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| - As a local staying in a hotel, I've got a very different view - but I have to say I enjoyed the stay here, and don't have much to complain about.
The staff were friendly, and rooms were clean. The food was meh, but as expected from a hotel.
I did like a lot, on the weekend, they had lots of fun activities for kids as part of your stay - ballroom animals (the best I've ever seen), a visit from a live alligator from Reptilia Zoo, movie night with popcorn in the lobby, a cartoonist. I've never seen a hotel go to such lengths for their guests, and it's appreciated.
THE ROOM
As a Starwood member, we were up at the 35th floor. Only downside is the extremely long elevator rides, especially when it got busy on the weekend. BUT, the elevators are FAST. Love that.
The view is great here. At the foot of Toronto, right by the lake. if you can get a lakeview, it's wonderful, but really, how much time are you really spending in the hotel room. Personally, it would be much more worth your while on a middle floor, lake view or not.
Room is clean, with a small couch and table. Adequate space. Not sure why hotels these days don't put a convenient plug by the bed, and I had to crawl on all fours to find one.
Love the Westin bathroom freebies, they smell nice and these are ones I actually want to take home.
The room also has a empty fridge for your personal use (the closest liquor store is east about 5 mins walk) - but the top rack IS NOT refrigerated. Learnt the hard way.
They also have a promotion where if you place a notice on your door, and do not change your linens, they will give you 500 Starwood points. Perfect!
Except this notice and the do not disturb sign are the exact same looking and kept falling off the handle.
There was one FAIL. The coffee machine seems to be equipped for little K-cups, but they give you regular coffee in a filer bag to use which I cannot stuff into the Kcup drawer. Asked downstairs how to resolve this, and they said to break open the bad and put it in the k-cup drawer, i didn't try this, but don't think it will work.
No wifi in the room, free in the lobby and restaurants though. If you're a starwood member, you'll get it for free, but need to pretend to pay for it, and they will take it off your bill. A little archaic, and why is wifi something we all still need to pay for!
THE FOOD
I wasn't impressed by the buffet breakfast. There was nothing here I really could eat (no wheat no dairy)! Everything was bread, pastries, pancakes, french toast. The Scrambled Eggs were mixed with Cheese!!! Sometimes it doesn't even say so, and I had to be careful. On the first morning, I asked the chef at the back if I could have a plate without cheese, and he grumbled at me that I would have to pay extra and to ask my server. But in the end, just plopped some eggs down on a plate for me. The 2nd day was easier. There needs to be more egg options at breakfast.
They also had congee to my surprise, which was actually quite good, for western standards. It was watery with no flavour, but add some sesame oil and pickled cabbage and it was quite good.
Dinner however was a different story. The first day, it was just okay. I don't eat pork so the only thing I could have was the swordfish - a little tough, but still good. The butternut squash ravioli was excellent except I only had a taste as I don't take to creamy sauces very well. I also then stocked up on the mixed veggies which I saw at every meal.
The next day however, lots more choice, and the food was quite tasty. There was beef, and a small mac and cheese which I couldn't help myself. And dessert, a creamy tiramisu thing was delicious.
As part of the event, there was a sit down dinner which we were charged $125 for (not sure how the costs break down) but found the food here terrible compared to the restaurant. The steak was bland and not seasoned at al, the chicken breast was dry - the mashed potatoes were good only because they were incredibly buttery. The servers need to learn proper etiquette as he asked me if I was finished with my side plate (while holding the plate to the RIGHT of me)
I was confused.
THE LOCATION
Yes, its by the lake, but this is one of the hotels which was great for conferences and staying inside the hotel for days, but not really so much if you want to explore. It's not really close to anything, except the CN Tower and the Lake (Queens Quay which is overpriced) and our downtown core which isn't anything to write home about really. Really depends what you're doing in town - it's not the easiest area to get around - you'll have to walk 10 mins to the subway, and not much in the surrounding area.
If you were staying in Toronto, and want to explore the real heart of the city, stay somewhere a little more central, like on the Hyatt, or if you're a young person, Gladstone or the Drake.
Overall, I'm pleased with Westin's offerings and would recommend the hotel, only in the summertime though.
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