Vibe: The Broadview Hotel is hit with creative industry business travellers who want to be close to downtown but still enjoy a local experience in a cool part of town. The history of the building is cleverly incorporated into the design and construction, the décor a mix of time periods. Each space has a different feel—modern but reflective of the 125-year story without focusing on any particular era. The lobby bar wallpaper was reproduced from the original pattern found underneath the layers of a century of wallpaper. The generous use of brass hints at the building’s tenure as a men’s club. Parts of the old fire escape that once covered the east side of the building have been repurposed into a lobby wall installation.

Rooms: Spacious rooms sport sumptuous fabrics, high thread-count bedding, custom-built dark-wood furniture, laminate flooring and marble-top tables. Thick red velvet curtains and quirky brass pole stands carry through the strip-club motif. All-marble bathrooms with contrasting matte-black finishes exude luxury. TVs stream content from your phone app, and at the opposite end of that scale, a record player and a selection of vinyl albums give guests a tactile music experience. Some rooms include a private outdoor seating nook.

F&B: The pink neon-lit circular bar of The Café + Bar off the lobby is a hit for pre-dinner or after-work drinks and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Main-floor restaurant The Civic is a destination in itself, the chefs embracing local and the menu not pricing itself out of the neighbourhood. The stunning 100-seat Rooftop is an indoor-outdoor space sporting 360-degree views of the city via an L-shaped patio, floor-to-ceiling glass walls and a pyramid skylight. A sharing menu and smart cocktail list make it a hotspot.

Extras: The 3,000-square-foot Lincoln Hall on the second floor is connected to a 1,000-square-foot outdoor terrace, which, when used together, can accommodate 270 people. The 700-square-foot Dominion Suite is available for small cocktail receptions or meetings. The private seventh-floor Tower can suit up to 30 people for drinks, and the adjacent Rooftop holds up to 240 reception guests. No gym or spa facilities available.

Off-Site: The Broadview sits on the corner of Queen Street East and Broadview Avenue at the edge of downtown, just a few minutes’ drive from both the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway, Toronto’s major motorways. An entrance to the Don Valley hiking and biking trail is a five-minute walk away and the heritage Distillery District is a 20-minute walk away.

Rate: $$$
Book Now

The post Toronto: The Broadview appeared first on TravelRight.Today.

Vibe: Managed by Loews Hotels, the Bisha takes over the first eight floors of a 44-storey tower, which it shares with 350+ condos. Visitors are welcomed into a lobby that exudes sex appeal via black marble, crushed velvet and etched gold. The chic public spaces are bold, lavish and textured, with panelled walls, natural stone, soft leathers, lacquered wood trimming and rich textiles. The whole hotel has an art-gallery vibe, complete with dozens of Warhol prints and more than 3,000 pieces of art.

Rooms: Old-school opulence and jet-set glamour are mixed with modern yet eclectic aesthetics in the decently sized rooms and suites. The overall approach to the design of the rooms was “Your Coolest Friend,” hence the bar cart, patent-leather sofas and Instagrammable salon-style art. The prints and photos, which are different in every room, look like they were collected over time, adding to the design cohesion. Deco-inspired lacquer armoires are over-the-top gorgeous, as are the bathrooms replete with Nero Marquina marble and satin nickel finishes. Lenny Kravitz brought a rock-and-roll sensibility and soulful elegance to the design of 14 rooms, including the 2,000-square-foot Bisha suite, which features a 1,000-square-foot terrace.

F&B: Internationally renowned Iron Chef contestant Akira Back lends his talents and his name to the Bisha’s main restaurant, his first in Canada. Hot and cold sharing plates run the gamut between tartare, tataki, tacos and tempura. The list of sushi, sashimi and signature rolls is long and tantalizing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is served on the 44^th floor at the white oak-panelled KOST, a bright beach house-style space sporting porcelain table tops and a modern Mexican menu. Mister C. Bar Room off the lobby is dark, sexy and subdued, with plush, low furniture, a smart cocktail menu and a lengthy whiskey list, all inspiring tasteful tête-à-têtes.

Extras: Facilities include a very large fitness centre that also caters to building residents and a 2,300-square-foot event space on the 43^rd floor with state-of-the-art audio/visual. An outdoor infinity pool and patio off KOST restaurant on the 44^th floor sport a stunning view of downtown.

