Review: Trump Toronto (now St Regis Toronto) – the most masculine hotel I’ve visited!

This is my review of the Trump International Hotel in Toronto, which has now been rebranded as the St Regis The Adelaide Hotel since the original publication date.

The hotel website – now it is a St Regis – is here.

I can imagine that long-term readers of Head for Points are already going ‘What?‘.  ‘Why did he stay at a Trump hotel?‘  To be honest, it came as a surprise to me.

After my trip to Niagara Falls (see my Embassy Suites review here), I needed a hotel in Toronto for two nights.  I looked on TripAdvisor and was surprised to see the Trump as the No 1 hotel.  I was even more surprised to see that it had won an award for ‘Best Hotel in Canada’.

On its own this may not have convinced me.  However, I had some HotelTonight referral credit to spend and the Trump International regularly appeared on there.  The cost was roughly equal to my credits so it seemed a sensible redemption.

The three newest luxury hotels in Toronto – the St Regis Adelaide (ex Trump), Shangri-La and Four Seasons – are mixed hotel and condo towers.  They are HUGE.  The Trump is 65 stories high, the Four Seasons is 55 stories.  You can’t help but think that the hotel is only there to ‘brand’ (and thus increase the cost of) the apartments.

The main cluster of luxury hotels in Toronto is in Yorkville, about a mile up the road from Trump which is smack-bang in the middle of the financial district.  Yorkville is a low rise, more European-style part of town and is where the luxury shops and the main museum are located.  You will find the Four Seasons, Park Hyatt, InterContinental Yorkville and others in this area.

The nearest luxury neighbours to the St Regis / Trump seemed to be the InterContinental City Centre and the Shangri-La.  The Trump location is not great – it is, admittedly, very close to Union Station if you take the train from the airport.  There is very, very little in the surrounding area apart from office blocks – we struggled on both nights we were there to find somewhere decent to eat outside the hotel.  In Yorkville you are overrun with options.

That said, taxis and Uber are easily available and driving up to Yorkville or elsewhere from the Trump would not be a major issue.  The Trump is convenient for the harbour and the CN Tower.

Let’s go back to the title of this article.  Both my Mum and I were upgraded to full one bedroom suites.  This was not as generous as it sounds – the website showed that the suites were only sell for around 20% more than the base rooms over the Summer.

My suite was the most masculine I have ever had.  I half-expected to find a cigar and a glass of whisky on my pillow at night.  It didn’t happen, but I did return to a room with the lights turned low and the local jazz station playing on the radio.  Very smooth.

The room was all black, white, marble and chrome.  I loved it.  I could have stayed for a week and happily stayed in my room all day working on HFP.  The theme continues throughout the corridors and the lifts.

My Mum hated it.  Absolutely.  Totally.  Completely.

Here are a couple of shots so you can see what I mean, although they don’t fully get across the essence of the place:

and

and

This is a library photo of the lobby:

Public space is limited.  There IS a swimming pool on the 30-something’th floor – the views are great but the pool itself is narrow and useful only for lap swimming.  There is also a small jacuzzi.  There is also a restaurant, which doubles as the breakfast room (a la carte only, nothing as downmarket as a buffet here).

On ground level there is a small lobby and a small English-style bar.  It is not a hotel to hang out and people-watch.

If you heading to Toronto, this what you should consider:

Yorkville is the most ‘walkable’ area, albeit easily reached from elswhere in the City.  The Four Seasons seems to be the best top end option.  The Park Hyatt seems to have a poor reputation so the InterContinental may be the best points option.  You are best placed for shops and restaurants.

The St Regis / Trump and the other downtown hotels are good for the harbour (which is well worth visiting), the CN Tower (do people still go up that?), the airport train and of course any business meetings you are likely to have.

I would stay at the St Regis Adelaide / Trump again if I was in Toronto on my own, just to soak up the sheer masculinity of the place.  However, I am 90% certain that, if I came with my wife and kids, we would head to Yorkville.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)