After my really pleasant flight with the new Dreamliner of British Airways I now started to work on the choice of a suitable hotel in the beautiful Canadian City of Toronto. The choice is huge as in many cities, while there are some houses amongst you’d not have to stay at. I decided for the Ritz Carlton for many reasons.
Location
The Ritz Carlton in Toronto is located immediately behind the CN tower as can be seen on the pictures below. From the international airport Toronto (YYZ) it’s about 20 minutes by cab, or in my case byLimo by Blacklane. From the hotel you can reach a lot of locations by foot. The CN tower is right in front of the door and just a few steps away lies the Rogers Center and harbor. Also the second airport of the city, which is used by Porter Airlines for regional and international flights, is also just 5-10 minutes away by cab.
The room
The Ritz Carlton Toronto offers different room categories of different view and endowment. There are ones with view on the city, some with view on the harbor, and such one I now live in. Furthermore on the upper levels you find the Ritz Carlton Club: a hotel within a hotel. So if you live on the 20th level or higher like me, you get all the service by the club. This contains not only breakfast but also lunch, cake all day long and dinner. As club guest internet is included, independent of the room rate.
With 41m² the club rooms are not really bigger than the standard ones, but they’re in a better lay. The upper levels almost guarantee a better view, whether city or sea. If you need more space, you can book one of the suites, which start at 60m² and end at 220m².
The accommodation is kept in warm, covering colors and creates a comfortable atmosphere. You feel like at home, which is supported by high-quality materials, beautifully soft beddings and comfy towels. Luckily I can stay for three nights. And I also realized no one here is speaking of “how many nights to stay” but of “evenings you like to enjoy the hotel”. This is very nice kind to ask how long a guest stays.
The rooms are equipped with a king size bed or two single beds, in some you can also find a camp bed, but due to safety reason not in every category. Big windows are also part of it (while I haven’t quite understood why people need TVs in hotel rooms) and for club rooms a docking station for the iPhone which can be used as radio.
For business trips it’s not unimportant to have fast WiFi. There are enough sockets in all parts of the room and a well dimensioned desk. If you need a printer or such, you can find it in the business center or in the club lounge.
The high-class equipment of the rooms is mirrored in the bathrooms. Equipped with a bath tub and separate rain shower, two sinks and an additional separate toilette, which is clearly part of a luxury hotel accommodation. You realize that too when it comes to the utensils in the bathroom, which consists of a collection by “Asprey” London.
On the very last picture you can see a piece of equipment, the mirror-integrated TV. So you can watch the news in the morning when you brush your teeth, or watch a music video.
Hotel services
From ATM machine, printer for boarding tickets, to hotel shop it’s all there. If you forgot your adapter, you get one without a problem, such as cleaning service for clothes, ice machine on every floor and much more. Another benefit for club guests is free clothes ironing. So if you need your shirt ironed: no problem. Always welcomed (by me at least) is the nightly an free of charge shoe cleaning service.
Food, beverage and enjoyment
Toronto offers countless culinary Joys, but if you don’t want to leave the hotel, you find lots of variance inside. There is the restaurant TOCA in the lower area of the hotel, where you get breakfast, Sunday brunch, lunch and dinner at any time. The restaurant itself offers international kitchen with local ingredients.
If the weather allows it, you can visit the terrace, which is perfectly suited for a delicious cocktail or little snack. It opens as soon as the weather is fine for it, usually from 11:30 to 1:00. On the weekend you get an afternoon tea in the lounge, classically with sandwich and snack.
If you neither like the restaurant or the lounge, there also is the Ritz bar, located on the first floor. An interesting creating of a bike in the colors and print of a known Champaign manufacturer leads the way in the lobby. It’s opened from 4:30 P.M. until 1 A.M. and provides the chance to sit outside or in the lobby.
And while I’m writing about enjoyment: all this is crowned with this little, sweet welcome gift.
Service and bookability
One thing cannot fall unnoticed: Ritz Carlton succeeds in creating an “at home” feeling from entering the hotel until leaving it. Actually before, because when stepping out of the cab or limo you’re welcome by a bellboy with pouring smile and the words “welcome home”. This cheerfulness and understanding of service is continued throughout the whole stay and retains customer to the brand Ritz Carlton.
Luckily I can enjoy this feeling for some time, and I hope to stay at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel on the west coast next week. But one word regarding booking: Of course you can book via the website, but I recommend the experts for flying, hotels and further services, which I use regularly: (Cube Travel in Berlin.)
