Holiday Inn Express Toronto - Downtown by IHG

I’ve stayed here four times now over the past four years and here are my thoughts/advice: Request any floor other than 3, 4, 8, and 11. Lots of noise and traffic from staff, traffic from the laundry room, and traffic from the linen closets. Bring your own body soaps, shampoo, and conditioner, as they now provide Dove soap rather than the JR Watkins brand. Dove soaps are way cheaper with harmful ingredients. The products they provided a couple years ago were more eco friendly, skin friendly and natural, which added a bit of luxury to an average hotel. Location: While it is very central to the 504/503 route that can zip you around the city and very close to subway stations, I heard nothing but screaming and fighting on the street all night. I was also approached and followed by a man while on premises. I’m surprised there isn’t more security during weekends. Luckily I sleep with ear plugs, but for the hotel being so close to notoriously known “sketchy” areas, I’m surprised that security isn’t present around the front lobby doors. If you can, close all windows and use ear plugs. I would not recommend walking around that area at night without someone accompanying you. Breakfast: Lower your expectations because it’s your typical cheap hotel breakfast. They’ve stopped serving omelettes and bacon, and now only serve pork sausage, scrambled egg (super bland with no flavour), and turkey sausage. The minute pancakes and biscuits are great though! I wish they provided cream cheese for the bagels. It’s very evident that they’ve cut costs and scaled back on the quality of their breakfast. Beds: The real winner here. Pillows are so soft and fluffy, sheets are so soft and beds are super comfortable. Beautiful beds. Rooms: Rooms vary and are different from photos. I’ve never stayed in a room with the light up accents around the head board. Other than the odd crumb or stain in the mini fridge, the rooms are clean. They’re spacious, lots of storage, coffee maker, microwave, desk, and TV. It is not a smart TV, but there are three HDMI ports. Bathrooms: There are no bathtubs here. Bathrooms are bright and clean. They provide blow dryers. Amenities: There is no pool, I don’t know why there’s a photo of a pool for this location. Fitness room, laundry room, ice and pop machines. Customer service: Front desk staff are professional, but a little cold. The morning staff were so loud and unaware of guests, it honestly made the breakfast rush even more chaotic and stressful. I love seeing staff comfortable and happy, but it was too much for 7am. The screaming and laughing from the kitchen was not really nice to wake up to. Overall, I would come back if I could continue to pay off-season prices. I only book rooms here if I find a low rate. The quality does NOT align with the outrageous Toronto bloated prices, however.

The staff was friendly and very knowledgeable and helpful. The room was clean and updated. Breakfast was simple yet had plenty of options to choose from and was filling. Love staying here, close walk to the distillery district and even to the financial district. Our 3rd year staying here for the Christmas market and we love it, thank you!