We just got back from a weekend stay in Toronto, where we stayed at the Isabella Hotel and Suites. Overall, we enjoyed our stay. The hotel is very nice looking from the outside, a pretty building with a nice patio for sitting outside and enjoying a drink (which you can do, as there is a bar in the lobby). It seemed to be in a generally safe neighborhood (we saw a young woman jogging by herself after dark, and there were several people out and about on Friday evening). The man at the front desk, Dann, was extremely welcoming and gave us some very good tips for things to do around the city. We had some great conversation with him the first night we were there. The rest of the staff was also very friendly and helpful, and there was free continental breakfast in the morning. Our room was small, but that was fine with us. The bed was extremely comfortable and the bathroom was very clean and modern. Our only complaint with the room was that the carpet needed to be replaced...badly. There was a large splattery stain on the carpet just next to the bed, which was a bit off-putting. The only other thing that was less than ideal was the parking...the hotel has only 5 parking spaces, which are generally full unless you reserve them when you book your room (calling the day you are to arrive does not work). Thus, you must park in one of the public parking lots. There is a garage across the street from the hotel, which we used the first night, but we then discovered a municipal lot only about 2 blocks down the street (on Sherbourne between Wellesley and Carlton) that was cheaper to park in. Expect to pay about $15-20 per day for parking either way. Other than the carpet and the parking though, we had a good experience at this hotel. We would stay there again.

Neighborhood could use some TLC but the subway is close as is Bloor street, cabbagetown neighborhood is about a 1/2 hour walk away. Room was clean but tiny as was the bath, and elevator had to be taken one at a time when coming and going with bags. Quiet at night ... if your staying soon beware of construction across the street that starts at 7:30 am .. and they are getting ready to start a big condo development about a block away ... desk staff friendly.. if your on a budget, not a bad choice. went to the groundhog pub on a recommendation of another review, a nice close option for a cold beer and nice service

Based on other reviews on this site, we knew that one fault at this hotel has been that some people couldn't get the grade of room on check-in that they had booked in advance. We were arriving late on a Friday night, so we made a point of telephoning a few days before to confirm that we would be arriving, and to confirm our room grade (a regular suite.) We booked the regular suite specifically because suites have queen beds and the standard rooms have double beds (according to the hotel's website.) My husband is 6' 6" and a double bed is too short!

On check-in, the desk clerk directed us to a room on the ground floor which he said was a *deluxe* suite. We were dismayed to find that it could only be called a suite because it had one room for a sofabed (not in the best condition), the television, and a mini-fridge, and a separate tiny room for the DOUBLE bed. The room also had no remote for the TV, an iron but no ironing board, and no coffeemaker. (The coffeemaker which was provided the next day, along with the other missing items, did not work...)

Even worse, when my husband went to the front desk to ask if we could change rooms, he ended up in a shouting match with the desk clerk, who insisted that we were in a deluxe suite, and that the bed in question was so a queen! (I actually took the trouble to measure the bed and look up bed size specifications the next day. It was a double.) Needless to say, we spent a rather uncomfortable night crowded into this small bed.

The next morning my husband spoke with a different desk clerk, who was mortified to hear of our trouble and promised to move us to a proper suite on Sunday at noon, which was the soonest that onewould become available. The first desk clerk also apologized to my husband for the argument, although he did try to excuse the problem by saying that the hotel had been overbooked and he "thought he was doing us a favor." And the suite into which we were moved was exactly what we'd expected from the description of the hotel's suites, with the promised queen bed, desk, tub/shower combo, and *working* coffeemaker. The carpet was badly stained, but the room was otherwise pristine and very well maintained by housekeeping. The rest of our stay was quite enjoyable. I only wish that we hadn't gotten off to such an awkward start!

The Isabella has a bus on the corner and a subway three blocks away that takes you everywhere quickly and easily. The continental breakfast is more than adequate and the informal breakfasting arrangements, with newspapers always available, create a pleasant start for the day. Our room was clean, quiet and comfortable, with plenty of storage space. Desk staff were friendly and helpful. Good value, nice ambience, we'd stay there again !.We had a suite, so had an advantage over the regular rooms that are smaller.