Dec 23, 2015, 2:54 am
Westin Harbour Castle Toronto [Master Thread]
Dec 28, 2022, 5:10 pm
#106
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: USA
Programs: MB Ambassador, WOH Globalist, HH Diamond (Aspire), AA Gold, UA (*G) Gold
Posts: 5,175
Apr 11, 2023, 2:04 pm
#107
Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: MSP
Programs: Airline Free Agent, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Discoverist, Hilton Gold
Posts: 103
Had 2 rooms here last month for a big group, first time back in Toronto in a long long time. 1 reservation was for a standard King room and 1 reservation was for a standard 2 Double room, the latter of which probably was upgraded to a corner room with a partial water view. I was staying in the former room, north tower.
The stay itself started out a bit rocky, as the room was not ready until around 4 PM after a bit of inquiring. The room itself was older and aging with lots of dark wood tones but seemed to be well-maintained, large and open with plenty of space. However, the bed pillows were among the worst I have ever encountered, providing no head support whatsoever. I tried to use my jacket to provide more support but that was not successful, and the “foam pillows” the front desk provided the next morning were barely any better. My travel companion resorted to purchasing pillows from Wal-Mart for our stay. Another service slip-up: there was also a rollaway bed in our room which we had asked to be removed later that evening, but that was not done until the next morning when I inquired again. However, in contrast, the breakfast buffet had a great variety of food and the service provided was excellent, with constant “thank you for your loyalty” greetings throughout.
I wish I had the chance to try out the Michelin-starred Italian restaurant; I didn’t know about it until after the stay itself. I also wish the bar didn’t stop serving drinks at midnight but that’s a small issue. The club lounge was also unavailable for the stay.
So yes, the property could use a refresh (which it is getting, though not sure how long it will take to finish everything. I didn’t hear any noise from the construction going on in the south tower). There were a few service slip-ups but it felt like the hotel was trying its hardest and genuinely tried to do the best they could to provide professional service. I would return, if only to try the Italian restaurant, but for god’s sake, replace the pillows!
The stay itself started out a bit rocky, as the room was not ready until around 4 PM after a bit of inquiring. The room itself was older and aging with lots of dark wood tones but seemed to be well-maintained, large and open with plenty of space. However, the bed pillows were among the worst I have ever encountered, providing no head support whatsoever. I tried to use my jacket to provide more support but that was not successful, and the “foam pillows” the front desk provided the next morning were barely any better. My travel companion resorted to purchasing pillows from Wal-Mart for our stay. Another service slip-up: there was also a rollaway bed in our room which we had asked to be removed later that evening, but that was not done until the next morning when I inquired again. However, in contrast, the breakfast buffet had a great variety of food and the service provided was excellent, with constant “thank you for your loyalty” greetings throughout.
I wish I had the chance to try out the Michelin-starred Italian restaurant; I didn’t know about it until after the stay itself. I also wish the bar didn’t stop serving drinks at midnight but that’s a small issue. The club lounge was also unavailable for the stay.
So yes, the property could use a refresh (which it is getting, though not sure how long it will take to finish everything. I didn’t hear any noise from the construction going on in the south tower). There were a few service slip-ups but it felt like the hotel was trying its hardest and genuinely tried to do the best they could to provide professional service. I would return, if only to try the Italian restaurant, but for god’s sake, replace the pillows!
Apr 11, 2023, 5:08 pm
#108
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: USA
Programs: MB Ambassador, WOH Globalist, HH Diamond (Aspire), AA Gold, UA (*G) Gold
Posts: 5,175
Every time I see this thread come up, I just get so excited. I really don't understand the hold this property has on me - I've stayed at properties that are, of course, objectively better, but it just holds such a nice place in my heart. Plus, it's Toronto - a great city.
Apr 11, 2023, 8:39 pm
#109
Join Date: Sep 2021
Location: YYZ
Programs: AP 50k, UA Silver, MB Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 245
Every time I see this thread come up, I just get so excited. I really don't understand the hold this property has on me - I've stayed at properties that are, of course, objectively better, but it just holds such a nice place in my heart. Plus, it's Toronto - a great city.
