Review: Sheraton Centre Toronto

I needed to spend a night in Toronto prior to flying out to Europe and the Middle East, and I decided to book a night at the Sheraton Centre Toronto.

I was eager to check out the hotel’s newly renovated club lounge, from which the hotel is known for its stunning views of the Toronto skyline. Its central location near the financial and entertainment districts of Downtown Toronto also makes it a popular choice for business travellers.

As of my stay in February 2022, the Sheraton Centre Toronto is currently undergoing a major renovation, which began in 2021 and is set to be completed in mid-2022.

Sheraton Centre Toronto – Booking

For my one-night stay, I was able to book a base room at a cash rate of around $200. 

Standard rates at the hotel fall in the $200–$350 range, and as a Category 6 property with Marriott Bonvoy, a free night redemption costs 30,000 Bonvoy points.

At our valuation of 0.9 cents per point, the equivalent cash value of redeeming points would’ve been $270, so I opted to pay the cash rate and save my points for a future stay.

(I had actually originally booked the Hyatt Regency Toronto first, but then changed plans at the last minute when I arrived at the Hyatt and found out their restaurant was closed due to lockdown and they weren’t offering any breakfast to Hyatt Globalist members.)

Sheraton Centre Toronto – Location

The hotel occupies a large city block in Downtown Toronto, between Queen St and Richmond St along the east-west axis and York St and Bay St along the north-south axis. The main entrance sits on the west side of the block.

The entrance is currently limited to a side door, as the hotel is undergoing heavy exterior renovations. New additions to the entrances will include sleek, modern black signage, as well as a large sign along Queen Street.

The Sheraton Centre Toronto offers easy access to the city’s main attractions, dining, and popular museums and galleries. There are over 371 restaurants and 40 attractions within just 0.5km of the hotel.

Main attractions nearby include the Eaton Centre, a six-minute walk from the hotel, while the Rogers Centre and CN Tower are approximately a 20-minute walk away.

The hotel is steps away from Osgoode and Queen TTC stations and a 15-minute walk or two-stop TTC ride to Toronto’s Union Station passenger hub.

From Union, it’s another 25-minute journey along the Union Pearson Express to Toronto Pearson International Airport; otherwise, the journey from the hotel to the airport by car takes around the same time.

Sheraton Centre Toronto – Check-In

The hotel’s lobby is currently one of the public spaces undergoing renovations.

There is a small check-in area showcasing a new design; once complete, the lobby will feature blue, marble, and bronze aesthetics along with Toronto-centric art.

Plans for the under-construction lobby include a new cafe, cocktail bar, and workspaces, with the intention of creating a popular gathering place for the local community.

Using the Marriott chat app, I was able to “suite-talk” my way up to the Executive Suite while walking over to the hotel.

The front desk staff confirmed my Club Lounge access as a Titanium Elite member, as well as my request for a 4pm late checkout the following day.

Once checked in, I headed up to my room on the 28th floor. 

Sheraton Centre Toronto – Executive Suite

The Executive Suite features one king-sized bed with a separate living room from the bedroom. Each suite is complete with smart finishes, spacious seating areas, and an ergonomic workstation (which I appreciated).

As the guest room floors were not renovated as of yet, the room still felt quite dated.

The suite consists of muted tones of brown, and the walls were decorated with Canadian-themed artwork. The living room was fitted with a sofa and a television atop of a mahogany bureau directly across.

The furnishings felt fairly basic with a business-like feel to them.

The bedroom consisted of a large king-sized bed facing a second television, along with a dedicated desk for working.

The bathroom was also fairly standard and a bit cramped, with a small sink and surface, a toilet directly to its left, and the shower and bathtub on the right.

Overall, the Executive Suite was enough for my fairly basic needs on this short stay, but nothing much to write home about. I’m hopeful that the hotel’s current renovations will inject some much-needed life into the guest rooms. 

Sheraton Centre Toronto – Club Lounge

The newly renovated Sheraton Club Lounge is located on the 43rd floor, and was by far the highlight of the hotel. The lounge spans the entire floor and city block, boasting panoramic views of downtown Toronto.

The Club is exclusively for Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite members and above, along with guests who choose an upgraded package for $150. It includes ​​complimentary breakfast, evening hors d’oeuvres, all-day snacks, beverages, and free Wi-Fi throughout the day.

The new interior design is vibrant and eye-catching, with a heavy emphasis on blue hues and wooden features.

The space includes artwork and accents that shine a light on the city’s history and iconic landmarks, with locally sourced furniture and photographs drawn from the local community.

The Club Lounge has a variety of sitting areas, as well as food and drink stations at both sides of the lounge with Starbucks coffee machines. Waiters and bar staff are on hand for custom-made coffee and alcoholic beverages.

Breakfast was served in the morning at a small buffet. There’s also an evening hors d’oeuvres spread, which I unfortunately didn’t have the chance to enjoy.

One downside to the Club Lounge was that the business centre was still a bit outdated, and you have to log on to an old Windows computer on a guest session to print something out.

It’s a small thing, but I thought the Sheraton could’ve easily upgraded to wireless printing to better cater to the modern business traveller, and I’d like to see this improved sometime in the future. 

Sheraton Centre Toronto – Other Facilities

The Sheraton has a fitness centre on the third floor. Although not yet renovated, it’s still well-equipped and spacious enough for a city hotel gym. 

The Sheraton also boasts the largest indoor/outdoor pool in Toronto, although it was closed for renovations at the time of my stay.

Once renovations are complete, there will there be a new pool deck and deck-side event space. The pool will also feature a glass wall barrier to allow swimming both inside and outside, and will be surrounded by nature with a waterfall feature.

The gym and pool facilities are not exclusive to hotel guests, but are also available as monthly memberships to those living in the area.

In addition, the Sheraton Centre Toronto normally offers a wide range of dining venues, conference and event rooms, collaborative workspaces, and over 130,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, all of which are set to reopen once renovations are complete later in 2022. 

Conclusion

The Sheraton Centre Toronto offers guests a convenient location, reasonable pricing, and now a fantastic refurbished Club Lounge – arguably the single-best hotel lounges accessible to elite status members in all of Toronto. Overall, the hotel worked well for my needs on a quick overnight stay. 

Once the renovations to the public areas and guest rooms are complete, the Sheraton has the potential to be one of the city’s best mid-range hotels, given that the improvement works are set to revitalize what was already a very popular property among tourists and business travellers alike.