We stayed at the Park Hyatt Toronto in June - and here's what I wrote our travel agent about our stay.
Tomorrow is our last day in Toronto. Then we're off to a family wedding in Michigan. When I return home - we'll have workers in our house for a couple of weeks. So I'll write now while my memories are fresh.
My observations in no particular order.
The Park Hyatt is an older property. Which means it has inherent limitations. Smaller rooms - smaller/dated bathrooms - etc. The night we arrived - the entire wing where our original smoking suite - one of the few smoking rooms and the only smoking suite in the hotel - was located had no water (plumbing/leak issue). We were relocated to the same type suite in a non-smoking room (where I am allowed to smoke). I guess that means the hotel will have to "fumigate" my room when I leave.
The hotel is very pleasant - although subject to the limitations mentioned above. The room is "fresh" - not tired. Has been decorated/painted very recently. Very clean. Flat screen TVs/iPod docks - etc. The bed is super comfortable.
The service here is excellent and friendly. Room service 20 minutes or less in the morning from when we call up. Good courtesy car. Free wireless internet is bullet-proof. Stuff like that. As long as everything in a hotel works - I don't necessarily need the "latest and greatest" place - especially if the service in the latest and greatest place is below excellent. It's like my husband says - what he likes about this hotel is there's nothing to dislike
.
Our room (like most places in Toronto) - has a view of a construction site (there's a ton of construction going on). Noise starts at 8 am. When I mentioned this in passing to the front desk the next morning - it offered to upgrade my suite to a suite 2 levels higher (I don't think it could do anything about the noise - there are major construction sites on at least 2 - maybe 3 - sides of the hotel). This seemed very generous to me - but I declined because the higher level suite would have been non-smoking (I guess I suffer for my addiction).
I suspect at some point that the Park Hyatt will have to do what the second downtown Four Seasons in Toronto did. Convert this property to a condo and simply build a new hotel (the first Four Seasons in the 'burbs - the original Four Seasons Hotel - converted to another hotel brand a decade or 2 ago IIRC). Unlike the Beverly Hills Hotel (where most rooms were spacious to start with) - Four Seasons couldn't overcome the physical limitations in the original design simply by remodeling. Neither can the Park Hyatt. In the meantime - I would recommend the place for clients who want a Yorkville location and are willing to overlook the physical limitations of an older property [while getting excellent service]...
Robyn
P.S. I forget to mention to our TA. The Park Hyatt has a Kosher catering kitchen. Which is apparently a big source of revenue. The night we arrived - it was hosting a totally huge (and what what seemed to me) a very expensive (Jewish) wedding. About 300 people or so! Took a look around - and found people who knew people I know (that's Jewish geography for you
).