A reasonably priced, clean and well recommended hotel. The staff are polite, the rooms are well equipped (free wireless and an internet machine in the lounge). Breakfast is good (paper plates and plastic cutlery though). No bar and no restaurant but there is an excellent pub within 100 yards. Well recommended.

Very happy with our stay in this hotel. The hotel does look a bit wierd and "unfinished" at times but it was always in perfect working order. A typical example is the door frame to our suite which looked like it was all bent out of shape, and thus the door should be a few millimeters from stuck. But after seeing the frame I checked the door and it opens and closes perfectly without even a sound. The old building has probably shifted and they kept the door frame as is and adjusted the door.
There was no mention of breakfast at the website but when we arrived there was a free breakfast service. A good selection of different food as well, but they used plastic cutlery.
Everywhere you looked things might seem a bit strange, but the service level was very good.
We did have a slight problem with a special offer from Clarions website not sticking to the booking, but great help from the receptionist staff and they got that sorted.
Not very central location but subway station was only 1.5 blocks away so still very convenient.

Would surely stay here again.

We did get a free upgrade from room to 2-room suite for free (thought I'd mention that as well).

Stayed at the Toronto Selby for a 3 night stay in August 2007. Booked directly through the hotel website for a queen room on a higher floor and such was honored upon arrival at the hotel.
The hotel itself is an old mansion that has been converted into a hotel and an addition was added as well to enlarge the space for the hotel. The common areas of the hotel are well kept up but are also decorated in an antique type style which I believe adds to the charm of the hotel. The lobby is tastefull decorated in antique furniture and draperies and is very cozy if you want to just sit and relax at any time. The hotel also provides a guest computor with free internet access 24/7 which is also placed in the lobby.
My room was small (by normal standards) but extremely clean and cozy. In addition to the queen bed, there was an armiore with a TV, a writing desk, a small fridge and microwave, and coffee maker. The bathroom provided ample towels and toiletries which were replentished daily if needed. The room also had a walk in closet, which I think was almost the size of the bathroom and provided more than plenty of room to store your luggage and any clothing you wished to hang up or put on the provided shelving.
The hotel also provided a complimentary breakfast in their breakfast room each morning. **There have been previous reviews about the content, etc of the breakfast, however, I have to say, I thought it was great, and I AM fussy about this sort of thing. The room was nicely set up; there were several kinds of both hot and cold cereal, muffins, breads, bagels pastries, hardboiled eggs, sausage patties, several kinds of juices and yogurt, and many kinds of tea, in addition to regular coffee, provided with REAL cream and sugar. It was more than sufficient to start the day. There were also staff present in the breakfast room restocking items as they ran low.
The location of the hotel itself is just off Bloor Street in what I would describe as an older part of downtown Toronto but the area had alot to offer in terms of restaurants, local pubs, and the subway about a block down the street to get you anywhere in Toronto you wanted to go.
Overall, if you're looking for a clean, quiet, and well priced hotel, this is it. I'm not sure where the negative reviews come from, but my stay here was exceptionally positive. The staff there are extremely helpful and accomodate all of your requests and questions without any hesitation.
I've also noticed that despite the negative reviews, no one ever puts any pictures on here to portray the accuracy of their complaints, so have decided to put some on that will portray the good the hotel has to offer. Happy travels!

We are here now at the Clarion Selby in Toronto. I am sitting in a very elegant lobby full of antiques, hearing numerous foreign languages, using the complementary wireless from my laptop. There is a "business center" in the lobby: a computer and printer free to be used by guest. It is situated on a handsome antique desk.

I purchased my two night stay from the WCNY public broadcast fundraiser in January 2007. This stay is a great contrast to our usual casino resort stays... and we like it.

We are fortunate to have a room in the mansion section of the hotel. I would guess there are 10 or 15 rooms in the mansion. I had requested a King bed, but was offered a queen in the mansion. I jumped to take it.

The room is small but that is no problem. The bathroom is huge and appears to have been recently renovated. I always look for elements to incorporate in my home renovations. In this bathroom, I like the silver and gold water fixtures. Also, the tile work is very nicely designed and installed.

The closet is a riot. It is big and appears unchanged for 100+ years. I told my husband, "this closet is as big as the bathroom I had in Hotel City in Netherlands last year."

Whatever has been written negative about the complimentary breakfast is not current. My husband and I carried our room coffee mugs to the breakfast after reading that the foam cups were not good. But, the disposable coffee cups were a nice type. Also, someone had reported at this site or another review site that they did not give real cream with the coffee. We purchased milk at a market nearby for the coffee, but there was nice cream at the breakfast buffet. The buffet included: croissant, bagels, four cereals including Mueslix, apples, hard boiled eggs, mini yogurts, juices, apples, jams, peanut butter, honey, and the list goes on. It was a very nice offering and a pleasantly clean little dining room.

Upon arrival, everyone at the front desk worked to help us out. There was an issue of the value of our package, and it was handled well. The parking arrangement was to our liking. We were assigned the spot we had parked it. We were given a key to view the "Hemingway room". This was what attracted us to this hotel. We are great fans of Ernest Hemingway's writing. (In 1976 I followed his path in Southern Spain, going to places he had visited, talking to people who had served him - mostly bartenders.). Anyway, it has been 30+ years since being on the Hemingway path and was great to see his room: beautiful antique furniture, many windows looking down on the street, a windowed "porch" room with a desk. We imagined him writing here for the Toronto Star. We did not get a good look at the bathroom, but it didn't look as modern as the renovation in our room.

I believe the value of our room is $149 per night. I would say it is a fair price. If you are accustomed to the modern and large hotel room, this might be a shock. In the words of my husband, "I would have never chosen this hotel because I am a hotel snob." He is a frequent business and casino resort traveler. But, he too is greatly enjoying this hotel experience.

Thank you to the Toronto Clarion and Haroon Latif for your donation to the Arts in Central New York. I have seen this hotel offered annually at the WCNY fundraising event. I am fortunate to have been the high bidder this year.