3.5 stars
We come to the Toronto/GTA area pretty frequently, and being Marriott rewards card holders, we are always curious to see how different hotel locations adapt to industry trends.
During our recent trip to Toronto, I became excited to see that this new Courtyard location was open. In fact, I didn't even know that there was a new opening in the works! Thumbing through the numerous photos, I thought the new branding that Marriott is implementing in their hotels (specifically Courtyard) looked great. That's the reason why we decided to book our stay here..purely on aesthetics.
I want to mention that this hotel used to be a Holiday Inn, and while they did a great job on the finishings and colors of the hotel, it still screamed Holiday Inn to us. Parking was awkward, as it was next to a small business area, forcing the only solution to be 1 long row of parking spaces along the perimeter of the lot.
In an attempt to add more parking spaces, they have a covered garage as well. Be prepared to pay $4 CAD for it. Not a lot of money, but for being outside of the city, not what most would expect. Oh, and if you have a high profile truck, don't bring it along with you, as the height limit is 6'.
Inside, the lobby is large and spacious. Plenty of room for lounging, and for computer usage. Elevators flank the south end of the hotel, and they have implemented the usage of your room key to activate the elevator. So, make sure you keep it on yourself the entire time, or you will not be able to use the elevator.
Hallways were fine, and rooms had nice heavy doors. Beds were more comfortable than other Courtyards, and the colors were warm, inviting, and relaxing. If you have a lot of luggage, there is plenty of storage inside the room with 2 closets and multiple dressers.
Washroom was alright, but surprisingly, water pressure wasn't good. I did see a notice on the door that they were making arrangements to improve that, so I bet that isn't a problem anymore.
I wanna say that what brought this experience up an additional half star is that the front desk staff was super friendly, hospitable, helpful, and informative. Other than that, the rooms and overall condition of the hotel were just average. We paid $94 CAD for one night, and felt that it was priced decently.
I might come back, but it's definitely not my first choice.