't do a pre-paid reservation I don't know but eventually it was all sorted. The second hiccup was that there was unforseen construction right in front of the hotel but they graciously offered ear plugs for the inconvenience. We later found out there was a free breakfast for the rooms facing that side (which we were) but had already had breakfast from elsewhere. Would have been nice to know that from the staff, not hear it from someone asking about it.
The rooms are small yes, but it's Toronto if you are looking for more than a shoebox for the night in the DT core... good luck and open wallet to you. It was clean, cool temp and did the trick. They didn't go above & beyond but it was exactly as I expected it to be so I'm not mad at that. I'd stay again for right price.