Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre by IHG — Hotel in Toronto

There are both good things and bad things to be said about this hotel. However, the noise is a major dealbreaker that should keep anyone away from this hotel. I'll get back to this.||||Anyways: The staff is a big positive. Both the receptionists, the cleaners and the maintenance guy were helpful and friendly. The lobby area is alright, rooms were clean, breakfast was good, and location is decent. ||||On the flip side, if the rooms really are refurbished, the contractors did a very sloppy job. Carpets are visibly worn, and there are details throughout the entire room, especially the bathroom, which should make any tradesman hang their head in shame. Simply poor quality on the finish throughout.||Bed was squeaky and too bouncy. ||Elevators are slow, so despite them having four elevators, you may very well be waiting a looong time to get up or down. ||There is a fixed shower head only, and it's mounted at about 5'9" height. I'm 6'3" (191 cm), and had the shower head under my chin. If you're anywhere close to 6 feet tall, get ready to crouch in the shower. ||Oh, and the "water-saving" shower head is just annoying. I had to shower for 3x as long to get a thorough rinse, so it doesn't save any water, it just wastes time. Having a 20+ minute crouching shower every day is no fun. ||||HOWEVER, good things and bad things aside, the thing that makes this an awful stay is the absolutely horrendous NOISE. I was first given a room in the back, with a gargantuan outdoors ventilation system just outside my window running 24/7. There is seemingly no sound isolation whatsoever in this hotel, so it felt like I was living inside a jet engine. ||The indoor AC was also incredibly loud, but even when I managed to turn that off (thanks, maintenance guy), the outside one was just as loud anyway. I was told this was a very well-known issue, and I was encouraged to ask the reception for a new room. Unfortunately, I had to spend one night inside that jet engine, but from day 2 onwards there were other rooms available, and I could choose between the same room a few floors up, or a room facing the street with all the traffic noise that comes with it. I saw no reason why the noise would be significantly better a few floors further up, so I chose the traffic side. Sure, it was clearly better than the jet engine in the back, but it was still a lot of noise from the busy street outside, with police sirens, loud motorcycles, buses and alarms going off all night. There is also seemingly no sound isolation internally either, so whenever someone slams their door in another room, it sounds like they're right by your bedside. I could also hear every whisper from the hallway. It's like the door doesn't even exist.||||So to summarize, if your room is towards the back yard, you have the internal AC, slamming doors and external jet engine keeping you awake. If you're lucky enough to get a room towards the street, you still have the internal AC and slamming doors keeping you awake, but instead of the jet engine, there is the Toronto downtown keeping you awake. ||This is, as mentioned, a very well-known issue at the hotel, and they're advertising on the TV that you can get ear plugs and sleeping masks in the reception if you're a light sleeper. ||I'd like to mention then that I am NOT a light sleeper. ||I used to work on a ship and slept like a baby right next to the roaring diesel engines and 12 meter waves. I slept through an apartment break-in, and I could probably sleep through a nuclear war. But I could not sleep within the jet engines of Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown. After four nights here, I am entirely exhausted. On the last day, I cancelled all my plans, and just laid in like a zombie all day. Completely sleep deprived. ||||I cannot believe this doesn't get more attention in the reviews here. Perhaps it's better if you get a room higher up. My rooms were at the 7th and 9th floors, but they go all the way up to 22nd, I think. There are some pros with the hotel, like the food and the staff. But with the cons being the bed, showers and elevators, and the unbelievable noise as a complete dealbreaker, I am never staying here again. ||||As their self-proclaimed flagship hotel, they should really invest in some soundproofing. ||Being a sleep deprived zombie ruined my Toronto stay entirely, which unfortunately has to result in a disappointing and abysmal...

My Very Disappointing Stay at Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre by IHG** 😡🏨

I rarely write negative reviews, but my experience at the Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre was so frustrating that I feel compelled to share it. As a frequent traveler, I have stayed in many hotels worldwide, and this one was one of the worst. From start to finish, my stay was full of issues, mostly revolving around poor customer service and lack of cleanliness. To make matters worse, the receptionist named Sem was extremely unhelpful and rude, which completely ruined my experience. Here’s a detailed rundown of everything that went wrong.