Off-Site: At the epicentre of Toronto’s Entertainment district, the Bisha is a five-minute walk to both Rogers Centre (home of Blue Jays baseball) and the CN Tower. Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, Roy Thompson Hall (home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra) and King Street West nightlife are a 10-minute walk away. You can reach both the Business District and the Toronto Harbourfront on foot in 15 minutes. The Second City comedy theatre is across the street.

Rate: $$$
Book Now

The post Toronto: The Bisha appeared first on TravelRight.Today.

Vibe: The interesting mix of guests—from blue suits to baseball caps—makes for a lively mix. The movie industry is also attracted to the Delta, happy to have the luxury of space, with productions often blocking off big swaths of guest rooms, of which there are 567 over 40 floors. A clean and modern Canadiana look and feel runs throughout, with hits of bright colour and bold murals punctuating white oak and copper finishes.

Rooms: The views are picture-perfect. Corner-room views are absolutely stunning, while rooms with bathtubs that overlook the cityscape are beyond popular. The simplicity of the design—clean lines, neutral colours, efficient desk space, white oak headboard and cupboards—boosts the comfort factor. Non-essentials such as robes and a minibar have been nixed in favour of the “more-essentials” like an iron and ironing board. Indirect lighting makes for a cozier atmosphere. Smart TVs let you browse hotel services, check in with the concierge, check out the room service menu or check out of the hotel altogether.

F&B: The SOCO Kitchen + Bar does triple duty, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. A side counter sells coffees and lighter snacks. Neither feature fancy hotel prices: they are both very much places for the neighbourhood, busy on concert and game nights, and a hit with nearby office workers. The dining room is expansive and comfortable, with high ceilings, more blond wood, a long bar and a sexy side lounge. A small whisky bar tucked just off the lobby tempts local downtowners to perhaps catch a later train. The Roof at SOCO on the fourth floor is an outdoor retreat with a view for cocktails and light snacks.

Extras: Prime conference facilities reel in the business crowd and convention groups daily, utilizing more than 17,000 square feet of space. A roomy fitness centre and salt water pool, complete with a hot tub and steam room, take up the fourth floor. A Club Lounge on the 46th floor is open to guests in Club level rooms on floors 43 to 46, offering simple breakfasts, a comfy “living room,” a small meeting room and work space.

Off-Site: Scotiabank Arena (home of the Maple Leafs hockey team and the Raptors basketball team) and Rogers Centre (home of Blue Jays baseball) are both a four-minute walk away. The Delta is directly connected with the downtown underground pedestrian network, PATH, which is linked to Union Station around the corner, connecting guests to the subway, the VIA passenger rail system, the GO commuter transit system and the UP Express train to the airport. This is particularly good for winter visitors. Tourists can be enjoying the waterfront within a five-minute walk south.

Rate: $$

Book Now

The post Toronto: The Delta appeared first on TravelRight.Today.

Vibe: The look is modern and intimate. A lobby bathed in natural light, a massive living wall behind the front desk, guest room windows that open, multilevel terraces—every effort has been made to bring the outside in at Hotel X Toronto, part of the Library Hotel Collection. The entire hotel is filled with large-format nature photography by Neil Dankoff, with a whole gallery devoted to his work on the main floor. Expect to see everything from tuxedos to shorts and t-shirts at the front desk.

Rooms: The comfortable 365 rooms and 39 suites over 26 floors are pared-down but posh, with ample room for your own things. Expect orange leather club chairs, high-design modern lamps, regal blue and gold carpets and textured, stone-coloured wall coverings. Soft beds sport big wooden padded headboards. Roomy marble-filled bathrooms have glass doors, with most containing both a bathtub and a shower.

F&B: Casual eatery Maxx’s Kitchen is bright and airy, with an open kitchen and views of the lake. Pétros82 Mediterranean restaurant and raw bar overlooking Stanley Gardens has a massive menu incorporating land and sea, plus a raw and cured list that includes three different kinds of caviar. The menu themes carries on into the Lobby Bar with small plates and a short but dangerous cocktail list. The three-level rooftop Falcon SkyBar offers a collection of spaces to get your drink on and enjoy the view.

