We had read some reviews on TripAdvisor on this hotel in March and thought it seemed reasonable. Both price and amenities were what we were looking for. Our trip was planned at the same time as the conference Million Dollar Round Table for insurance so many of the "chain" hotels were already booked. We viewed the website and liked what we saw. Right before our trip we got a little concerned because we saw people saying some nerve-wracking things about the location and property upkeep.

ALL WERE WRONG!!

The hotel was situated about 3 blocks from the subway. Being suburban folks with kids (7 and 10) the subway was as much a part of the trip as the attractions. We were able to walk easily each day and use this as our prime transportation (including streetcars and buses). The hotel staff was helpful in telling us what buses and subways to use and they were on target every time.

The front desk and doormen were friendly and efficient. They got us taxis, towels, extra blankets, apples, museum brochures, restaurant suggestions and a smile with ease.

The complimentary breakfast was nicer than the Embassy Suites in Niagara by a longshot!! Real scrambled eggs (not mixed), home-baked bread, cereals, STARBUCKS coffee, french toast, fruit, etc. were done in an elegant indoor/outdoor seating area. The restaurant is open to the hotel lobby and is elegant.

The two-story pool area is a large stained glass ceiling and amazing mural. Navy blue and yellow tile give a french riviera feeling. Changerooms had bathrooms, sauna, shower and lockers. It is in a downstairs location but is not enclosed at all. Huge mirrors and topiaries make it even more elegant.

The roof has a great view with two large jacuzzis, a gazebo with chaise lounges and easy chairs and an AMAZING view of Toronto and the CN tower. A local artist even chose the spot for a music video being filmed while we were there.

Finally our room. A suite with an enclosed sleeping area with a fluffy duvet. The view was of the city and some apartments/empty lots in front of us. Not beautiful but not offensive. The floors were all hardwood. The pull-out coach was comfortable and moderate (Not plush but great for the kids). A large fridge, sink, plates, etc. Two bathrobes were in our closet (which was more of a built in). The room had no true closet per se. Two flat screen TVs one in living room and one in bedroom. Bathroom was marble and beautiful. The hallway, elevator and room were all well appointed and clean clean clean.

Do not hesitate to stay here AT ALL. It's great.

As for the location...three blocks south was a Salvation Army shelter. We were out on the street every day walking west towards the city and never saw anyone that made us feel unsafe. Many people were out and about. It was recommended to us not to go east since it could get city-ish and rough but we took a streetcar that way to go to the science center and it was just that....a city with all different kinds of people.

No problems at all!!!

The Grand Hotel & Suites on Jarvis Street is a couple blocks east of Eaton Centre in downtown Toronto. Perhaps because it's slightly off the main streets this hotel has good rates, includes a very nice complimentary buffet breakfast (hot and cold food) and free parking - a rarity in any big city. My daughter & I were upgraded to a two-bedroom suite with a kitchenette, large balcony, 2 bathrooms. I don't know what the "normal" rooms look like, but surely the luxury duvet and pillows are the same, along with high thread count linens and spotless housekeeping. Excellent task/reading lighting throughout the suite as well as flat-screen TVs. We enjoyed the free wi-fi too. Bell staff were extraordinarily helpful with info about the North-by-Northwest Music festival.

As one reviewer mentioned, stay west of Jarvis street and the hotel (i.e., towards downtown). To the east the area is frequented by derelicts - but at no time did we ever feel threatened.

The indoor swimming pool and health club are as nice as photographs on tripadvisor/expedia indicate and have long hours. The rooftop view and hot tubs are fabulous on a nice day. Definitely would stay here again.

My husband and I stayed at The Grand June 21, 2008. After reading and reviewing their website, we decided that we would stay in the Jacuzzi Suite. When we arrived at the hotel there was no valet out front, and I think we seen one on the day we left. The entrance and lobby looked nice and the check in was fairly flawless.

So we went up to our $500.00 + a night room to be greeted by a lovely floor nice kitchen all squished into our closet of a room with the Jacuzzi. The disappointment of this was astounding and ruined our stay, and the “marble bathroom” isn’t event the equivalent of the rest room at McDonalds.

The hot tub on the roof was nice, but I would highly recommend staying away in the morning as they do not seem care just how disgusting it is to try to sit and have your morning coffee with empty glasses, bottles and vomit all over the ground.

Do yourself a favor and stay away, but if you do decide to go, just remember its $21.00 a night to park at the hotel.

Well my stay at The Grand Hotel was good, it could have been better in many ways. I stayed at this hotel due to a special Dinner held at the Four Seasons Hotel, which was a magnificent event. I needed to stay somewhere nice for the night with a good value. So I decided to stay at The Grand, due to hearing good things about the hotel and I had a great first impression for a drop in visit.

I first visited the hotel to see what it was all about and had a quick room tour in the interest of staying at their hotel before booking. When I went in, I was astonished with the beautiful flower arrangements in the lobby, which was stunning to view (smaller but somewhat similar to Four Seasons Hotel flower arrangements). Afterwards, a young front desk lady introduced me to the hotel and I explained about the interest of staying in their hotel a one night. She then gave me a quick room tour and gave me the information about the hotel and their rates; I was impressed with the first impressions of the hotel, lobby, guest suites and the staff that I encountered for my first visit. From then, I was happy to reserve a room and hoped for the best.

Sadly the location is the hotels weakest asset and is far less then desired with many homeless people on the streets. Therefore be careful and if you can take a cab or walk with other people you know, that is the best way to keep safe. I was concerned about the location and even phoned the hotel to ask them about it. Once you are in the hotel it is fine, but outside of the hotel watch out even during the day time and is for sure not very safe to walk out after dark. KEEP SAFE ON THE STREETS AROUND THE GRAND!

Once I got to the hotel I checked-in and saw that some of the flower arrangements appeared dead like and was disappointing to view in comparison to my last visit. The staff was nice, but somewhat lack professionalism in their job. I then checked in after some time, due to some hotel issues they had. I then went to my guest suite, which was very nice it also had a great view of the city skyline and the lake. The Bad, there were some stains on the bed and on the bathtub the furniture also had some nicks. The Good, wonderful hard wood floors, nice flat screen TVs, lots of room, great views, nice guest room hallways and friendly housekeeping staff. The ugly, bath room had stains on the tub and there were some hairs in the bathtub – not ok. The hotel had a really nice rooftop terrace with spa tubs and amazing views of the city, properly the best feature of the Grand. The pool was only ok, good size and pretty but is way too warm, still pool air (not very healthy) and some of the wallpaper appeared to be falling off, maybe because it is in the ground floor of the hotel. I honestly had trouble breathing in the pool room since it was way too warm and stuffy.

The Citrus Restaurant in the hotel was nice but had almost no service for breakfast time. The decor was pleasant to be in and had a nice porch off the main dining room. The breakfast buffet was disappointing, some items where all right and others were not very tasteful, the muffins where disgusting. There where good juices, teas and coffees, but the other breakfast items were pretty standard. The restaurant service was very cold and somewhat robotic; hopefully they have better servers for dinner since breakfast service was somewhat rude and very boring. I would never, never go to the hotel’s restaurant for lunch or dinner, as it was disappointing.

Overall the hotel has good basic services and some luxury items for a 4-star hotel. I would not be happy to pay more than $180.00 to stay there as I am not sure if it is worth the value. The service from the front desk was good as some agents where friendlier then others. Would I come back to this hotel? Properly not since the location is questionable. I overall felt comfortable and the hotel did meet my needs.

I do think there are better choices in Toronto, even if it is slightly more expensive it’s worth it.