Hotel4Real!

Not to be confused with “Courtyard Toronto Northeast/Markham” on Woodbine Ave.

The Courtyard Markham, being newly renovated, offered a very promising set of hard product. However, everything else was a mixed bag. While the front desk team did their best to deliver the best service, some other rough edges were unfortunately prominent enough that I just could not disregard them.

I arrived at the hotel mid-day and was confused when I followed my Google Map and ended up in front of an abandoned-looking building – there was scaffolding in the carport blocking almost the entire entrance and a construction waste container right next to it, no signage, no guidance, and no way to tell if the hotel was open. I circled the lot a couple times and had to reconfirm with another guest to figure out where to go. Thankfully, that was where the construction stopped, and there were no signs of anything going on once I was inside the lobby.

I used my Nightly Upgrade Awards to secure my suite, and it was large, modern and well-appointed. I especially liked how sleek the new furnishings and carpeting looked – I can get behind this if all Courtyards are going this direction moving forward, as the last generation of Courtyard’s design has been, in my opinion, aging quite poorly.

The suite had a king bed, two pull-out sofas and definitely enough room to accommodate 5-6 people. As I mentioned before, the design of the new furniture was visually great, but I did have one complaint, which I’ll bring up later.

There was only one bathroom. The sink was separate from the toilet and shower room, and apart from that, nothing about it was unexpected, in a good or bad way. The suite also featured a kitchenette area. However, no kitchen necessities were provided, nor was there a full-size fridge.

Now, if the hard product was this good, how come my stay was a mixed bag? Well, for starters, I really didn’t understand why the “restaurant” even existed. Not only were the offerings unappealing, pricing also sucked. Breakfast hours were also laughable – I was downstairs at quarter after 9 and was told by the server behind the counter – with a smirk – that they were done serving breakfast. I then asked for a coffee, and that one single coffee, “freshly” poured from a jug, set me back $9 – go figure. I rarely do this, but I ended up using all my welcome credit on the already overpriced marketplace, and still felt like I got the best value out of it as I could have.

I mentioned above I had one problem to pick with the couches, and that is the wooden “extension” bit that, I’m assuming, intended to be a coffee table, as there was none to be found in the room – the spot was taken by a foot stool. While I appreciate the space-saving effort, it was hard to see with the lights off. I had to walk past it every time to get to the washroom, and I knocked my shin on the edge more than once during my stay.

Another design problem I found was the door separating the living room and the bedroom – it was clear that the renovation changed where things were supposed to be, and the door couldn’t be opened fully without hitting the TV stand in the bedroom.

The front office, however, was doing their job well. I was given two welcome gift bags at check-in which was appreciated, however one of them consisted of a water bottle and two pieces of garbage instead of actual snacks. I was not offended as it was obviously an accident – instead I found it very amusing so I brought it up jokingly at check out, however the manager on duty took it very seriously, apologized profusely and gave me enough drinks and snacks for the rest of my trip. A very nice touch.

So here’s my verdict – I would give the hotel another chance if I find myself in Markham again, simply because the hard product was very promising after the recent renovation, and value of money was great with the rates they were charging. With all the food options in Markham within a few kilometres, and shinpads being easily obtainable at Sport Chek (lol), none of the things I’ve experienced were dealbreakers. If only there are better options in the area. Oh, wait…

RealScore

Service: 7.5

Design and Room Size: 8.5

In-room Amenities: 7

Bathroom Size and Layout: 7

View from (my) Room: 5

Hotel Location: 7

Available Guest Facilities: 7

Food Quality: 5

Food and Beverage Service: 5

Executive Lounge Quality: N/A

Final RealScore: 7.19

Final RealRating: B

Hotel is built/opened: 2001

Total number of rooms: 144

Length of stay: 2 nights

Membership level at check-in: Titanium

Room type experienced: One-bedroom Suite