Review: The Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto

After a week of work in Bowmanville, Ontario, and staying in a Holiday Inn Express, I treated myself to a luxurious stay at the recently renovated Westin Harbor Castle, Toronto. I chose this hotel as I had a flight departing the next day from Toronto Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ) and enjoyed an easy commute to the terminal via TTC Streetcar. 

The Westin Harbor Castle hotel exceeded my expectations, and I’m excited for the property to be completely renovated!

Booking

I booked this hotel with a favorable industry rate, but this property often has excellent redemption value for Marriott Bonvoy points. Considering North American hotels often hover around 1 cent CAD per Bonvoy point, receiving ~1.4 cents per Bonvoy point is fantastic value.

Most nights cost less than 50,000 Bonvoy points, so you could also use a Free Night Certificate worth 35,000 Bonvoy points to stay here, such as one that is earned from the American Express Marriott Bonvoy card annually.

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American Express Marriott Bonvoy Card

The American Express Marriott Bonvoy card earns Bonvoy points and offers cardholders benefits including an annual free night and 15 qualifying nights towards elite status.

Check out our American Express Marriott Bonvoy card review for more details.

BONUS
50,000 Marriott Bonvoy

MINSPEND
$1,500

NET VALUE
$330+

ANNUAL FEE
$120

FOREX FEES
Yes

EXPIRY
–

Check-in

My check-in process was seamless, but the staff could not accommodate a 3 pm late check-out as I had requested as a Marriott Titanium Elite member. While that was disappointing, it just meant I spent some extra time in the Air Canada Cafe at Billy Bishop, which is a good place to kill time. I was also informed about the Marriott Platinum Elite free breakfast, which takes place in The Mizzen.

When you walk through the front doors, the check-in desks are to your left. They have a Marriott Bonvoy Elite desk and a Family Elite desk!

Across from the check-in desks is the concierge, which has some info about the wellness programs and is also the receiving station for food delivery services.

There are two towers of rooms at the Westin Harbour Castle. The South Tower has amazing lake views and is also partially renovated. I highly recommend requesting a room in advance in the South Tower. 

After completing check-in, I proceeded to the lovely new elevators and onwards to the 28th floor.

Location

As the name indicates, the Westin Harbour Castle is located near the water and very close to the Billy Bishop Toronto City airport.

Parking

Valet parking is the only option at this property and is charged at $55 per day. I arrived with my own vehicle but chose to park elsewhere as there were many cheaper options nearby. The valet team was happy to let me leave my car for 15 minutes while I got settled and returned to self-park off property.

Room – Guest Room, 1 King, Lake View

Stepping off the elevator, you can see the stark contrast between the Westin design language of the past and the future.

I was in room 2817 for my stay, but I think rooms ending in “19-24” are the best in the south tower as they’ll have direct views of the runway at YTZ.

The room is fairly compact, so right at the entrance to the room is the closet equipped with the usual suspects and a wonderful Westin robe.

The bathroom is next to the closet and has unique features like a separate tap for filtered water and a motion-activated night light. The filtered water did have a better taste than the tap water, so this was an excellent feature that fit in well with the ‘Westin Wellness’ brand.

Bathroom amenities were the consistent White Tea lotions and soaps. The bathroom was well stocked with more than I needed for my one-night stay.

The shower is what I consider to be the ‘Bonvoy Renovated Standard’ which includes rainfall and handheld shower heads. The shower fittings even included Westin branding, which goes above and beyond the attention to detail in the St. Regis Toronto and Ritz Carlton Toronto.

Moving out of the bathroom, I noticed a small coffee and tea area with an unstocked mini fridge. Across from this is the ‘full-length mirror,’ which is barely a full-length mirror.

The main part of the room is well-lit thanks to the huge windows overlooking Lake Ontario, and once you’re here, the room doesn’t feel nearly as small. On the small TV unit was some more info about the amenities of the hotel, of which there are quite a few.

The king-size bed is perched upon Westin’s signature boxspring. If you didn’t know, Westin is famous for its supremely comfortable “Heavenly” branded mattresses.

Next to the bed is a stylish luggage stand that reminded me a lot of the Sheraton Terminal 3 YYZ.

At the bedside, there are identical outlets installed below the lamps, but I was disappointed there were only USB-A outlets rather than the usual USB-C.

You’ll also find a favorite of mine on the nightstand, the lavender balm!

The other two features in the room are a lounger and a work desk, they made for some excellent plane spotting as aircraft made their final approach.

The evening I arrived, I stuck around in my room for a bit to get some work done and was rewarded with a lovely golden hour.

Restaurants

The Mizzen – Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Breakfast

In typical fashion, the Marriott Platinum Elite free breakfast benefit was served buffet style, but it was very high quality.

There were many choices for different tastes. For example, miso soup was offered, which is typically only available at resorts outside North America, like the JW Marriott Phu Quoc.

Usual buffet options like potatoes, bacon, sausages, cold plates, pastries, fruit, toast, juice, and pancakes were offered.

The buffet’s highlight for me was the custom omelet bar with tons of personality. Behind Chef Bell, who was preparing breakfast, was his “Wall of Fame,” which featured some notable people he enjoyed cooking for.

I opted for a fully loaded omelet, breakfast potatoes, and fresh juice. The waitstaff served coffee and also took my breakfast voucher.

Savoury – Private Dining

A unique feature at the Westin HC is a private dining room available if you book in advance. The restaurant is open by reservation only, and you must call in advance.

Harbour Coffee & Marketplace

There’s a quick-service coffee bar at the entrance to North Tower with some light pastries if you’re in a rush.

The Chartroom Bar & Lounge

In the center of the lobby is the hotel bar which was very lively. Lots of conferences are hosted here, so I’m sure you’ll find colleagues mingling here most evenings. Because I was solo traveling, I opted to take a short walk to find some food at a nearby izakaya.

Facilities

Rooftop

The Westin Harbour Castle has a fun amenity in their open patio on the 5th floor.

Here, you’ll find a basketball hoop and tennis court, but the active bee hives are most interesting!

The honey produced by the bees is served at breakfast, which I thought was super cool. There’s also a small section of the rooftop garden that provides some produce for the restaurants.

Fitness Center

The fitness center is also on the 5th floor, just up this set of well-marked stairs.

Here you find everything you’ll need for a workout, but if you prefer a lighter workout, you can ask the concierge and they’ll have some gear brought to your room. There’s also a cold towel station and headphones!

Pool

The pool was in use when I was touring around to grab pictures, but I managed to shoot this side angle without disturbing anyone. It’s a nice space with large windows.

You’ll also find a temporary kids club here, which is what you see on the left with the small tents.

Bikes & Running

The Westin is all about wellness, and to support that at the Harbour Castle location, they provide e-bikes and a pre-planned running route.

Conclusion

The Westin Harbour Castle was an excellent place to stay before my flight departing from Billy Bishop Airport. The elite benefits are great, there are plenty of wonderful amenities to use, and it’s recently renovated.

Combine all that with excellent Marriott Bonvoy points redemption, and you’ve got a winner in my book!