ElevatorEnthusiast

Does anyone with experience in Canadian travel have recommendations for a city to focus on (especially in regards to Bonvoy properties)? I have never been to Canada before and am looking to spend 3-4 nights hotel-hopping in one of the major cities sometime in June (thinking about Vancouver, Toronto, or Montreal, but open to other suggestions). Hyatt's selections in Canada seem paltry, so will likely be focusing on Bonvoy properties.

Some good-looking properties I've noticed in my research:
Toronto: Ritz, St. Regis, Sheraton Centre, Westin Harbour Castle, Marriott Eaton Centre, Marriott City Centre
Vancouver: JW Parq, Douglas, Sheraton Wall Centre, Marriott Pinnacle, Westin Bayshore
Montreal: Chateau Champlain, Humaniti, Le Centre Sheraton, Le Westin, Ritz

I know I basically just listed all of the full-service properties, but they all look pretty good.

Am I totally off-track here? Any expert recommendations?

azepine00

May i suggest starting with places you want to visit?

yyzflyer

In Toronto, the Sheraton Centre recently re-opened and the reviews have been decent. The Harbour Castle has seen better days, the Marriott Eaton Centre was good pre-pandemic and the City Centre used to be the Renaissance at the ballpark, so is great if attending an event there. It all depends on where you need to be, what you plan to do, etc. Also, not on your list is the downtown Delta near the train station, ballpark and hockey/basketball venue. It's very nice.

In Montreal, the Chateau Champlain is nothing special beyond its unique architecture and the Centre Sheraton is my go-to when there (at least before Covid).

I've never stayed more than once at any of the others listed, so will leave comments to those with more frequent or recent experience.

ElevatorEnthusiast

Frankly, I want to visit all of these cities but am dealing with limited time.

Appreciate it - most of my travel activities involve walking around the city, taking photos of interesting sights, and taking part in delicious dining. I also love just being in hotels. Property reviews seem to skew much more positive vs. properties in the US, and unfortunately, I don't have the time to visit all of the major cities in a single trip.

Bravada04

I would choose Vancouver 100% - Beautiful city with the Ocean and Mountains as a background. Plus you could hop over to the island for a visit (Victoria)

Several choices in the area to choose from. JW & Douglas definitely an option off the top. Westin Bayshore I think is dated and lost its glory.

I have stayed at the JW & Delta Suites in Vancouver and enjoyed both. JW though is new and nice!....plus I forgot about Whistler in the area also.

craigthemif

Limited time = you can't do all of Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.

Go to Vancouver and maybe take a side trip to Victoria or Whistler or the train to/from Calgary. Good Marriott options in all...

maizeandblue96

Fully agree with the others, go to Vancouver and stay at the Douglas or JW (they are attached to each other with a casino in between). If you get lounge access, Douglas guests get access to the JW lounge (no idea if it is open, have not been since pre-COVID).

ElevatorEnthusiast

Appreciate the replies, all! Unfortunately, I did some more research (I had initially been excited to see that pre-arrival testing for vaccinated travelers is going away), but it sounds like most travelers are selected for "random testing" anyway. I'll likely be staying away for now.

What a shame, but I'll use these thoughts once restrictions lift.

ac/elite

Not sure where you got that info, but in my experience and that of my friends, none of us have been random tested and certainly I've viewed the vast majority of people departing the customs/immigration area without being chosen for a random test.

platbrownguy

I am 3 for 3 on being selected for "random" testing coming by land.

I am 0 for 3 coming by air and I don't know anyone who has been selected when coming by air.

YMMV.

I also vote for Vancouver btw.

ElevatorEnthusiast

Thanks, all! Interesting stats - I had read a couple of reports on Reddit and some close-to-border local news sites that suggested that entire planes were being herded into the "here is a test" line. It also sounded like many had logistical nightmares either having to wait hours to get an online nurse or having to hassle for days for the test to get picked up.

Frankly, I would rather not have to deal with the worry that I'll be arrested or fined because of logistical ineptitude while I'm on vacation.

My other worry is that because I would be flying in directly from a US location that would be considered by some to be "anti-COVID-safety," my plane would be one of those "randomly selected" for testing.

atsak

I am 5 for 5 being randomly selected coming by air. My entire family was selected last week except my 8 year old.

So ya, YMMV indeed.

You needn't worry about being fined if you are selected though, it only took 5 minutes for all of us when I passed through and they don't follow up after the test (OK they send you an email about it but no one does anything about that unless it's positive).

Agree with Vancouver - nicer to visit than Toronto (I live in Toronto)
Montreal is interesting to me largely because of the French influence.
I also like Calgary but just to drive out to Canmore and Banff; Lake Louise etc.

allbrosca

I had a recent trip YYZ-BNA and back with my son. We were not selected. My son has flown back and forth over the border 4 or 5 times since it was implemented and he has been randomly selected once.

flyme2

I think you're overthinking this. As a Canadian, I have passed through YUL (Montréal) innumerable times in the last six months, most times on direct flights from the US. Not only have I never been selected for testing, but I would estimate that well over 90% of my fellow travelers clear without a test as well. Worse case scenario: you are selected for a test, get a swab or a take home kit and go on your merry way, no quarantine required as of April 01. If you do test positive however, then you'll have to self isolate. If you wanted to really hedge your bets, you could always get a test before departure to ensure you were negative.

Regarding where to go, concentrate on one city. Only you can decide which one best suits your criteria. Montréal has French flair, culture and Old Montréal, Vancouver has the mountains and sea, Toronto is a sprawling cosmopolitan metropolis.

ElevatorEnthusiast

You're likely right, and I appreciate the reassurance. I'm not even sure myself if my biggest worry would be testing positive and having to isolate with government monitoring or dealing with logistics issues of having to drop off the rest or get the test picked up.

I could definitely take an at-home test prior to departure as it seems unlikely results would turn positive between then and arrival (unless I got very unlucky with incubation from an exposure before I left). I'm not worried about catching it on the flight as I've been flying at least twice a week for a whole year now without any known infection.