Courtyard by Marriott Toronto Downtown — Hotel in Toronto

The worst experience ever! So, my wife and daughter-in-law are at Sunnybrook Holland Centre where my son had knee surgery yesterday. The process takes a bit long and he's admitted to spend the night in hospital, so my wife calls and says, can you book us a room nearby? Sure, no problem. I book through my Bonvoy Member app and use my CAA discount to try to get a little more reasonable price (still over $400/nt) . It's last minute, so I get it, the room is expensive! My wife arrives at the hotel and is told her name is not on the reservation. It's on the membership account but not on the reservation. She says okay, can I call my husband and pass the phone to you to get this sorted out? They say, NO, he has to call in personally. I called and their phones are now completely automated like they don't want to speak with you. Of course, there's no option to "add wife to reservation" or "modify reservation" on the phone system. After pushing buttons and listening to computerized instructions, I finally get a real person on the phone. "I can't help you sir, you'll have to call back the same number and speak with the front desk." Call back??? I asked to be transferred or how to get a person on the phone when I call back? "you have call back and dial zero" he says. Once again it's all robotics and at every option I hit 'zero' on the phone. Finally, after another 5minutes of pushing buttons and listening to random messages I don't care about, I get a person. He says, "I can't let your wife have the room", "why not?", "the person who booked the room and registered the CAA card has to come in personally and present their card to get access to the room'" I (over)paid for the room, can't cancel it because the cancellation deadline was expired before I booked the room, and I can't get my wife and daughter-in-law into the room after spending an exhausting day at a hospital? So, I ask him how we can get this sorted out? He says "the person who booked the room has to come and show the CAA card". That makes no sense and I've booked many rooms for other people before and have had no major issues doing so. I say "can I speak to a manager" he says "NO!". WHAT?? I insisted on speaking with a manager and he says "oh, okay" and puts me on hold for another 5 minutes, while my wife and daughter-in-law are sitting waiting in the hotel lobby. I finally get a very friendly Marriott service rep from the States, who walks me through the process and finally says. "your wife's name is on the account, they should be letting her in" . So instead of trying another painful and time consuming phone call, I ask my wife to line up at the counter again and see if they'll let her in. She finally got accepted after the half hour frustrating process. The associate this time was very friendly and helpful as well as apologetic but this was 100% avoidable. It shouldn't matter that we're Titanium Bonvoy Members or high level Marriott timeshare owners, but if they treat members this way, the person who denied us access may not be the best Marriott associate representing their brand and cause this sort of a review. Sorry...

Disappointing Service and Unprofessional Staff

My wife and I decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant (June 30th 2024), planning to use a gift card that had more than enough balance for our meal. Unfortunately, the entire experience turned into a frustrating ordeal due to the managements unprofessionalism and the hotel's apparent lack of adequate systems.

When I attempted to use the gift card, I was informed by the banquet manager, Shaq, and the reception manager, Kevin, that their system could not process it. Despite my polite and calm demeanor, they repeatedly blamed me for the issue, suggesting it was my fault that their system could not handle the transaction. Their dismissive attitude was both unhelpful and embarrassing.

Instead of offering a solution or even a gesture of goodwill, such as covering the meal cost, they left me feeling undervalued as a guest. Their unwillingness to take responsibility or find an alternative was disappointing and unprofessional.

Overall, this experience left a sour taste in my mouth and a sense of regret for choosing this hotel. I expected better service and a more accommodating approach from a brand like Marriott. I hope the management takes this feedback seriously and makes necessary improvements to their customer service and system capabilities. Until then, I would not recommend this hotel to others.

Employers- Hospitality Industry: To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to provide a serious warning about the unprofessional conduct of two managers, Shaq and Kevin, whom I encountered at the Marriott Courtyard. Based on my experience, I would strongly advise against employing these individuals in any customer-facing or managerial roles. When I approached Shaq and Kevin for assistance, they handled the situation in an exceptionally unprofessional manner. Despite my polite and respectful demeanor, they repeatedly blamed me for their inability to process the gift card, showing a complete lack of accountability and problem-solving skills. Shaq and Kevin’s behavior was dismissive and disrespectful. Instead of seeking a solution or offering any form of compensation for the inconvenience and embarrassment caused, they made no effort to value me as a guest. This not only reflects poorly on their customer service abilities but also raises concerns about their overall suitability for managerial positions. Their conduct not only damaged my impression of the Marriott brand but also highlighted significant issues in their professional demeanor and competence. Based on this experience, I believe they could potentially bring similar negative impacts to any future employer...

I cannot believe that THIS is called a Marriott hotel!

I have been at Marriotts in various countries, but this one is by far the worst and should be avoided for the following reasons:

Horrible design of the room and its disastrous state: the room itself was horribly designed.

There was an ugly sticker on the wall (see pics).

Overall we had a feeling that we are in a cheap Motel.

Also the ceiling had a strange texture and part of it was redone (it was bigger than other parts).

There was a red sticker ON THE CEILING! And it was to say not to hang staff on the fire alarm and it is so strange, I never saw anything like that before.

Room was not clean. Especially the bath tub was horrible!!! It was all covered in yellow stains and scratches!! Disgusting!

The shower was completely unstable and was constantly switching temperatures, crazy hot then crazy cold.

The room itself was super cold, even though it was August and hot outside. We turned off AC, tried putting it on heating, nothing worked! We spent the night shivering!

The hotel does not have a proper entrance, only parking lot entrance and it smells like pee and homeless people, disgusting!

Terrible service: we had a room with a king bed reserved in advance but when we came to check in, they suddenly “ran out of king beds”!

The hotel has a CURFEW!! Who can imagine that in a 21th century in a developed country?? They close the doors from 10 PM to 8 AM and that is outrageous, the gore entrance should be available 24/7, as well as the reception.

Horror movie design of common areas: everything in this building was creepy and old and ugly.

The corridors were creating a feeling of claustrophobia, with dark colors und unpleasant smells.

All common areas seemed ugly and old except for the Bistro area (we stayed in the North tower).

The lights in the bathroom are very unpleasant. One should not mix cold and warm light sources in one room.

Navigation is a disaster! You will get lost at least 3 times before you find your room.

No sound insulation: we heard both noises from the outside and people going through corridor, speaking and opening their doors.

The inscription on the item storage sticker begs for tips (it is saying: “GRATUITY NOT INCLUDED”), like they mean that you have to tip them every time you leave your bags in storage..

There is a religious propaganda: there is a Bible and Mormon book, but not all guests are religious and not all share the confession! The hotel should be a neutral ground...