MilesTalk

I'm curious as to why you say this? The Westin is on the harbourfront, meaning you have to walk past all the construction around the end of Yonge and up past Union Station to get anywhere. The Sheraton may be lacking harbour views, but location-wise, it is not nearly as isolated and is a short walk to way more shops et al. than the Westin.

Perhaps, though, if one is taking a car/cab/limo everywhere either one is fine....

jginnyc

Search is down so I'm posting the inquiry...

Any thought here on the Sheraton Centre Toronto or the Westin Harbour Castle? I'm needing to be near the financial district.

Thanks

CanoeHead

I have stayed in both hotels at least a dozen times. You will probably be happy with either choice - both provide good business accomodations. However, here are some individual pointers.

Sheraton: Closer to CBD, unless your work takes you to the south end of the CBD. Has an excellent club lounge with a great view of downtown (top floor) and plenty of suites / club rooms. Rooms are beginning to show some signs of age although they all contain sweet sleeper beds and are more than adequate. Usually busy, but still generally manages to provide good service.
Closer than Westin to good off-site restaurants, but the onsite food isn't as good as the Westin's.

Westin: South edge of CBD, situated at the edge of Toronto harbour. During winter months, there isn't a lot to do immediately around the hotel. Better on-site restaurants than the Sheraton. Great views in the summer (looking out over the harbour), but not much to see in winter months. Heavenly beds are lovely. Air conditioning/heating units can be loud in some rooms (if noise is a consideration). Service is usually good but sometimes spotty.

Hope this helps.

islgrl

I haven't stayed at the Westin, but it is slightly out of the mix of things. I have stayed at the Sheraton Centre numerous times during the last year. It tends to be really busy, but the staff is always really helpful. However, over the 10 or more times I have stayed there I have had the elevators out for over 4 hours, at least 2 fire alarms in the middle of the night, and dog excrement in the hall (thank god I had my glasses on and didn't take a bad step ). A colleague of mine also had another guest given her room key late at night. Luckily my colleague had the safety lock on and the other person couldn't get in. For each of the incidents, the hotel has honored the Sheraton promise and provided extra points for the inconveniences. My colleague ended up getting 20k points (!!!!) for her incident largely due to the other guest complaining about the inconvenience caused to her and my friend.

I think because of the size of the hotel, these things are fairly common there. Nothing was so awful for me personally to stop staying there due to the convenience of the hotel being so central. I started to get used to it and all the extra points I got definitely helped the situation. In addition, the view from the lounge is great!

imverge

I would stay at The Sheraton Centre... the location by far is better than The Westin for your purpose. Bay St. (Canada's Wall St.) is one block away.

Plus The Sheraton is connected to THE PATH which is an under-ground walkway that can take you to all the major bank's head-office's without ever stepping outside! It is lined with shops, restaurants etc... very cool! Well actually warm is the word because it is so cold outside now that you will want to stay warm as use The Path

kpalle

Sheraton all the way. The Westin is a nice hotel, however it is isolated and somewhat away from the Business district. If the trip was in the spring or summer, the lakefront is a nice place to be....but in the winter, it's not so nice. Go for the Sheraton!

zakami

I'd say Sheraton unless you are looking for upgrades. It is much easier to get an upgrade at the Westin than the Sheraton (at least in my experience). I have never gotten a suite at the Sheraton (in about 20 stays) and always but once gotten one at the Westin (about 15 stays).

andrew8198

I agree that the Sheraton is the better of the two hotels. Its location is closer to almost anything you would want to do.

I during each of my three stays at the hotel, I have been upgraded to a suite--no questions asked.

YXE

I would stay at the Sheraton also.

100,000miler

actually, I am of a different point of view.

The Sheaton for the location which is terrific but I find the Westin far better. Both are huge, but I find the ceilings low in the Sheraton and the rooms are rather dated and standard. Also I have found it to be overheated and there is little you can do to control the temp. Last time I vowed not to go there again, but I did and had the same problem.

The Westin is a more modern building and has a wonderful pool and fitness facility. Its big drawback is the shortage of in house restaurants. But the rooms are more interesting and if you a view of the Harbour it cannot be matched by the Sheraton. Still you are a $5 cab ride from night life.

CanoeHead

I agree that the Westin rooms are more comfortable overall, and if you are eating at any of the on-site restaurants the Westin beats the Sheraton hands down. However, if prefer to have easy access to the CBD (other than Union Station area), Sheraton is the better choice. Also... if club access makes a difference, there is no Executive Lounge at the Westin whereas the club lounge at the T.O. Sheraton is excellent. I also agree that the workout facilities at the Westin are superior, but the Sheraton isn't bad. In terms of view, looking out over the Harbour from the Westin in summer is great, but during the winter it isn't particularly awe-inspiring.

All in all, both properties are quite good. If it were my choice, I would probably base the decision on price or proximity to point of business.

YXE

The Hilton is nice and it is 1 block from the Sheraton. No SPG points though.

KathyWdrf

Look at the top of this (and every) forum for search alternatives. There are tons of threads on these hotels.

CP@YOW

To resurrect a thread... most of the comments seem to relate to location. I'm wondering which hotel people prefer when considering just the hotel itself. I am booking a Sat. night stay in February. I am taking the train and going to the Hummingbird Centre, so both the Sheraton and the Westin are approximately the same distance away.

The Sheraton and Westin have similar prices (Westin $10 more). I'm a Gold member. At which hotel can I expect the best quality room, including upgrade (if any) if I book the cheapest room?

luxury

I stayed at the Sheraton Toronto Centre in August and I was not too impressed with the hotel nor service. It felt like an airport terminal and Gold recognition was non-existent. Having to pay for drinks of any sort (with the exception of tea and coffee) during cocktail hour is pretty sad. There was nothing available in non-breakfast/cocktail hour periods.

Then tried the Hilton Toronto and I enjoyed the Hilton much much more and is a better value $ for $. Hilton Executive level (not all Exec rooms are on the Exec Level Floor proper) include complimentary in-room high speed internet. The Lounge has a copious breakfast and free drinks, including alcoholic, all day. Cocktail hour includes a generous selection of appies which can constitute a meal unto itself. The Meinl espresso machine is a godsend in the morning!!

I cannot comment on the Westin Harbour as I have not yet stayed there.