The check-in experience was the very first red flag. Upon arrival, the lobby was chaotic, and there was a long line of guests waiting to be served. When it was finally my turn, Sem, the receptionist, seemed completely uninterested and impatient. Instead of welcoming me, Sem was curt and dismissive, barely answering my questions and acting annoyed when I requested some basic information about the hotel amenities. This attitude was shocking and completely unacceptable for a hotel of this caliber. I expected professional and courteous service but got the opposite. 😠🕰️

After a long day of traveling, I looked forward to relaxing in my room, but instead, I was greeted by a room that was far below standard. The room smelled stale and musty, and it was clear that the housekeeping staff had not done a proper job. There were dust particles on the furniture, and the bathroom had dirty grout lines and a grimy sink. The towels provided were rough and worn out. The bed itself was uncomfortable, with lumpy pillows and a mattress that felt like it belonged in a budget motel, not a supposedly reputable hotel like Holiday Inn. 🛏️🤢🛁

The cleanliness issues extended beyond just my room. The hallways smelled of cigarette smoke, even though the hotel advertises as a non-smoking property. The elevator buttons were sticky, and I noticed trash near the lobby area that was left unattended for hours. I reported some of these concerns to Sem at the reception, but I was met with indifference and no follow-up. It felt like no one truly cared about guest comfort or satisfaction. 🧹🚭❌

done. 🔊😴❄️

. Considering the high room rates, this was extremely disappointing. 🏋️‍♂️🏊‍♂️🍽️💸

The location, although central, didn’t make up for the hotel’s shortcomings. The surrounding neighborhood felt a bit run down and noisy, especially after dark. The constant street noise made my stay even more stressful, and the lack of nearby welcoming cafes or shops made exploring the area less enjoyable than I had hoped. 🌃🚷👎

By the time I checked out, I was so fed up that I barely said goodbye. Sem at reception was just as cold and indifferent during checkout as they were at check-in. There was no apology for any of the issues I faced, no offer to make amends or even ask about my experience. It felt like they just wanted me gone as quickly as possible. 🧳🚶‍♂️❄️

In conclusion, my stay at Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre by IHG was deeply disappointing. The combination of poor cleanliness, outdated facilities, loud noise, and especially the rude, unprofessional behavior from receptionist Sem made for a terrible experience. I had higher expectations from a reputable hotel brand, but this place failed on nearly every front. I do not recommend staying here, especially if you value cleanliness, comfort, and respectful customer service. There are far better options in Toronto that will treat you with the hospitality you deserve. Save your money and look elsewhere. 🚫🏨💸

Hashtags with Emojis:

#TerribleStay 😡 #DirtyRooms 🤢 #RudeReceptionist 👎 Sem #PoorService 🚫 #UncomfortableSleep 🛌💤 #UnsafeHotel 🚷 #MustySmell 🤮 #NoCustomerCare 🙅‍♀️ #AvoidHolidayInnToronto 🚫🏨 #WasteOfMoney 💸 #NoisyRooms 🔊 #BrokenAC ❄️🔇 #OutdatedFacilities 🏚️ #BadExperience 😞 #UnprofessionalStaff 🤬 #NoSecurity 🚪🔓 #RunDownNeighborhood 🏚️🚷 #OverpricedAndUnderdelivered 💸❌ #StayAwayFromHere...

This hotel is perfectly located 1/2 block off Yonge Street and a short walk to the heart of Toronto. The subway is half a block away as well making for easy access to other parts of the city. I booked this stay using points and was upgraded to a premium room on the top floor. As has been written, yes the rooms are small, but they are well organized and we had no shortage of storage space. There were some corner areas the luggage fit perfectly and we never felt crowded. I think those that "live out of their suitcase" rather than unpack and settle in as we do are the most likely to be troubled by the room size. ||I am Diamond level with IHG One Rewards and selected breakfast as my welcome amenity. The breakfast buffet had plenty of choice and we enjoyed our breakfast each morning. There was a group of college kids staying and depending on our schedule vs. theirs we encountered the group some at breakfast, but the staff handled it all brilliantly. If seating was running short, they began seating in the adjacent lounge. Have to point out the fresh strawberries and blueberries, clearly a favorite of many. They refilled it constantly and they would go fast. On that note, the staff did a stellar job of keeping everything refilled. ||The room faced away from Carlton Street and was completely quiet, no noise whatsoever. Bed was comfortable, towels were big and fluffy, no complaints for the room. We had dinner one night in the restaurant and it was delicious with great service. Another night we had wine in the bar. Nice staff and nice view watching the world go by on the street. ||For shoppers, the lobby has one of the largest gift shops I have seen in a hotel in quite some time. No matter what you need or want, it is in there. Every type of souvenir imaginable and was the biggest selection I saw during my multi-hotel stay in Toronto.||The only complaint is the elevators, and it seems to do with their programming. If one elevator is moving toward the lobby, even if it is stopping at every floor, the program does not move the other three. When you press the up button from the lobby, if the elevator opens and is then headed down, it does not indicate and cancels your call button for going up, but then goes the wrong way. Once it goes down, it will ignore the pressed call light for up and bypass the lobby level. Overall, that means you and others spend a lot of time waiting on the lobby level. Being on the top floor, we always got an empty car. But because of the programming that only moved one car at a time and made you wait, the car would be full part way down and still stopping at every floor. The elevators seriously need a full reprogramming update as four elevators should be adequate, but they are not because of the program. Hopefully management will address this frustration. ||Elevators aside, I would definitely consider this hotel again as I really liked the location and the room was...