Disclosure: My husband and I stayed at the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto for free for the purposes of this review. The Chelsea Hotel has not reviewed or approved this post, and all opinions are my own.
If you’ve ever planned a weekend getaway in Toronto, chances are you’ve been searching for a place to stay and been boggled by the sheer number and variety of Toronto hotels—not to mention Toronto hotel prices. The whole experience can be a bit overwhelming!
However, if you’re looking for a great hotel for a family vacation or a reasonably priced place to stay in a super-convenient downtown location, you might want to put the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto on your radar. Here’s why.
Getting to the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto is easy
One of the most difficult things for Ottawans to grasp about Toronto is the sheer size of the place and the number of cars, trucks, buses and streetcars clogging up the streets. Getting from point A to point B can be an exercise in frustration, particularly if you’re driving. That’s why my husband Paul and I left our car at home on our fall visit to Toronto and took the train, planning to use the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway system to navigate the city when we got there.
When you’re taking VIA Rail to Toronto, easy access to your hotel from Union Station is a key consideration. From Union Station, we could have hopped aboard a northbound subway to TMU University Station (previously known Dundas Station) to get to the Chelsea Hotel.
If you want do this, follow the TTC signs inside Union Station for the Yonge–University Line. Be careful here! Since the Yonge–University Line is U-shaped, and Union Station sits at the bottom of that U, all the Yonge–University trains leaving Union are technically going north. Be sure to catch a train bound for Finch Station, rather than one headed to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre.
When you disembark at TMU University Station, you’ll emerge into the bright lights of the CF Toronto Eaton Centre. Follow the signs to the corner of Yonge and Dundas, AKA Sankofa Square. Once you’re outside, cross Dundas Street and walk three blocks north to Gerrard Street. Turn left (west), and the Chelsea Hotel will be on your right at 33 Gerrard Street West.
Insider tip on transit: OC Transpo PRESTO cards work in Toronto, too. You can use yours on all TTC vehicles, on the regional GO Trains and on the UP Express train that connects downtown to Pearson International Airport.
If you do decide to drive, the Chelsea Hotel has a large underground parking garage.
It was a beautiful afternoon when we arrived at Union Station and we didn’t have much luggage, so we walked up Bay Street from Union Station to the Chelsea Hotel. It should have taken about 20 minutes but took 25, due to a brief detour to avoid some construction.
The Chelsea Hotel is great for couples, families and more
The Chelsea Hotel is that rare bird: A hotel that’s well designed for just about every type of traveller. That’s partly a factor of its size. With 1,590 rooms, it’s the largest hotel in Canada by room count, so there’s lots of space for everyone to have, well, their own space.
For families, there are one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites, each with a sofa bed in the living room in addition to the beds in the bedrooms. For guests with disabilities, the Chelsea Hotel offers partially and fully accessible rooms with amenities such as handheld showers, grab bars, TTY typewriters and more. For small groups, executive parlour rooms can accommodate up to six guests and include a wet bar, multiple mini-fridges and other features. Romantics can book the honeymoon suite. And couples and friends can choose from all sorts of standard and executive rooms. Here’s what our executive king room looked like.
Long-time readers will know that my hotel room pet peeves include having to crawl under the desk or behind the headboard to find a power outlet, and spending the weekend in half-darkness due to a shortage of lamps. Fortunately, our Chelsea room dodged both issues by providing lots of lighting and accessible outlets.
The Chelsea Hotel isn’t a luxury brand—if you’re looking for perks like a pillow concierge or a fancy in-room music system, you’ll find lots of other options in Toronto—but it is exceptionally comfortable and well maintained. Many of the guest rooms have been recently renovated, the soundproofing is good and the beds are excellent. One other perk: many of the rooms have balconies.
The one hiccup we encountered, difficulty accessing the hotel wi-fi, was quickly resolved with a call to the front desk.
Kids and teens have their own Family Fun Zone
Currently under renovation and due to reopen in January 2026, the Family Fun Zone on the hotel’s second floor is a kid magnet. One of the prime attractions is the corkscrew waterslide opening into an indoor heated pool. The aquatics area also includes a heated whirlpool.
Elsewhere in the Family Fun Zone, young kids can enjoy arts and craft activities, dress up in costumes, and enjoy themselves on pint-sized slides and other equipment. Older kids will likely migrate to the Club 33 Teen Lounge to play pool, foosball and arcade games.
A pool with a view
Want to swim in quieter surroundings? The hotel also has an indoor pool on the 27th floor rooftop. It will be closed for renovations in the early part of 2026, but once it reopens, you won’t want to miss it and the adjacent fitness centre, both of which offer spectacular views of the downtown Toronto skyline.
Even if you don’t feel the need to swim or hit the treadmill, you might want to head to the 27th floor just to enjoy the vistas from the outdoor terrace opening off the pool. That’s what we did a couple of times during our stay. Watching the setting sun reflecting off the CN Tower is a pretty memorable way to spend a half hour.
Casual and upscale dining choices
If you’re coming here with the kids, I suspect you’ll head directly to Market Garden, the Chelsea Hotel’s large, cafeteria-style casual restaurant. It’s great for families because it offers all sorts of choices, including pizza, burgers, salads and baked goodies. (Note that it is currently open for breakfast and dinner, but not lunch.) In summer, you can enjoy your choices on the hotel’s outdoor patio.
Since my husband and I were here on our own, we had dinner at the Elm Street Bar and Lounge, the hotel’s smaller, fancier (but not at all stuffy) restaurant. It’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and also has a kids’ menu.
Our shared appetizer—hummus, bruschetta and guacamole, served with a basket of fried naan—was almost filling enough to be dinner!
But, somehow, I still found room for a juicy prime rib burger topped with brie, arugula and pecans.
And on our last morning, I couldn’t resist the eggs benny. Like everything else I’d eaten at Elm Street, it was very tasty.
The hotel also has a takeout counter, Expresso Coffee and Wine Bar, open from early morning to late evening for caffeine hits, pastries and nightcaps.
Within a short walk of the Chelsea Hotel, you’ll find countless restaurants. One night, we ventured across Elm Street to the patio of Donatello Restaurant for a superb Italian meal. (Try the cheese-stuffed tortellini alla borina, in a sauce with mushrooms, peas and sausage. SO good.)
Location, location, location
One of the best things about Toronto’s Chelsea Hotel is its location. As already noted, it’s close to the Yonge–University subway line. It’s also just two subway stops south of Bloor Station, where you can hop onto the Bloor–Danforth subway line to travel east and west.
If you enjoy walking, though, you’ll find a lot to see within a short stroll. We spent a very enjoyable afternoon wandering through the exhibits at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) on Bloor Street West, checking out everything from dinosaur skeletons and totem poles to 11th-century Buddhist earthenware figures. It’s Canada’s largest museum, so it seemed like a very good counterpoint to Canada’s largest hotel!
If shopping is more your style, a five-minute walk from the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto will bring you to the aforementioned CF Toronto Eaton Centre, with more than 200 stores.
And right across the street from the Eaton Centre is Little Canada, a delightful attraction for anyone fascinated by miniatures. On a previous trip, I really admired the handiwork and attention to detail in the dioramas of cities and landscapes across Canada.
For more ideas of things to see and do in Toronto, check the Destination Toronto website.
How to book a stay at the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto
Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning I’ll earn a small commission—at no extra cost to you—if you use them to book accommodation. Thank you for supporting this website!
The Chelsea Hotel, Toronto is located at 33 Gerrard Street West, Toronto. It’s an affiliate hotel of the Langham Hospitality Group. Follow these links to check rates and book your stay on Expedia or Booking.
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