Grange Hotel

This hotel is now called Studio 6 — so this should be updated by the management. I’m giving it 1 star because I had multiple issues while I stayed for 5 days. Granted, it’s affordable if you’re traveling on a budget and the location is central to a lot of great places. However, I noticed that my «new, fresh» towels after the service lady tidied up the room had my long hair still wrapped up in the fold. What does this mean? That the cleaning lady didn’t give us fresh towels. Instead, I noticed that they did this for the three nights I stayed (out of five). The whole studio idea is great, except this place is a quick fixer upper, so it’s been poorly done, with stains still left on the walls, and some random holes in the bathroom wall that have been clearly neglected.
I’m also giving this place a single star because I had a neighbor noise issue that wasn’t really resolved by the management when I’ve addressed it several times. There was a couple staying right across the hall from me. I made a noise complaint downstairs since the couple was blasting music and yelling past midnight (which isn’t a pleasant thing you’d want to deal with anywhere after midnight). However, the front desk management «attempted» to handle the situation by calling the couple. He only came up to physically check in on the noise complaint after I had to make two additional calls to the front desk management before I walked downstairs to complain in person. I mean, I’m also a guest, and if you’re clearly ignoring my reasonable complaint, then I don’t think you deserve more than a star.
I won’t be staying here again. I only booked this place since the photos on booking’s website made it look upgraded and clean. I did not feel «clean» while sleeping in the sheets & using the bath towels. I don’t think the cleaning folks are doing their job/​maintaining the rooms as they should be maintained.

This place is now called Studio 6.
This place is definitely a former nicer end hostel trying to be a hotel.
It has most things a hotel has but also includes a full kitchenette with stuff like plates, toaster, glasses, cutting board, sink, medium fridge, etc.
Unlike a hotel my room was not cleaned everyday, but every other day? which was fine.
But I did care that my bathroom smelled like urine. I think it came from the shower curtain. I had told front desk staff about it but the smell was still there after being cleaned by housekeeping.
Otherwise staff are friendly and there is free wifi!

Yay!
Perfect little hotel for a weekend of visiting Toronto. We were allowed to check in super early (10AM) and drop off our bags before heading out for some sightseeing.
My travel companion and I stayed in a little room with two twin beds and it was really cute. There was a little stove top, toaster, microwave, and a few kitchen basics that allowed us to cook ourselves a little breakfast.
The bathroom was small but clean. The television reception was a little fuzzy, but not unwatchable.
The location is perfect. It’s right next to Kensington Market and Chinatown and there’s a bike share location right across the street so it’s super convenient. The room rate is v. affordable and the staff are v. helpful and friendly.

Stayed at the Grange Hotel for 3 days with my SO, had a bad experience. First off, bedbugs. Yes, we found them. Receptionist didn’t believe me — so I caught one and brought it down to show him. He didn’t want to see it and told me to throw it away. He gave us a new room which we checked thoroughly — thankfully no bedbugs. But we definitely were not comfortable. Also, while I was near the reception desk, an elderly couple arrived an hour or so before the check-​in time and asked if there was a room ready. The gentleman at the reception sounded very rude and flustered and told them there were no rooms available before check-​in. The couple asked if they could leave their bags somewhere in the hotel, the receptionist replied «No.» and they were simply left to stand outside of the main doors until check-​in.