Aug 2, 2023, 10:26 pm
#111
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: New York, NY
Programs: AA ExPl, DL PM, UA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, probably some others
Posts: 4,102
1) This is a hotel us locals try to avoid!
2) When will the hotel reopen so I can book a get together?
Aug 21, 2023, 7:37 am
#112
Join Date: Sep 2021
Location: YYZ
Programs: AP 50k, UA Silver, MB Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 245
Anyways to provide actual info instead of snarky responses, I reached out and confirmed the renovations have been delayed and won't be completed until late fall 2023. God knows when the other tower will be receiving said renovations.
Aug 21, 2023, 1:47 pm
#113
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: New York, NY
Programs: AA ExPl, DL PM, UA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, probably some others
Posts: 4,102
...avoid because of the outdated property maybe? Given the announcement of renovation, it's only natural to ask for the status to confirm if it's something still to be avoided or not.
Anyways to provide actual info instead of snarky responses, I reached out and confirmed the renovations have been delayed and won't be completed until late fall 2023. God knows when the other tower will be receiving said renovations.
Anyways to provide actual info instead of snarky responses, I reached out and confirmed the renovations have been delayed and won't be completed until late fall 2023. God knows when the other tower will be receiving said renovations.
Nov 10, 2023, 1:17 pm
#114
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: USA
Programs: MB Ambassador, WOH Globalist, HH Diamond (Aspire), AA Gold, UA (*G) Gold
Posts: 5,175
This is going to be a story - but if you were dying to hear my take on the renovated rooms at the Westin Harbour Castle, read on. Effectively, my take is that the renovations are the right direction for the property, this is still a great hotel, but renovations are going to be going on for a long time.
As it appears to me, renovations have hit the elevators in both towers (though, they seem ongoing and not incredibly smooth). Room and corridor renovations only seem to be occurring in the South Tower (the one I would consider older due to the repairs that occurred many years back in the North Tower flooding) - interestingly, they seem to only be renovating the east side of each floor in the South Tower first - I checked several floors, and they were like mine - blue modern hallways on one side and old Westin Harbour Castle on the other side. At least on the 5th floor, the east side was totally walled-off, and I could hear construction. I heard zero construction on the 29th floor.
Now, the journey to get a renovated room (what I now know is what the hotel calls their Premium room) was not as easy as expected. I had booked a base room on points and had seen a Junior Suite upgrade several days in advance. I checked the evening before arrival and say only 3 room types free - Deluxe and then maybe Superior? On the morning of arrival, my room type had changed down to Studio Suite. I decided to chat the hotel and ask if any renovated rooms were available. I had a rather unhelpful back and forth that I could use SNAs (I couldn’t on the day of check-in) and that any upgrades to renovated rooms would be paid. Honestly, at this point, I was very confused since this property upgraded me to a specialty suite the last time, and I was asking for a renovated standard room. I escalated to my Ambassdor, who spoke with the Rooms Controller and assigned me a renovated Premium King for free. I then received a phone call from the Manager On Duty, and we had a good discussion. I won’t go into too many details, but the policy right now is that renovated rooms aren’t included in the free upgrade pool. I’m not sure if I agree with this, but I appreciated that the call was not defensive and they reiterated their appreciation for me as a guest.
All that being said, I arrived and was easily assigned a renovated room - so let’s get into it.
This was my first time in a standard sized room here - they’re effective, but the bathrooms are small. However, the bathroom in my specialty suite last year was small, too, so don’t expect large bathrooms. The design is pleasant and fresh - it does not feel at all like an old hotel. It feels like a new Westin - that’s impressive in my opinion.
The most striking aspect is the bed - Westin is bringing back brown blankets - talk about a full circle moment. The bedding actually makes sense - you can use just the blanket or bring up the thick and plush duvet. The mattress is very plush, as are the pillows. This is a great bed.
Shower pressure is fine - it’s a Westin - they want it to be calm, but the shower stall is nicer compared to the shower-tub combination previously.
