We stopped for the night at Tru by Hilton Oshawa on our way from Ottawa to Niagara Falls. This hotel property opened to guests in October of 2025, as it was constructed from the ground up as a new building. The hotel property is comprised of 79 rooms. I compared this stay to my first stay at a Tru by Hilton hotel property almost nine years ago.
Tru by Hilton Oshawa. Hotel Review.
I checked in at the front desk, which was the typical round Tru by Hilton design — except that the social media wall of televisions are no longer above the area where one can check in for his or her stay…
…complete with the “pantry” of snacks, beverages, and other items for sale. Like Hampton by Hilton, you can request items such as razors or shaving cream at no charge.
Every Tru by Hilton has a colorful wall that is dedicated to the city or town in which it is located…
…as well as a flat screen television and plenty of magazines, toys, and games.
Plenty of seating is available in the lobby, which is especially useful during breakfast hours in the morning — everything from couches to chairs to hanging chairs that rock — but the “sound booths” that absorbed sound and offered some privacy were nowhere to be found.
The Room.
We went down the hallway to enter the room. Just past the door to the entrance inside of the room is the entrance to the bathroom, a long mirror that hung on the wall, five hooks that were mounted on the wall, and an open “closet” area which contained five wooden hangers on a rack, an iron, an ironing board, and a counter under which was a miniature refrigerator.
The king bed in the room was quite comfortable in which to sleep. Interestingly, the base of the bed did not have an area built in where luggage could be stored on the floor, as typical of a Tru by Hilton hotel property. A night stand was on one side of the bed; and a portable round orange table was on the other side. Each side of the bed had its own lamp.
At the opposite wall near the foot of the bed was a long rack where luggage and other items could be stored — which I prefer, actually — instead of under the bed. The cushion on that rack could double as a seat, I suppose. A large flat screen television that was mounted on the wall greeted me. The small waste receptacle was divided into two, as one half is for items that can be recycled.
The small desk and the chair were both on wheels on a floor with a hard surface. On the desk were two bottles of water, a bag of potato chips, a plastic reusable Tru by Hilton water bottle, and a note from a member of the staff welcoming me with details about the hotel property. An adjustable lamp was mounted on the wall above the desk.
The room seemed to be smaller than a typical room at a standard Tru by Hilton hotel property — and those rooms are already small. Being in this room felt rather cramped for some reason. Perhaps the reason might be that the rooms in initial Tru by Hilton hotel properties did not include a desk? I personally would rather have a desk in the room on which to work.
The number of electrical outlets in the room were ample; and Type A Universal Serial Bus ports were available as well.
The Bathroom.
Included in the bathroom were a vanity, a sink, a large illuminated mirror that hung on the wall, a long narrow shelf underneath the mirror, a box of tissues, two sets of towels, a bag for laundry…
…as well as bag hanging above the toilet that contained an electric hair dryer, and bulk dispensers of ZERO/o hand soap and body lotion instead of that horrid Not Soap, Radio line of products. A small nightlight was plugged in under that bag.
The shower stall was enclosed with a glass door and narrow glass wall. It included a small step on which to place a foot while washing.
In the shower area were three bulk dispensers of ZERO/o products — conditioner, shampoo, and shower gel.
The Views.
The views from the window were from the south to west southwest to west; and they were of the standard bland corporate park parking lot variety. Oshawa Executive Airport is located southwest of the hotel property; but it was too far away behind buildings to have any views of it.
I have had worse views from hotel rooms — such as this one in Scotland; this one in Canada; and this one in Spain as three of countless examples — but this view was simply boring.
Breakfast.
Breakfast is included in the room rate and is available to guests every morning. Four types of cold beverages were available from a dispenser — as well as a variety of four different dry cereals, pancakes from a pancake machine, and assorted condiments.
Hard boiled eggs, a spinach egg dish, pork sausage, and an assortment of bagels were also on display.
Regular coffee, decaffeinated coffee, hot water, and a choice of tea — as well as cups, stirrers, creamers, and sweeteners — were available as well in a separate area. However, the dispenser of the regular coffee was empty and was only refilled prior to us leaving after we were finished with breakfast.
Breakfast, however, was not without its issues. For example, the cauldron that was supposed to contain oatmeal had nothing but a craggy mess inside of it. The pancake machine also stopped functioning after members of a large family abused it somehow.
Cups that are normally used to hold batter for waffles were used for beverages — which baffled me, as Tru by Hilton hotel properties typically do not have waffle machines.
Fitness Centre.
The fitness centre — which is open 24 hours per day, seven days per week — was well equipped…
…as a large variety of weights, towels, a flat-screen television, and assorted equipment were included.
Outside of the fitness center is a hydration station, where guests can fill up bottles of water and get ice from an ice machine. Rather than having one in the room, ice buckets were available at the hydration station.,
Final Boarding Call
I have grown to somewhat like the Tru by Hilton brand since my first stay at its first hotel property in Oklahoma City almost nine years ago, as the brand seems to have matured a little. Among what I consider to be improvements, the rooms now include a moveable desk or table; the amenities in the bathroom have improved; the bombardment of gratuitous busy graphics has toned down; and the room rates are usually less expensive than other hotel properties in the area. However, Tru by Hilton is still not among my top preferences among the brands of Hilton at which to stay.
I recommend Tru by Hilton Oshawa, as it met most of the criteria of what we needed. The hotel property was clean; the bed was comfortable; the service was good; and breakfast was decent. We did not particularly care for the location, as few viable choices for dining were within 15 minutes of the hotel property; and it was not convenient to Ontario Highway 401.
The total cost of the stay for one night was $109.28 in United States dollars, which included all taxes and fees.
Tru by Hilton Oshawa
474 Aviator Lane
Oshawa, Ontario L1J 0B8
Canada
1-905-449-8100
Free parking is available on site.
If you do not have a motor vehicle, bus routes 905+ and 915 pass by the hotel property on Taunton Road. Bus route 905+ goes to the Whitby Station of the Go Transit rail line; while bus route 915 goes to the Ajax Station.
All photographs ©2026 by Brian Cohen.