I would give this hotel a two or two and a half at most, based on our experience. Please note it is being operated by the «Motel 8» outfit, and it is still being upgraded. This location is certainly better than a motel. But not over the top. The rates and the location though, are stellar, and keep this place in the running. It was an easy walk to everywhere downtown that we needed to get to.
We lucked into a room that had been upgraded, so we got a plastic key instead of old fashioned metal one. We liked the fact that the floors had no carpet — instead they were ceramic to look like wood, and tile. There was a small fridge with a freezer, a toaster, and a cooktop. They provided some glasses, dishes, pots and pans, utensils, and a sink and shmatas to wash them in. Oddly, no coffee maker… The room is sparsely decorated — one small chair for 1 person to sit in; the other would have to make due with sitting on the bed. There was a flat screen tv.
But there were several things that chipped away at the overal experience for us… For one thing, the only closet in the room was near the door to get in, and it was narrow and small. When I opened it, the sliding door I opened came off the track and fell on me! Good thing it wasn’t heavy. Worse: there was no railing inside, no hooks, and no hangers. So, nowhere to hang our clothes including winter coats as it was quite chilly and even snowed a little during our visit.
Although they do offer free wi-​fi, it is hard to get into, and frequently lost intensity, booting us out of it. And then it was hard to get back into. But it was there!
And my last complaint about the room we got was the brightness inside overnight! We were facing the car-​parking lot, and there was a very bright light overlooking the space, which shone right into our room. The curtains were thin. I think I will tell them this; it would be simple enough to fix.
Meanwhile, on the upside: we had a great view of the CN Tower, which was fabulous, especially when it ws lit up at night! This hotel is reasonably close to the tower!
The bed was indeed very comfortable! And the room was quiet; there was more noise coming from outside but only occasionally.
And I have to say that I am impressed with the shower — although it was not deep, it was nice and wide; in fact it would have been nice to soak in there, if you prefer a bath. Also, it drained well. I absolutely hate it when you’re standing ankle deep in run-​off water at the end of your shower! That did not happen here.
Otherwise, the staff was chearful and helpful.
The only other thing I didn’t appreciate though, was that when I checked in, I advised them that I needed parking for the two days (cheap: $ 10 a day!) However, they didn’t charge me for it until we left! Oh, and as we were loading the car up to leave at 8:30 in the morning, our building passes had already been locked out. Checkout is not till 11:00, and we had not done so yet, so I have no idea why they did this; but this is something I will also address when I speak to them.

A cheap (for toronto) option right in the heart of Chinatown, Kensington markets and close to little Italy. There are other places in this area which would be cheaper for two people, but this place is not bad. Could do with updating as it is quite run down, but the bedding and towels are nice and clean. Thank you :)

An excellent place to stay while in Toronto. The location was perfect. I will definitely book again at this hotel for my next trip. The room was clean and was a good place to lay my head.

We found this hotel thru Unilocal — and based on the great reviews, booked into it for a quick trip we had to make. (The location was *perfect*.)
It’s an interesting place. If you are a no-​frills type of person who values inexpensive accomodation over nice décor, this may be the place for you.
Here are my observations:
— One is hard pressed to find a better price for the location — which is at the south side of Chinatown, close to Kensington Market, a block away from Queen West, a 10 minute walk to the Universtiy subway station, a 20 minute walk to the University of Toronto main campus and Yonge Street and a 5 minute walk to Bathurst street car line (which gets you right to Exhibition Place). Really — the location is phenominal.
— The hotel is a converted condominium — and when I say converted, I mean bare bones conversion. Many of the things you take for granted with a hotel stay are non-​existant — for example: Vented bathrooms, automatic locking doors, electronic key cards, hotel quality furnishings. Instead you get designer white paint on everything (including the fridge door), doors that you have to check and recheck that you’ve manually locked with a metal key, circa 1950s style kitchen table/​chairs and a microwave from the early 90s — oh, and cathode ray TV. (Didn’t know those still existed — ours gave out several years ago!)
— Everything was reasonably clean, where it counted. (For example — that 20 year old microwave I mentioned? The outside was a bit grungy looking — but inside, clean as a whistle.) The carpet has signs of wear.
— They are remodelling on floors 1 and 2 — so it will be interesting to see what result this has. The room we were in had signs of poor craftmanship on the original conversion — bad patches, paint over everything, tape on the A/​C unit. This is a tough one — I want the great price — but I also want just slightly better workmanship. Hmmm…
— We weren’t sure about the location at first — it’s conveniently located next to a community housing project — however — we had no problems walking around the area, and we did walk extensively. We think it’s safe, given standard precautions (i.e. — don’t walk down unlit alleyways.)
— Parking lot is well covered with cameras. Parking is a reasonable price.
— Hotel staff were great, answering all questions, checking us in efficiently.
— Beds were squishy but I actually found them oddly comfortable — I had a great sleep!
— Some of our wireless devices had issues with connecting — others worked great without issue. Everything was able to connect, just that 1 device kept droppign the connection — so I’d say your luck with wireless is going to depend more on your device than on their network, which seems pretty solid.
— Overall hotel is well kept and clean — and quiet.
— The room we stayed in fit 3 people. You can put a cot in for $ 10 a night — but that would be *really* crowded with luggage — if you need a hotel for 4 people, really, you may wish to go elsewhere or get a 2^nd room.
Update Nov 2013 — Returned — they have begun replacing the locks with more secure versions! Price has gone up a bit, but was able to say I’m a returning client and I got last visit’s price. Always worth asking. Had a great night’s sleep and was able to use the money I saved staying here on other fun things.
Would I return: Yes — I already plan to book there for a planned November visit.
Would I recommend: Depends on the person and what they value. People who love luxury hotel stays would not enjoy this hotel. People who only want a hotel room to store their stuff and sleep — and want to keep their money for other activities are a great fit. (We saw a lot of university students staying there.)

