Background:
For my family’s New York/Toronto/Chicago Summer Adventure, I looked thoroughly for a place to stay in Toronto for three nights. I found the Omni at about $180 for a Premier Room, which was a great rate as all the nearby 4 star hotels were well over $250 USD a night for my dates.
Short Review With Scores (out of 5, 5 being best)
My Overall Score: 5
5: Excellent, Highly Recommend
4: Very Good, Solid Choice to Consider
3: OK, Check other options before booking
2: Below Par, Try to Avoid
1: Terrible, Run far away
Rooms: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Location: 5/5
Amenities: 4/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Sleep Quality: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Check-In:
We arrived at the hotel right at 3 PM, and we checked in quite swiftly. The hotel said our two queen room was not available at the moment, so we opted for a king with a rollaway. The lobby is gorgeous, with luxurious chairs and sofas and amazing architecture.
The First Room:
This was actually my favorite “looking room”. It was aesthetically pleasing, with new furnishings that still complement the historic theme. Everything looked amazing, from the bed to the suede sofa. The bathroom was decently roomy for a historic hotel. And there was a little spot to put the rollaway. But our view was a brick wall. If you tilted your head to right you could see this church though!
Great right?! But wait….
CREEK…CREEK…CREEEEEEEEEEEEEK
“What was that”- Mum
Me: (Runs to the floorplan at the door). Oh, well this room is technically connected to the elevator… I then study the floorplan more thoroughly. Based on what I saw when we checked in, one of the elevators was “out of service”, and that was the one that is directly next to our room. I then ran down to the lobby, and it turns out they reopened that exact elevator….
Oh no….. looks like it’s still broken.
So, I had to make a quick call to the front desk for a room change, and they said they would either fix the elevator or move us and that they would let us know after dinner time. That was actually perfect as we needed to start sightseeing. Right when we got back, they did leave a message that they had our new room assignment and they quickly delivered the keys.
The Second Room:
The second room was on a corner, and actually had a better view. But, it was a bit smaller. We were just happy the elevator noise was gone!
Everything was great at this point….well almost. Problem #2: The shower didn’t drain well. After about 30 seconds running the water, a puddle erupted and your feet will be covered. Not too pleasant. But, a quick call to the front desk, and the next day they fixed the problem! All good.
So, some minor hiccups in the beginning, but a very nice stay from there on.
The beds were definitely up to the four star level, the room was very quiet and the AC worked well. I was also very happy with the level of cleanliness. There’s a mini-fridge in the room, which is quite nice, and a Keurig coffee maker! I do have to say that the rollaway was a bit hard, and not of the same bed quality as the king bed. At Westin’s, they provide the same “Heavenly Bed” for rollaways and for the beds in the room.
Service/Amenities:
I have to say, the Omni did a great job at responding to all the minor incidents. They were very professional, timely and helpful. I am very impressed. There is a pretty nice fitness center, a coffee shop on the first floor, a restaurant and they have a tea time on the weekends.
Location:
The location is pretty good, in the Financial District/Old Town part of Toronto. About a mile walk to the CN Tower area and the Harbour. Eaton Center Mall is about a 10 minute walk. We walked everywhere on this trip surprisingly, even to Yorkville (high end shopping) which is over 2 miles north!
The Verdict:
It was almost a royal experience at the Omni King Edward, and I would stay here again when my travels bring me back to Toronto. Next time, I would hope the “almost” turns into a true royal experience. 🙂
Cheers,
theresorttraveler
