We had tickets to see Tony Bennett at Roy Thompson Hall in downtown Toronto on Fri Feb 8. The day before, the weather people predicted a sizeable snowstorm was approaching, and rather than take a chance on being snowed in on Friday, we decided to leave our home, which is north of Toronto, on Thursday while the driving was still good and stay at the Fairmont Royal York on Thurs. night. The Fairmont is a very large hotel located right downtown. It has hosted many dignitaries and even the Royal Family over many years. That doesn;t mean you're automatically going to get the royal suite however; not unless you pay for it.
The advantages are many. A big one for us is that below the hotel is easy access to The Path which goes underground for many miles. You can go shopping for just about anything, eat at many different styles of restaurants, visit a doctor, walk to Roy Thompson Hall to see Tony Bennett perform, or to the Air Canada Centre to see Lady Gaga who was performing the same night, all without going outside at all. In winter that means no coat and in the hot summer you can stay out of the sun and heat if you choose. The Path is totally safe any time of day or night. Lots of people use it and there is also great security. I really enjoy it.
The Fairmont, for a large downtown hotel, has quite a decent sized pool that you can actually swim in, a very well equipped gym with a hot sauna, a whirlpool and massage services located adjacent to the gym.
It is a very gracious building, rather in the style of Downton Abbey, especially the lobby and common areas. We have stayed in some rooms at the Fairmont that were small, but then again we've stayed in very expensive 'closet' rooms in New York and especially in Europe. This is the world of big city (which means expensive) hotels. That is, until we discovered the President's card, which enables you to stay on the Gold Floor and enjoy all its amenities at the Fairmont. yes the Gold Floor costs more but you really do get so many wonderful pluses that now, when we stay in Toronto, we always stay at the Fairmont. The Gold floor rooms are somewhat larger but not are not huge but they're sumptuously comfortable. The cold industrial look found in many newer hotels is not for me. I prefer crown moldings, elaborate draperies and tasteful wallpaper and bed coverings. We have always found the food to be very good with very professional service. You could tell as soon as you walk into the hotel that you're going to find
quality. If you'd rather have a faster, cheaper lunch, you can find good stuff at one of the food courts in The Path.

Lucky for us, the storm wasn't quite over so we decided to stay an extra night. Tony Bennett was magic and so was our stay at the Fairmont.

Great Location, Poor Hotel.... This hotel should not have the rating it has... Has the look of 5 star hotel, however is run down, rooms are small... Not worth what they charge.. Toronto has lots of hotels to choose from in terms of value.

Great staff. Great service. Beautiful hotel. Great location.
Just above the subway - don't have to go outside to get to the station.
Room service expensive but worth it.
Paid $199 + tax per night and it is definitely value for money!

We stayed three nights. Our room was small and the closet was tiny - barely enough room to hang two jackets. The room was so lacking in soundproofing that we could easily hear conversations through the wall. One night our neighbours were so loud at 3am that we called the front desk. It took 2 calls for action to get through. The lobby space is beautiful and we did enjoy the Health Club. Overall, the hotel was okay but the room did not meet our expectations.