TVs are updated with Internet TV OS as they were pre-renovation. The lounger couch is comfortable. The desk is usable.
The welcome gift was amazing - such good macarons, the best dark chocolate salted caramel and white chocolate passion fruit truffles, and a tasty raspberry chocolate cake dome.
Elite welcome gift breakfast is still the tasty buffet at Mizzen. The staff is the same - super quick at bringing coffee and juice, made a point of sitting me near the buffet so I could be close, and brought me new forks after taking my dirty dishes before I could ask. I loved Dan Bell’s Wall of Fame with all of the photos of guests he’s collected - the omelet he made was very good. Pancakes are great and soft. Bacon is great.
Service at the front desk is friendly and personable with lots of personal questions. 4 PM late checkout was offered proactively.
This won’t be the last time I’m at the Westin.
Photos:
As it appears to me, renovations have hit the elevators in both towers (though, they seem ongoing and not incredibly smooth). Room and corridor renovations only seem to be occurring in the South Tower (the one I would consider older due to the repairs that occurred many years back in the North Tower flooding) - interestingly, they seem to only be renovating the east side of each floor in the South Tower first - I checked several floors, and they were like mine - blue modern hallways on one side and old Westin Harbour Castle on the other side. At least on the 5th floor, the east side was totally walled-off, and I could hear construction. I heard zero construction on the 29th floor.
Now, the journey to get a renovated room (what I now know is what the hotel calls their Premium room) was not as easy as expected. I had booked a base room on points and had seen a Junior Suite upgrade several days in advance. I checked the evening before arrival and say only 3 room types free - Deluxe and then maybe Superior? On the morning of arrival, my room type had changed down to Studio Suite. I decided to chat the hotel and ask if any renovated rooms were available. I had a rather unhelpful back and forth that I could use SNAs (I couldn’t on the day of check-in) and that any upgrades to renovated rooms would be paid. Honestly, at this point, I was very confused since this property upgraded me to a specialty suite the last time, and I was asking for a renovated standard room. I escalated to my Ambassdor, who spoke with the Rooms Controller and assigned me a renovated Premium King for free. I then received a phone call from the Manager On Duty, and we had a good discussion. I won’t go into too many details, but the policy right now is that renovated rooms aren’t included in the free upgrade pool. I’m not sure if I agree with this, but I appreciated that the call was not defensive and they reiterated their appreciation for me as a guest.
All that being said, I arrived and was easily assigned a renovated room - so let’s get into it.
This was my first time in a standard sized room here - they’re effective, but the bathrooms are small. However, the bathroom in my specialty suite last year was small, too, so don’t expect large bathrooms. The design is pleasant and fresh - it does not feel at all like an old hotel. It feels like a new Westin - that’s impressive in my opinion.
The most striking aspect is the bed - Westin is bringing back brown blankets - talk about a full circle moment. The bedding actually makes sense - you can use just the blanket or bring up the thick and plush duvet. The mattress is very plush, as are the pillows. This is a great bed.
Shower pressure is fine - it’s a Westin - they want it to be calm, but the shower stall is nicer compared to the shower-tub combination previously.
TVs are updated with Internet TV OS as they were pre-renovation. The lounger couch is comfortable. The desk is usable.
The welcome gift was amazing - such good macarons, the best dark chocolate salted caramel and white chocolate passion fruit truffles, and a tasty raspberry chocolate cake dome.
Elite welcome gift breakfast is still the tasty buffet at Mizzen. The staff is the same - super quick at bringing coffee and juice, made a point of sitting me near the buffet so I could be close, and brought me new forks after taking my dirty dishes before I could ask. I loved Dan Bell’s Wall of Fame with all of the photos of guests he’s collected - the omelet he made was very good. Pancakes are great and soft. Bacon is great.
Service at the front desk is friendly and personable with lots of personal questions. 4 PM late checkout was offered proactively.
This won’t be the last time I’m at the Westin.
