The Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto

Pulling into the upscale Westin Harbour Castle’s driveway is a dazzling experience with light bulbs that reflect off a mirrored ceiling and bounce off the tops of cars. Once inside, the hotel's massive lobby is bustling with travelers moving along the sleek marble floors through the neutral-colored space. Illuminated wooden pillars, large windows, and boxy light fixtures give the lobby a contemporary vibe. Multiple front desks in the reception area tackle the typically long line of guests. The hotel opened in 1975 and was last fully renovated in 2009. While designs are modern and tasteful, they suffer from a lack personality. The 38-floor building overlooks the beautiful Lake Ontario and attracts mostly business travelers and couples, but also families. A glass skybridge connects the hotel to its separate Convention Centre, limiting the amount of milling business crowds in the main lobby. 

Sitting on Lake Ontario, the Westin Harbour Castle is next to the Harbourfront Ferry Terminal with service to the Toronto Islands. A skywalk leads to the hotel’s meeting rooms in the conference center. The location, however, is a bit disconnected from the heart of downtown and the Financial District since Union Station is a 10-minute walk away. Downtown is also 20 minutes via the underground PATH walkway. It’s a 15-minute walk to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, with 64 meeting rooms. For tourists, the location is a 16-minute walk to the Entertainment District with Ripley's Aquarium, CN Tower, and Rogers Centre. Tons of restaurants, shops and the Hockey Hall of Fame on Yonge Street are 10-minutes on foot. Air Canada Centre is just five minutes away on foot, and the BMO Field is a 10-minute drive. Toronto Pearson International Airport takes 25 minutes by car. 

In typical Westin fashion, rooms are modern and minimalist. Dark espresso-colored furniture, gray curtains, and neutral walls feel contemporary, but lack character. It’s the lake views in most rooms that create an upscale atmosphere. Deluxe Corner Guest Rooms have two walls of windows that provide panoramic lake views. Parlor Rooms have sofa beds or Murphy beds in sitting areas. Premier Suites also have separate living and dining areas. Two-bedroom Crown Suites are the largest option, with elegant dining rooms and living rooms. The Presidential Suite has a sofa bed in the living room, kitchenette, and dining area. Rooms offer turndown service, bathrobes, irons/ironing boards, flat-screen TVs, free bottled water, Wi-Fi (for a fee), writing desks, coffeemakers, and safes. Mini-fridges and microwaves are available for a charge. Modern bathrooms have shower/tub combos and hairdryers. 

Fitness is a huge focus at the Westin Harbour Castle. The RunWestin program has regularly scheduled 5K runs, running maps, and jogging strollers. New Balance’s loaner program provides guests with new shoes and clean workout gear, for a fee. There’s a 24-hour modern gym, a fitness studio with personal trainers, yoga classes, and a squash court. On the fifth floor is an outdoor tennis court and basketball net. Aqua aerobics classes are offered in the indoor heated pool. The seven-room Votre Beaute European Day Spa with a hair salon has a full menu of spa services. Meetings and events can be held in the ample conference space (a total 70,000 square feet), including a ballroom that can accommodate 3,000 people. There’s also a full-service FedEx Office and Apple desktop computers in a lobby. Wi-Fi is free in the lobby (but not in rooms). Children can enjoy the poolside play area, borrow pool floaties, or play in the Westin Kids’ Club, which has Nintendo Wii games and an activity center. The Mizzen Restaurant serves breakfast and the top-floor Toula Restaurant offers Italian food and 360-degree lake views. Serving small meals and cocktails, the Chartroom Bar is in the lobby. And the Harbour Coffee Bar offers Starbucks brew.