Hotel Review: Hotel le Germain, Toronto

I was already familiar with the Germain Hotel family from my stay at the Hotel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square in June during TBEX. So when B & I headed to Toronto in November for a belated anniversary trip, I knew just where I wanted to stay: their original boutique property, the Hotel le Germain. Located on a very quiet side street (maybe too quiet, I’d be a little freaked out to walk around by myself after dark), this perfectly centrally located hotel offers Toronto visitors everything they need to enjoy their stay.

Our Superior Room was huge by North American hotel standards. The king sized bed (always one of the things we look forward to while traveling) was comfortable & the room’s decor was similar to the Maple Leaf Square location: warm & inviting. Unlike the Maple Leaf Square location, the room was more comfortable & less modern.  The bathroom (which I somehow forgot to take a picture of), was just as chic & welcoming.

Once again, the staff & service took our stay from good to really great. One evening, when we came back from dinner, we commented to the front desk agent, Jeffrey, that we had noticed everyone on the street wearing poppies in honor of Rememberance Day. I said how nice that was, since you don’t see Americans honoring veterans that way, even around Memorial Day. We mentioned to him how we had looked in a few places for poppies, but hadn’t seen place to purchase them. He suggested we try a drug store or coffee shop. Not even 20 minutes later, while we were sitting in our room unwinding from the day & enjoying a hockey game (hey man, come on, we were in Canada!), there was a knock on our door. We opened it to find a bellman delivering a tiny bag. Inside were two poppy pins, courtesy of Jeffrey. If that’s not good customer service, I don’t know what is!

Continental breakfast is included in your room rate, as is free wifi. The breakfast is plentiful, even for my picky American husband. Choices include pastries, yogurt, a dozen different types of granola, oatmeal & cereal, all washed down with coffee, tea or a cappuccino beverage. In the lobby of the hotel, which is designed like the world’s most comfortable library, there’s a self-service coffee machine, which I took full advantage of.

Our first morning in town, we had massages in the hotel’s 10th floor massage room (basically a guest room reconfigured for a massage table). The treatment was excellent, but a bit more medicinal in nature than what I’m used to – I could almost feel the masseuse judging me when I said I “just wanted a relaxation massage.” B, being the more athletic of the two of us, loved it. The massages weren’t cheap, so I’d definitely save those for a special occasion before splurging again.

I wouldn’t hesitate to stay with the Germain Hotel group next time I’m in Toronto, although I think I slightly prefer the modern, new, sleek design of the Maple Leaf Square location over the original. Both still beat out a run-of-the-mill chain hotel any day!