Photos:
Nov 10, 2023, 1:24 pm
#115
Join Date: Sep 2021
Location: YYZ
Programs: AP 50k, UA Silver, MB Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 245
This is going to be a story - but if you were dying to hear my take on the renovated rooms at the Westin Harbour Castle, read on. Effectively, my take is that the renovations are the right direction for the property, this is still a great hotel, but renovations are going to be going on for a long time.
As it appears to me, renovations have hit the elevators in both towers (though, they seem ongoing and not incredibly smooth). Room and corridor renovations only seem to be occurring in the South Tower (the one I would consider older due to the repairs that occurred many years back in the North Tower flooding) - interestingly, they seem to only be renovating the east side of each floor in the South Tower first - I checked several floors, and they were like mine - blue modern hallways on one side and old Westin Harbour Castle on the other side. At least on the 5th floor, the east side was totally walled-off, and I could hear construction. I heard zero construction on the 29th floor.
Now, the journey to get a renovated room (what I now know is what the hotel calls their Premium room) was not as easy as expected. I had booked a base room on points and had seen a Junior Suite upgrade several days in advance. I checked the evening before arrival and say only 3 room types free - Deluxe and then maybe Superior? On the morning of arrival, my room type had changed down to Studio Suite. I decided to chat the hotel and ask if any renovated rooms were available. I had a rather unhelpful back and forth that I could use SNAs (I couldn’t on the day of check-in) and that any upgrades to renovated rooms would be paid. Honestly, at this point, I was very confused since this property upgraded me to a specialty suite the last time, and I was asking for a renovated standard room. I escalated to my Ambassdor, who spoke with the Rooms Controller and assigned me a renovated Premium King for free. I then received a phone call from the Manager On Duty, and we had a good discussion. I won’t go into too many details, but the policy right now is that renovated rooms aren’t included in the free upgrade pool. I’m not sure if I agree with this, but I appreciated that the call was not defensive and they reiterated their appreciation for me as a guest.
All that being said, I arrived and was easily assigned a renovated room - so let’s get into it.
This was my first time in a standard sized room here - they’re effective, but the bathrooms are small. However, the bathroom in my specialty suite last year was small, too, so don’t expect large bathrooms. The design is pleasant and fresh - it does not feel at all like an old hotel. It feels like a new Westin - that’s impressive in my opinion.
The most striking aspect is the bed - Westin is bringing back brown blankets - talk about a full circle moment. The bedding actually makes sense - you can use just the blanket or bring up the thick and plush duvet. The mattress is very plush, as are the pillows. This is a great bed.
Shower pressure is fine - it’s a Westin - they want it to be calm, but the shower stall is nicer compared to the shower-tub combination previously.
TVs are updated with Internet TV OS as they were pre-renovation. The lounger couch is comfortable. The desk is usable.
The welcome gift was amazing - such good macarons, the best dark chocolate salted caramel and white chocolate passion fruit truffles, and a tasty raspberry chocolate cake dome.
Elite welcome gift breakfast is still the tasty buffet at Mizzen. The staff is the same - super quick at bringing coffee and juice, made a point of sitting me near the buffet so I could be close, and brought me new forks after taking my dirty dishes before I could ask. I loved Dan Bell’s Wall of Fame with all of the photos of guests he’s collected - the omelet he made was very good. Pancakes are great and soft. Bacon is great.
Service at the front desk is friendly and personable with lots of personal questions. 4 PM late checkout was offered proactively.
This won’t be the last time I’m at the Westin.
As it appears to me, renovations have hit the elevators in both towers (though, they seem ongoing and not incredibly smooth). Room and corridor renovations only seem to be occurring in the South Tower (the one I would consider older due to the repairs that occurred many years back in the North Tower flooding) - interestingly, they seem to only be renovating the east side of each floor in the South Tower first - I checked several floors, and they were like mine - blue modern hallways on one side and old Westin Harbour Castle on the other side. At least on the 5th floor, the east side was totally walled-off, and I could hear construction. I heard zero construction on the 29th floor.