look, the décor is east germany circa 1979. no frills, little space, no comfy chair. but it was clean and safe. clean? i am paranoid about bedbugs and investigated thoroughly after watching a tutorial on youtube. no bugs at all. safe? the last night we were there my husband left the door unlocked all night and we’re still here to write about it.
the neighborhood doesn’t seem the least bit sketchy to us, but we’re from hollywood and the haight ashbury. and we loved the location. queen st. was soo cool. kensington market is a few blocks away.
heard it will soon be turned into a motel 6 accor.

It’s a very minimal hotel, I think it’s converted studio apartments. Fairly clean, really cheap, free wifi, great central location, and $ 5 parking! The décor is a little threadbare and outdated, but it is fine. I only had one complaint, my room TOTALLY REEKED of cigarette smoke. I have asthma and I’m very sensitive to that. It wasn’t like someone smoked a cigarette in there once, it was like a bunch of chain smokers had a week long lock-​in there. I have never been in a room so saturated with cigarette smoke, and I used to live with smokers. And I very specifically (as I always do) booked a non-​smoking room. By the time we rolled into town, I was exhausted and really wanted to go to bed, I just opened the window and tried to tough it out. Woke up wheezy with a terribly sore throat. I spoke to the guy at the desk, and he apologized profusely and immediately moved me to another room. The other room was totally fine. So while the room was awful at first, the staff was very helpful! That makes up for a lot.

The Grange gets four stars for giving you everything you need and nothing you don’t for a low, low price. Your reservation gets you a clean room in a central location. And that’s about it. Most everything at the hotel is old, they have very limited staff and there’s not even really a lobby. You can cook at the kitchenette in your room, and there’s a tv and free wifi, but no ironing board! If you stay at the Grange you can reward yourself by using the money you saved for to a nice meal.

I was visiting Toronto to see my Mother who was at the Toronto Western Hospital for a few days, which is just 3 blocks or so away from this small unique hotel on the edge of Chinatown, right near Kensington Market, and spent 5 nights here at the Grange. This is a small several story slightly dated-​but-​modern building, which was once apartments (still some which are Grandfathered in). It’s exceptionally quiet, very pleasant, very budgety, with a pleasant but slightly withdrawn representative at the desk at all times, and is set inside a slightly downscale neighborhood just one block from a school and major street, with free broadband Internet.
The room I stayed in was VERY small, with a ‘kitchenette’ (microwave, fridge, stove top, sink, utensils, a pan or two), a small tub/​shower, and a decent view toward one end of downtown, with a REALLY nice (barren — it was Winter) Birch tree outside the one window. I can’t overemphasize how quiet it was. This would NOT be the place to have friends over or stay up late with a loud TV on (there is one), use it as a party base, or frankly have anything other than silent ‘intimate’ moments with another person.
That said I LOVED it! It was PERFECT for my purposes. The Internet connection was flawless. The mood was delightful. The room was toasty warm, and i moderated the temp down by using the open window to cool it from time to time.
If you want simple, SUPER CHEAP (was $ 70/​night plus tax), super quiet, homey, warm, in-​neighborhood comfort, surrounded by ethnic Chinese and other locals then this is the place. I will go out of my way to send friends who like what I like — REAL and CHEAP — to the Grande!

I was a bit hesitant to stay in a hotel because of the price. However.. . this hotel was deffo a bargain for the price! The location is so convenient and the staff was wicked nice! It’s a quiet neighbourhood just off Chinatown and just minutes from Queen street! It was clean.. . a bit shabby if you’re used to The Hilton.. . but nice enough that I’d go back!

Love this place. Came here all the time during college during our road trips to Toronto. This is a place you can love only if you are a student on a budget, looking for a place with convenience (walking distance to Chinatown, free parking) and a clean-​enough vibe to crash at. Man, I have such great memories. Amazingly, during one trip, we didn’t make a reservation before heading up, figuring there’d be room at the inn, but turns out they were sold out. Yes, they are that popular!