Review: Bisha Luxury Collection Toronto
- Ben HC
- May 23
- 11 min read
Living in Kitchener, Toronto is just far enough away to feel like a getaway, while still being convenient for short little staycations. We've rotated through several of their properties, including using the Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts program to stay at the Ritz on several occasions. This time however we tried out Bisha, a member of Marriott's Luxury Collection. The experience was luxurious indeed although there were a few hiccups that softened what would otherwise have been a glowing review.
Jump ahead: Booking
Booking
We booked this stay using some free night certificates earned from a US credit card that we had opened, these were worth up to 50k points each and covered all but 3k pts of the price. If you hold one (or more!) of the Canadian Bonvoy Cards then keep an eye out for nights that are at or below 60k pts to utilize your 35k point annual free night certificates which can be topped up with up to 25k additional points.
There aren't many of these sub 60k dates during the Summer months but they exist, with Jun 14, July 5 and 12, and Sept 6. These open up dramatically once you get as far out as December, just keep in mind the incredible view from the 44th floor restaurant may be less appealing that time of year!
Points can represent an incredible value both because of the absurdly high cash rates and because the point price applies to several room types.
When we booked the cash rate was approximately $700 per night, so 2 free night certificates and 3k points represented solid value, we booked The Grace and I requested a Nightly Upgrade Award to the Marilyn which had a cash rate of ~$1200 per night, this unfortunately was unsuccessful.
Pre Arrival Communication
The concierge was incredibly proactive emailing me a week before our check-in date to clarify any wishes, plans and they clearly acknowledged by Marriott status (so that it was clear to me that it was being considered).When I explained the purpose of the trip was for our wedding anniversary and asked for Spa recommendations, they came back with 4 distinct options in close proximity. They also coordinated dinner reservations for us.
Getting There
Normally I would focus on my flights in this part of my review, but this was a simple drive - perhaps to my son's dissappointment. Max "Tomorrow we're flying to?" Me "We're driving to Toronto, we're staying at a hotel" Max "Then the next day we are flying to...?"
Me "We are just staying at a hotel"
Max "We can see airplanes at the hotel"
Fortunately for him the island airport is not so far away so his plane watching needs could be met from the 44th floor restaurant.
Checking In
We arrived around 2pm, handed our car off to valet, and I politely asked if there were any upgrades available. We had booked the 2 bedroom Grace as it was the largest one available for points and they started off by saying "I'm sorry we have no bigger rooms with two beds" I reassured them that a single bed was fine.
"The single bed room thats ready that I could upgrade you to might not actually be bigger than your current."
Not a problem, we don't need the room right now, my wife has a spa appointment and I'll be taking my son about.
"Not a problem we will get you upgraded and call you when it's available" Success! I checked the app later and saw we were upgraded to The Andy, about 15% larger, King bed, and usually an extra ~$50 per night.
They informed us that for our elite status we would get $60 credit for our breakfast each day - although how this played out was quite different than expected.
After some activities about town I reached out through the app to see if the room was ready, we would need it to get dressed for our reservations. After a short pause they came back and informed me that they upgraded us further, this time to the Marylin, more than twice the size, an outdoor terrace, and regularly an extra $500 over what we booked! Fantastic news and a funny surprise since my NUA request for this room category was denied.
The suite was large with a generous entry way, powder room and living/seating space in addition to the expected bedroom and main bathroom. The marble in the main bathroom was heated, the toiletries were very high end (Byredo Bal D'Afrique for the curious), and the room was absolutely spotless.
Service
Shortly after I entered our room a front desk worker arrived with our bags and let me know they planned to bring by some bubbly for our anniversary. He asked permission before entering, offered to set up the bags, and wanted to clarify when would be best for the prosecco - I suggested while we were gone for dinner. He was incredibly kind and seemed to genuinely care about how I was finding the room and service thusfar, I regret not asking his name.
Later that evening staff came by with an incredible welcome charcuterie tray and a handwritten note welcoming us to Bisha, and thanking us for chosing them for our redemption stay.