Now, the journey to get a renovated room (what I now know is what the hotel calls their Premium room) was not as easy as expected. I had booked a base room on points and had seen a Junior Suite upgrade several days in advance. I checked the evening before arrival and say only 3 room types free - Deluxe and then maybe Superior? On the morning of arrival, my room type had changed down to Studio Suite. I decided to chat the hotel and ask if any renovated rooms were available. I had a rather unhelpful back and forth that I could use SNAs (I couldn’t on the day of check-in) and that any upgrades to renovated rooms would be paid. Honestly, at this point, I was very confused since this property upgraded me to a specialty suite the last time, and I was asking for a renovated standard room. I escalated to my Ambassdor, who spoke with the Rooms Controller and assigned me a renovated Premium King for free. I then received a phone call from the Manager On Duty, and we had a good discussion. I won’t go into too many details, but the policy right now is that renovated rooms aren’t included in the free upgrade pool. I’m not sure if I agree with this, but I appreciated that the call was not defensive and they reiterated their appreciation for me as a guest.
All that being said, I arrived and was easily assigned a renovated room - so let’s get into it.
This was my first time in a standard sized room here - they’re effective, but the bathrooms are small. However, the bathroom in my specialty suite last year was small, too, so don’t expect large bathrooms. The design is pleasant and fresh - it does not feel at all like an old hotel. It feels like a new Westin - that’s impressive in my opinion.
The most striking aspect is the bed - Westin is bringing back brown blankets - talk about a full circle moment. The bedding actually makes sense - you can use just the blanket or bring up the thick and plush duvet. The mattress is very plush, as are the pillows. This is a great bed.
Shower pressure is fine - it’s a Westin - they want it to be calm, but the shower stall is nicer compared to the shower-tub combination previously.
TVs are updated with Internet TV OS as they were pre-renovation. The lounger couch is comfortable. The desk is usable.
The welcome gift was amazing - such good macarons, the best dark chocolate salted caramel and white chocolate passion fruit truffles, and a tasty raspberry chocolate cake dome.
Elite welcome gift breakfast is still the tasty buffet at Mizzen. The staff is the same - super quick at bringing coffee and juice, made a point of sitting me near the buffet so I could be close, and brought me new forks after taking my dirty dishes before I could ask. I loved Dan Bell’s Wall of Fame with all of the photos of guests he’s collected - the omelet he made was very good. Pancakes are great and soft. Bacon is great.
Service at the front desk is friendly and personable with lots of personal questions. 4 PM late checkout was offered proactively.
This won’t be the last time I’m at the Westin.
The room decors remind me of the Westin Kyoto which is one of my favourite hotels, but the washrooms still look on the dated side but at least it looks clean.
Looking forward to when all the upgrades are completed so we won’t have to deal with all the “paid only” upgrade charades.
Nov 11, 2023, 5:00 pm
#116
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Toronto, ON
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, AA Plat MM
Posts: 3,582
This is going to be a story - but if you were dying to hear my take on the renovated rooms at the Westin Harbour Castle, read on. Effectively, my take is that the renovations are the right direction for the property, this is still a great hotel, but renovations are going to be going on for a long time.
As it appears to me, renovations have hit the elevators in both towers (though, they seem ongoing and not incredibly smooth). Room and corridor renovations only seem to be occurring in the South Tower (the one I would consider older due to the repairs that occurred many years back in the North Tower flooding) - interestingly, they seem to only be renovating the east side of each floor in the South Tower first - I checked several floors, and they were like mine - blue modern hallways on one side and old Westin Harbour Castle on the other side. At least on the 5th floor, the east side was totally walled-off, and I could hear construction. I heard zero construction on the 29th floor.
