The Atmosphere Boutique Suites

I booked and paid well before COVID-19. After events started getting cancelled, I asked either for a refund or to change the date. They didn't respond, and then Hotels.com got involved and tried to work with them. Even with exceptions being made because of the pandemic, they kept my money. That says a lot about the owners' character. Book with someone else!

This was our first trip to Toronto, and arranging a private vacation rental was already a hassle. The suites are in a tall tower and beautiful, but the parking situation was confusing, and getting in and out of the suite was even harder. When we arrived, it smelled like dead fish and foul socks. I called stay effortless to ask what they could do. They said the guys who checked us in would come help, but when one arrived he offered no solution. We didn't stay and got another hotel because the smell was unbearable. The beauty of the suite couldn't make up for the bad customer experience, lack of help for international travelers, and how difficult it was to navigate and access the parking lot and suites. Not even worth one star. I'd go with a major hotel chain next time.

I booked Atmosphere Boutique Suites through Expedia a few months ahead of a graduation, along with flights, a car rental, and another hotel in Buffalo. I managed to cancel everything else, but not this reservation. I contacted the hotel early and was told to speak with Expedia. After weeks of back and forth, there was nothing, despite an empty promise to move my reservation dates. If the border hadn't been closed and I hadn't been worried about risking COVID, maybe I could have used the booking.

We couldn't travel from New Zealand to Toronto for an August wedding because of COVID, even though we'd booked the previous October. We tried to negotiate well ahead of time and even asked to move the reservation to 2021, but the company wouldn't budge. I know the booking was non-refundable and understood those terms when we made it. Still, in such uncertain, unprecedented times, their refusal to be flexible felt disgusting and distasteful. It smacks of theft. Beware of this hospitality group.