Dec 28

Dec 28 Sheraton Toronto Downtown Review - Updated 2025

What is the best hotel in Toronto? Well, one needs to define what “best” means: one common criteria is “the best money can buy”. And for that, Toronto has many options, including the Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, Park Hyatt, or boutiques like the Hazelton. But another definition could be a solid place to stay for a reasonable price, and that is what I believe the Sheraton Downtown is, particularly at a price point of ~$250 a night. It’s recent renovations combined with it’s unbeatable location and great elite treatment, make it a solid place to stay in Toronto.

Overview

Brand: Marriott has over 30 brands, and Sheraton is simultaneously one of it’s oldest and youngest. You see, Starwood actually purchased Sheraton (which traces it’s roots back to the 1930’s), but Marriott only purchased Starwood in 2016, making it one of Marriott’s youngest. Marriott tends to call it a “Premium” brand, but in my mind it has lost it’s identity beyond being a generic businessman type hotel which targets generic consultants much like myself. Marriott has indeed sought to spruce it up, and launched new initiatives in 2018 and 2021 to bring it into the 21st century. The Sheraton Toronto has thankfully taken this to heart.

The Entrance

Location: The hotel is located steps away from the subway, Eaton Center (Toronto’s most famous shopping mall), Nathan Phillips Square (a square) and an incredible professional services firm that I worked at. There are a plethora of food options nearby, ranging from food trucks at the Square to takeout at shopping malls or even several steakhouses. And it’s PATH connected to Hudson’s Bay, and the rest of the network.

As of 2025, the lobby renovations have been fully finalized, and oh my is it gorgeous, especially for a “mid” range hotel.

Given I was there during a rather frosty evening, I had a great time sipping a cocktail indoors, warmly watching the snow fall outdoors. The lobby also boasts several stores, including a convenience store, souvenir and clothing store…with the clothing store taking American dollars at 1 American to 1.5 Canadian!

Check in was friendly and competent, and after requesting an upgrade, I was indeed given a junior suite - this happened both times when I visited the hotel!

While the Sheraton Center Toronto Downtown did manage to solve its elevator crisis, do note that there are two sets of elevator banks, one for the lower floors and another for the higher floors, so don’t be stuck waiting for the wrong one!

The Room

The 30 floor was recently renovated as well; however, I was as not a big fan of the carpet

I was kindly upgraded to a junior suite: the main difference between those and “proper” suites is that sometimes there is not an entirely separate living room (why someone would care is beyond me lol). Nick has written another review of a similar room, but with a larger living room. Beyond the space differential, there wasn’t that much difference between our experiences besides the fact he got food delivered and I microwaved chicken wings.

The one weird thing I’ve found about certain hotel suites, including this one, is the sheer number of chairs. Beyond the sofa, there were 3 other chairs in the room for a place that, theoretically, has a maximum capacity of 4 lol.

While there were no microwaves in the room, a nice lady at check-in made a note of my room, and one was promptly delivered within an hour. Which I used to heat up my fried chicken (go Popeyes).

No review would be complete without a bathroom review! This one was nice, if not a bit small. Note that as of 2025, the toilettes have transitioned to those larger size bottles that can’t be…liberated from the hotel.

Similar to Nick’s review, I would say that this is a fairly solid place to stay for a couple days, and is not for example as baller as the Hotel Saskatchewan. What does separate it is the hotel’s lounge, which I recognize is not accessible to everyone. So, if unfortunately you don’t have status and / or an upgraded room, I would suggest you skip the next part of the review.

The Lounge - Wow

North American hotel lounges have bad reputations (or have been closed), with most just providing a few snacks and drinks at limited hours to fulfill their contract obligations with their parent hotel brand. The Sheraton Toronto has, thankfully, shattered that expectation: indeed, the market this lounge well both in their marketing materials and at check in.

The lounge’s new, modern style reflect what I think the Sheraton is trying to become: the affordable yet forward thinking place to do business.

Another thing that stood out was the quality of the food, which far exceeded I would say any lounge I’ve been in in North America. To mitigate that, the hotel has put out small plates, but I mean anyone with no shame like myself can keep going back…so you can definitely have dinner here. While the lounge is open for 6:30 - 10PM, note that evening food is only served from 5-8pm, and breakfast from 6-10am. The below is from 2025.

Here’s a more dignified version of the food, and note that servers did walk around asking if they could bring anything to us.

I went back for breakfast the next morning, and was still impressed by both the selection and quality of food. The only extremely minor issue was that they swapped out the sausages from 2025, but of course minor issues.

The final thing I will say is the level of service, which was fantastic. From offering me water bottles to proactively recommending me pairing different pieces of food, the Sheraton Toronto team was amazing and absolutely “Canada nice”.

The View and Other Amenities

One of the best amenities at the Sheraton Toronto is the unobstructed view of some of Toronto’s most prominent landmarks. This is because the hotel is close enough, but also far away enough, from downtown’s core office district.

The Sheraton has a fitness center that is above average, but still lacks a proper squat rack. Note that it can be a bit crowded in the mornings given the size of the hotel.

Located in the same area as the fitness center was the indoor and outdoor pool, which was quite a sight in the winter!

The hotel does not have a hot tub, although the pool was a bit warmer than your regular pool.

The Service

Firstly, I always appreciate it when hotels follow the rules of their loyalty program: both times the Sheraton Toronto has done through quite well. Secondly, for a hotel that isn’t fully a luxury hotel, the service is excellent: everyone was cheerful, willing to help, and overall seemed like a great bunch of people to work for.

Final Thoughts

The Sheraton has transformed itself into a real competitor in the Toronto Business Hotel space, offering travelers a fantastic in hotel experience and unbeatable access to Downtown Toronto. Post renovations, I think this hotel offers quite good value, especially for those who have access to the club lounge. However, note that the actual rooms themselves are due for an upgrade (perhaps similar to the one that the Marriott Toronto / W underwent”, otherwise this would be the undisputed best regular chain hotel in Toronto!