There was nightly turndown service which we unfortunately had to - turn down - because we were getting ready to go out each time.
In the morning when I realized I hadn't clarified everything about breakfast I messaged through the Bonvoy app and within minutes someone was delivering vouchers to us in our room to save us the trip down to the front.
Service at the restaurants was also very attentive, with a few small hiccups which unfortunately soured the stay.
Food
Before we even got to the hotel we stopped at Andrea's Cookies on Bloor. Yes they are expensive cookies, but holy moley they're good. Banana biscoff? Yes please
Our first night we dined at Kost, this is where they serve their elite breakfast benefit, more on that in a moment, and while the food was great, the view really steals the show. Perched on the 44th floor with a large outdoor terrace, views of the CN tower and Toronto waterfront/island manage to balance hyper urban with relaxed retreat.
Waitress, restaurant management, and other table staff came by frequently, the only miss was a slow delivery of a cocktail. We had the coconut shrimp, roasted brussel sprouts, agnolotti and branzino. For dessert we got both the tres leches (was recommended to us), and the "apple pie" which is certainly more of a deconstructed affair (which we preferred over the tres leches).
After an incredible dinner, I was quite excited to return for breakfast. We had been told we would receive $60 per day at Kost for breakfast and I consulted their online menu for inspiration. This was the first of several missteps as multiple items on their own website are priced differently in person. For example the chicken and waffles were $28 online but $32 in person. I wasn't going to be deterred over $4, but I found it a bit odd that their own website couldn't keep up with their food price inflation.
Despite the limitations of our credit, we happily ordered a la carte - I typically prefer this over buffet. We got the chicken and waffles, short rib benedict, and a smoothie bowl for Max (too tart for his taste). We also got cappuccini and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the milkfoam which was more in line with a higher end coffee shop.
Service was initially excellent, but towards the end of our meal it seemed a bit absent so we flagged down our wait staff and asked for our bill. We were delighted to hear that the entire meal was covered - if this was to be the elite benefit we felt spoiled. Our coffees and three breakfast items would have otherwise easily been >$100 so we had expected a significant overage to our credit. This wasn't the case however.
On our second morning when we went up to the 44th we were given an "Elite Breakfast Menu", stripped down and with no prices. Instructions were that 2 items and basic coffee, tea, or juice were included. This is a relatively common approach to a la carte breakfast benefits, but was in contradiction to the $60 per day we were informed of at check in. We surmised that perhaps our first day they accidentally gave us the full menu and decided to comp our meal instead of sorting out an alternative resolution. The front desk must have been mistaken about the nature of the benefit, and consulting some older reviews it seems as though perhaps the dollar amount was their initial approach before pivoting to a fixed menu.
No matter, breakfast is breakfast, we ordered a breakfast sandwhich, avovado eggs benedict, and a parfait for Max. The waitstaff clarified we would be charged for the third meal item, not a problem, the parfait was "only" $19 afterall and we were on vacation. Unfortunately, from a luxury experience perspective, I came to find that the $23 avocado benedict was on the bill and not the parfait. I have no interest in complaining over $4 but would argue that a Luxury Collection property would be smart to use the breakfast benefit to cover the 2 most expensive of the 3 items ordered. Particularly since the $23 benedict would have still be meaningfully less than the $30 per person we were told we would have. It seems unkind to complain given that our more extravagant first breakfast was fully covered, but this is the quirky reality of the human brain. Experience is strongly path dependent - had the two meals been reversed in order we would have left feeling incredibly spoiled, but instead it felt like an odd corner to cut.
Our second night we were initially unsure of where to go for dinner, ultimately asking the concierge to make reservations at the hotel's other restaurant Akira Back. The eponymous chef has restaurants around the world and offers a high end Japan meets Korea cuisine (ex. kimchi butter seasoned edamame) with optimal surprise boxes, tasting menus, and modern twists. Initially we had planned to eat off site, but an incredibly full day of activities had us wanting proximity and we figured the conceirge could arrange a nice surprise for our wedding anniversary.
