Stayed here while a family member was in hospital...got the University Hospital Network special rate, and paid aprox $60/night. Room was tiny, but clean, and had everything we needed. This is a very basic place, but staff was friendly, and we felt safe. Parking was across the street, and we had no problems using this service. Gabby’s restaurant in the lower level was very good.

It was a $12 cab ride to the hospital, but this we preferred this to staying closer to the hospital area (was much cheaper for parking and lodging as well – and seemed safer in our opinion)

We would stay here again, if need be. Very nice to have had a decent place on a tight budget during a very stressful time for our family.

We received this hotel through booking on Hotwire. We were looking for something inexpensive as we only needed a place to stay downtown after an office holiday party.

The Isabella is a bare-bones hotel, but gets the job done. The rooms are small and dated, but comfortable for the night.

My biggest compliant about the hotel was that you could hear a lot of noise from the hallway at wee hours of the morning. Not sure if this was just bad luck that we were stuck beside a partying crew, or if there just isn't great sound insulation. I guess for the price it is going to attract those looking for a place to crash after a night on the town.

Either way, for what we paid it served it's purpose. It was clean and staff were friendly. Location was very good as well, a little east of the main downtown tourist area but still walkable/short cab from most core areas.

We booked a three night stay through hotwire for $70/night and even though we got a bargain price I still wouldn't stay here again! It was supposed to be in a "downtown" location, when in actual fact it was at least a 30 minute walk to Dundas & Yonge. It is however close to the subway, so you can get around that way.

There were no parking places left when we arrived, so we had to park just down the road at a public carpark for $12/24 hrs with a $20 deposit, which we later found out is $3 cheaper than the hotel charges anyway. The lobby and bar area were clean and inviting, which is more than can be said for the guy on the desk when we checked in. The lift is small and broke down several times, so we were forced to endure the horrible "cooked oil" smell coming from the basement restaurant that lingers permanently on the stairs.

The room was small and dark. The walls and carpet were stained and someone had punched a hole in the wall. On the upside at least the bed sheets were clean and bed bug free as far as we were aware. Wired internet connection in the room, but we found that we also picked up the lobby wireless connection, though this was very unreliable (even when sat in the lobby itself). The bathroom was tiny. The door almost touched the sink when it was open so in order to use any of the facilities you had to go in and then close the door behind you, which was awkward and would have been impossible for a larger person. Breakfast was minimal - choice of cereals, toast, muffins & fresh fruit with orange juice & coffee. Then the icing on the cake, we came back late one afternoon to get ready to go out for the evening, to find a mouse in our room! We complained to a female receptionist who was very apologetic, but not surprised (so obviously this was not a one off), they offered to compensate us a night and said they would send someone up to "chase the mouse out". No offer to change rooms and in the end no one came up while we were there, but as it happened the mouse ran out of his own accord - he obviously didn't want to spend another night in the room either!!!
So while it's cheap the Isabella is far from cheerful and if you can afford to pay a little extra I'd find a hotel either in Chinatown or closer to the Dundas & Yonge area with free parking, because what extra you spend on the hotel you'll save on parking and subway fares etc.

I am surprised by the negative reviews. My room (605) was clean and bedbug free. The shower room was more than adequate, with a large shower with a window, which was nice. The double bed (I paid for a single) was comfortable, and the bed and bath linen was changed daily. There was no minibar, but a small fridge was avaiable, which was very handy. The windows didn't open, but the air conditioning worked well. The room was quiet and comfortable.
The room had a chest of drawers but no closet, just a clothes rail.
Not all TV channels were available.
The free ethernet worked well for the first 7 days of my stay, but there were problems the last day when a new access code had to be entered. The front desk said I had to call Bell DataValet customer service, which was effective, but long.
Having free local calls is a plus.
The location is fine, just a few minutes from Sherbourne subway station, and on a major bus line on Sherbourne. My meetings were downtown, and I had a nice 20-min walk each day to get there.
Breakfast was adequate, with cold cereals, muffins, scones, etc. You could eat at the lobby bar or the adjoining tables, or in the seating area sofas.
My stay was fine, but I was paying about half the listed price. The listed price is high for the level of quality.