Now, the journey to get a renovated room (what I now know is what the hotel calls their Premium room) was not as easy as expected. I had booked a base room on points and had seen a Junior Suite upgrade several days in advance. I checked the evening before arrival and say only 3 room types free - Deluxe and then maybe Superior? On the morning of arrival, my room type had changed down to Studio Suite. I decided to chat the hotel and ask if any renovated rooms were available. I had a rather unhelpful back and forth that I could use SNAs (I couldn’t on the day of check-in) and that any upgrades to renovated rooms would be paid. Honestly, at this point, I was very confused since this property upgraded me to a specialty suite the last time, and I was asking for a renovated standard room. I escalated to my Ambassdor, who spoke with the Rooms Controller and assigned me a renovated Premium King for free. I then received a phone call from the Manager On Duty, and we had a good discussion. I won’t go into too many details, but the policy right now is that renovated rooms aren’t included in the free upgrade pool. I’m not sure if I agree with this, but I appreciated that the call was not defensive and they reiterated their appreciation for me as a guest.
All that being said, I arrived and was easily assigned a renovated room - so let’s get into it.
This was my first time in a standard sized room here - they’re effective, but the bathrooms are small. However, the bathroom in my specialty suite last year was small, too, so don’t expect large bathrooms. The design is pleasant and fresh - it does not feel at all like an old hotel. It feels like a new Westin - that’s impressive in my opinion.
The most striking aspect is the bed - Westin is bringing back brown blankets - talk about a full circle moment. The bedding actually makes sense - you can use just the blanket or bring up the thick and plush duvet. The mattress is very plush, as are the pillows. This is a great bed.
Shower pressure is fine - it’s a Westin - they want it to be calm, but the shower stall is nicer compared to the shower-tub combination previously.
TVs are updated with Internet TV OS as they were pre-renovation. The lounger couch is comfortable. The desk is usable.
The welcome gift was amazing - such good macarons, the best dark chocolate salted caramel and white chocolate passion fruit truffles, and a tasty raspberry chocolate cake dome.
Elite welcome gift breakfast is still the tasty buffet at Mizzen. The staff is the same - super quick at bringing coffee and juice, made a point of sitting me near the buffet so I could be close, and brought me new forks after taking my dirty dishes before I could ask. I loved Dan Bell’s Wall of Fame with all of the photos of guests he’s collected - the omelet he made was very good. Pancakes are great and soft. Bacon is great.
Service at the front desk is friendly and personable with lots of personal questions. 4 PM late checkout was offered proactively.
This won’t be the last time I’m at the Westin.
Photos:
As it appears to me, renovations have hit the elevators in both towers (though, they seem ongoing and not incredibly smooth). Room and corridor renovations only seem to be occurring in the South Tower (the one I would consider older due to the repairs that occurred many years back in the North Tower flooding) - interestingly, they seem to only be renovating the east side of each floor in the South Tower first - I checked several floors, and they were like mine - blue modern hallways on one side and old Westin Harbour Castle on the other side. At least on the 5th floor, the east side was totally walled-off, and I could hear construction. I heard zero construction on the 29th floor.
Now, the journey to get a renovated room (what I now know is what the hotel calls their Premium room) was not as easy as expected. I had booked a base room on points and had seen a Junior Suite upgrade several days in advance. I checked the evening before arrival and say only 3 room types free - Deluxe and then maybe Superior? On the morning of arrival, my room type had changed down to Studio Suite. I decided to chat the hotel and ask if any renovated rooms were available. I had a rather unhelpful back and forth that I could use SNAs (I couldn’t on the day of check-in) and that any upgrades to renovated rooms would be paid. Honestly, at this point, I was very confused since this property upgraded me to a specialty suite the last time, and I was asking for a renovated standard room. I escalated to my Ambassdor, who spoke with the Rooms Controller and assigned me a renovated Premium King for free. I then received a phone call from the Manager On Duty, and we had a good discussion. I won’t go into too many details, but the policy right now is that renovated rooms aren’t included in the free upgrade pool. I’m not sure if I agree with this, but I appreciated that the call was not defensive and they reiterated their appreciation for me as a guest.
All that being said, I arrived and was easily assigned a renovated room - so let’s get into it.
This was my first time in a standard sized room here - they’re effective, but the bathrooms are small. However, the bathroom in my specialty suite last year was small, too, so don’t expect large bathrooms. The design is pleasant and fresh - it does not feel at all like an old hotel. It feels like a new Westin - that’s impressive in my opinion.