The decor was simply stunning, the host greeted us and congratulated us on our anniversary, making some small talk before we were seated. Our waitress explained the menu and that while there were mains it was typically approached more from the small plates and sharable side of the menu. We started with edamame (minus the kimchi butter) and vegetable fried rice for Max, who was more than a little hyper (perhaps from the Beaver Tail he had an hour or two prior!). His energy plus thin plates, glass cups, and rough stone table gave me a bit of parental anxiety - I was missing the plastic cups from Kost and certainly less present than I would otherwise be. When I finally had the bandwidth we ordered wagyu tacos, fried corn tempura, sriracha shrimp, and a sushi that contained pop rocks, thats right... the fizzing candy. The tacos were the absolute star of the show but all of the food was quite good, as was my Yuzu sour. The wait staff on multiple occasions mentioned our anniversary, leading us to feel like perhaps there was some sort of small surprise coming, we had seen others at the hotel receive glasses of champagne, a slice of cake with a candle, and so on for various celebrations. So at risk of sounding entirely entitled, it was a bit of an anticlimactic surprise when nothing came but the bill. Beyond Kost and Akira Back there is also French Made, a coffee shop directly adjacent to the lobby. The pastries here are fantastic, as is the coffee, and having it in such close proximity is definitely a plus.
Activities
Ultimately a trip with a toddler is more about what you do than anything else, and while none of these activities are exclusive to Bisha, we were well positioned for them and many others given their fantastic downtown location.
Our first stop was KidSpark, an interactive childrens museum exhibit in connection to the Ontario Science Center. While it couldn't compare to our recent Children's Museum experiences in New Orleans or in London Ontario, it easily outranked Hamilton's and Max was more than happy
From there we parted ways with Valentina as she went to Hammam Spa for a Cela Luxury Spa Ritual. From steam room to body scrub, facial and more, she glowed while describing the experience (both her affect and her skin!). In the meantime Max and I went on our own adventure to Roundhouse Park.
We explored the old trains, bought tickets for the mini train ride, and played on the train playground until it was our turn. As expected of our little transporation kiddo, he loved it, just as he loved every streetcar we saw on the way.
Our second day we took the ferry to Centre Island, rented a family bike and explored the island. Max liked pretending we were a trolley (still thinking of our trip to New Orleans) and ringing the bell as we went past people. We stopped at a little coffee shop and while the coffee itself was disappointing, the snacks were great and the vibe was immaculate.
It shouldn't be surprising that we then went to the island amusement park - more means of transportation? Mac was in his happy place.
Trains, boats, cars and more, top it off with a Beaver Tail and you're in this toddler's version of heaven.
A surprisingly highlight for Max was the CN tower, he had noticed the elevators going up and down during our breakfast that morning and talked about it all day. Despite our dinner reservations at Akira Back, we ultimately booked tickets to go up the tower afterwards. His joy is our joy, and he talked about it as much as everything else we did so it was a win in our books.
Ultimately constrained by time you can't do it all, but there are many other great activity options with Ripley's Aquarium, the Rogers Center, and The Well all nearby. Not to mention streetcar and subway transit options throughout the city.
Summary
All in all it was an excellent trip, the hotel was gorgeous, the upgrade generous, the food fantastic, and the activities enjoyable. Despite all of that I couldn't help but feel like a few tweaks would have elevated it further, in particular the inconsistencies around the breakfast benefit. From a points perspective the deal was phenomenal, approximately 1.2c per bonvoy point even before we consider the large upgrade, prosecco, and breakfast benefit. When the bulk of those points are actually covered by a free night certificate it's an even better deal. If you can find a night at or under 60k this would be a fantastic use of your 35k free night certificates and some top up, if you've opened a US credit card you may have some 50k certs like me which makes it even easier. Would I stay here on cash? Probably not at the rates we saw, but I would happily save up my points or free night certificates for a special occasion like this again.
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Disclaimer
This should not be taken as financial advice and details are subject to change. I have made good intentioned efforts to be accurate but ultimately consult card terms and conditions. We may receive compensation for products discussed in this review but did not receive any compensation from any hotel or airlines.
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