Courtyard by Marriott Toronto Northeast/Markham

I liked the breakfast selection a lot, and the spa and gym were a pleasure to use. The rooms were clean and well maintained, and the location and price were both good. My one gripe is the parking fee. CAD 8 isn’t too bad, but I don’t like paying extra to leave my car.

The bed was so comfortable that I slept like a baby every night, and our room was lovely and cozy. The staff made us feel welcome and were incredibly friendly. We were pleasantly surprised by how much we liked the place, and would happily come back.

The location was handy, with plenty of restaurants nearby, and for a little over $200 the double queen room felt like decent value. The beds were clean, the room had comfortable space, and the front desk brought disposable slippers to our room when we asked. I tried the hotel shampoo and body wash even though I’d brought my own, and they weren’t very good. The products at the hotel we stayed in the night before were significantly better. Noise was my biggest issue. The hotel is right by the highway, and if you’re sensitive to sound, it could test your patience. I was exhausted and asked the front desk for the quietest room available, but we seemed to get one of the closest rooms to the highway. Maybe we arrived too late and there weren’t many choices, or maybe double queen rooms are always in that spot. Either way, that’s why I took a star off for service. I’d seen that the hotel was built in 2014 and expected decent soundproofing, modern facilities, and a quiet air conditioner. At night the AC instead roared like it was putting on a show. Add in the traffic and trucks rumbling past, and sleep came in little stretches until I was wide awake at 5 a.m. Plenty of time to think about life choices and write a hotel review. Some parts of the room also feel much older than the building’s stated age. The website says it was built in 204, only a little over 10 years ago, but the place gives the impression it’s worked hard and hosted a lot of travelers. Little things make it feel fragile, as if it’s asking you to be gentle. The bathroom light switch seemed broken, but after pressing it a few times, it blinked and eventually came on. The hair dryer also seemed broken until I realized the bathroom outlet didn’t work, so I had to use the dryer outside the bathroom. For around $200, the convenient location and nearby restaurants are positives. The front desk was helpful, and the room was clean and roomy. Just be prepared for a possible complimentary early morning meditation session from the highway and the air conditioner.

The constant sneezing from the neighboring room was hard to ignore, and I got sick during my stay, which made everything worse. I was there for five nights, and the AC was so loud that I had to switch it off at night. The walls seemed paper thin, so I could hear everything next door. It was difficult to rest, and I didn’t find the stay comfortable.