The most striking aspect is the bed - Westin is bringing back brown blankets - talk about a full circle moment. The bedding actually makes sense - you can use just the blanket or bring up the thick and plush duvet. The mattress is very plush, as are the pillows. This is a great bed.
Shower pressure is fine - it’s a Westin - they want it to be calm, but the shower stall is nicer compared to the shower-tub combination previously.
TVs are updated with Internet TV OS as they were pre-renovation. The lounger couch is comfortable. The desk is usable.
The welcome gift was amazing - such good macarons, the best dark chocolate salted caramel and white chocolate passion fruit truffles, and a tasty raspberry chocolate cake dome.
Elite welcome gift breakfast is still the tasty buffet at Mizzen. The staff is the same - super quick at bringing coffee and juice, made a point of sitting me near the buffet so I could be close, and brought me new forks after taking my dirty dishes before I could ask. I loved Dan Bell’s Wall of Fame with all of the photos of guests he’s collected - the omelet he made was very good. Pancakes are great and soft. Bacon is great.
Service at the front desk is friendly and personable with lots of personal questions. 4 PM late checkout was offered proactively.
This won’t be the last time I’m at the Westin.
Photos:
Nov 11, 2023, 5:13 pm
#117
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: USA
Programs: MB Ambassador, WOH Globalist, HH Diamond (Aspire), AA Gold, UA (*G) Gold
Posts: 5,175
Thanks for the new room review. This hotel has been on my "no-go" list for many years after several disappointing work-related stays. It sounds like they may finally have sorted some of the longstanding problems now that I have no reason to go there. And Happy Birthday btw - wish I'd known you were going to be in town.
Apr 9, 2024, 1:10 am
#118
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: Marriott Titanium, IHG Spire Elite, Hilton Gold, United Silver, BA Bronze
Posts: 322
Had a good stay here last week. I was celebrating a special occasion with my wife and notified the hotel in advance.
I went back and forth about requesting a renovated room, but given my Platinum status and the challenges above for an Ambassador member I thought better of it.
Much to my surprise, we were upgraded to a corner renovated room upon arrival, with a view of the Harbour. We were also nominated as Guests of the Day, which was something new to me in nearly 1,000 nights in Marriotts over the past decade - and presumably unique to this property. This came with the benefits I already had as a Platinum (breakfast and 4pm late checkout) alongside a $25 food and beverage credit which could be applied to room service and all the restaurants. In recognition that I already had most of the Guest of the Day benefits, they gave me an additional 5,000 points which posted before the points for the stay itself.
This experience left me very pleasantly surprised - I am simply not used to this level of hospitality in North America. So a thumbs up from me for this hotel, and make sure you tell them if you have a special occasion.
The only negatives were that the renovations are still in progress and there was construction noise during the day, but this was rarely disruptive. Additionally, the breakfast spread was weak in quantity and quality, certainly compared to the Westin Montreal and Sheraton in Ottawa.
I went back and forth about requesting a renovated room, but given my Platinum status and the challenges above for an Ambassador member I thought better of it.
Much to my surprise, we were upgraded to a corner renovated room upon arrival, with a view of the Harbour. We were also nominated as Guests of the Day, which was something new to me in nearly 1,000 nights in Marriotts over the past decade - and presumably unique to this property. This came with the benefits I already had as a Platinum (breakfast and 4pm late checkout) alongside a $25 food and beverage credit which could be applied to room service and all the restaurants. In recognition that I already had most of the Guest of the Day benefits, they gave me an additional 5,000 points which posted before the points for the stay itself.
This experience left me very pleasantly surprised - I am simply not used to this level of hospitality in North America. So a thumbs up from me for this hotel, and make sure you tell them if you have a special occasion.
The only negatives were that the renovations are still in progress and there was construction noise during the day, but this was rarely disruptive. Additionally, the breakfast spread was weak in quantity and quality, certainly compared to the Westin Montreal and Sheraton in Ottawa.