Extras: The scope of the facilities is staggering, mostly due to Ten X Toronto, a private member fitness club, and the serene Guerlain Spa, the talk of the town. The gym is the biggest hotel gym in Canada with 90,000 square feet of space. It houses four indoor tennis courts, nine glassed-back squash courts, a golf simulator with 90+ courses, and four studios for yoga, spinning, Pilates and group fitness. Guests can also take advantage of two outdoor pools, one attached to Falcon bar. The various configuration of indoor and outdoor meeting space totals 27,000 square feet, including a ballroom that will seat 450. Two cinemas seat 52 and 250 people, which will make Toronto International Film Festival revelers feel right at home. Services also include a VIP and group check in/out lounge, five house BMWs, and free rides to and from Union Station and the Toronto Island Airport. A large daycare facility is divided into three rooms based on age.

Off-Site: Hotel X is a 10-minute drive from the Entertainment and Financial Districts, the Toronto Harbour, the CN Tower and Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, Queen Street West shopping and nightlife and the King Street West strip. Toronto Island Airport is a five-minute drive away. BMO Field, home of the Toronto Argonauts and Toronto Football Club, is a 10-minute walk away.

Rate: $$$

Book Now

The post Toronto: Hotel X Toronto appeared first on TravelRight.Today.

Vibe: The Shangri-La Toronto is a magnet for the wealthy and the interesting – especially so if you happen to be both. Guests are an eclectic blend of people from the worlds of fashion, arts and culture, business and finance. Although the Shangri-La brand has a worldwide décor blueprint – Asian elegance, rich wood, silk walls, bold patterns, museum-worthy artefacts – each property is unique. Unlike other downtown Toronto hotels, the leisure crowd isn’t relegated to the weekend.

Rooms: The 202 rooms spread over 17 floors are dripping with Sapele veneer, Asian-inspired geometric patterns and muted earth tones. The look is conservative, but glamorized with refined touches, from the patterned glassware to the soft nightlights under the bedside tables. Both the drapes and the sheers are motorized. iPads put you in touch with room service, housekeeping, bell service and the 24-hour concierge. Minibars are filled with 200 mL bottles, so you can pour a proper drink, and closets come equipped with yoga mats. Oversized bathrooms clad in floor-to-ceiling white Italian marble feature a jet tub, and LCD TVs embedded in the mirror.

F&B: Hand-blown green and amber Bocci glass and pale oak lattices welcome guests from the lobby into the 30-seat lounge that fronts Bosk, the hotel’s forest-themed 80-seat restaurant. With private dining space and a seasonal terrace, Bosk is busy breakfast, lunch and dinner, proffering seasonal cuisine, regional and genuinely Canadian: Dinner mains include Nova Scotia scallops, Atlantic halibut, and Beverly Creek lamb with crispy sweetbreads. Signature breakfast items include a wide selection of egg dishes plus Chinese Dim Sum. Sixty-eight different kinds of tea are served every day during traditional Afternoon Tea in the Lobby Lounge.

Extras: A sumptuous 42-seat screening room can be booked for films, junkets and events. A dedicated business coordinator is available during the weekdays. On the fifth floor, the 24-hour fitness centre is better than most brand-name gyms, with an adjacent yoga studio. Spin classes and personal trainers are also at your disposal. Luxurious changing rooms are equipped with large steam rooms. The pool area is a little world all its own, with cascading water columns, a huge whirlpool, private terry-lined cabanas with built-in TVs, and an infrared sauna. Miraj Hammam by Caudalie, Paris, also on the fifth floor, offers an intriguing mix of Middle Eastern hammam and French vinotherapy, spread over 12 treatment rooms and two hammam rooms.

Off-Site: Bookended by the Soho House Toronto and the upscale Momofuku Noodle Bar and Milk Bar Toronto, the Shangri-La is a hub for the hip. It’s a 10-minute walk to Saks Fifth Avenue, the Eaton Centre, the shops of Queen Street West and the financial district, and a three-minute walk to the subway. The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (home of the National Ballet of Canada and the Canadian Opera Company) and Roy Thomson Hall (home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra) are both four minutes away.

Rate: $$$$

Book Now

The post Toronto: The Shangri-La appeared first on TravelRight.Today.

Vibe: With 1,329 rooms and suites over 18 floors, the Royal York is a busy, busy place, yet still maintains an air of relative calm. The hotel was originally one of the Canadian Pacific Railway hotels, built across Canada around the same time as the railway, which linked the country from coast to coast. The original hand-painted wood coffered ceilings and lavish ballrooms have witnessed thousands of milestone events and business conventions, and the famous Imperial Room has played host to countless entertainers, from jazz legend Duke Ellington to Jim Carrey. And the clock tower has been an iconic meeting spot since the hotel opened.

Rooms: Traditional yet not overly so, the room design incorporates the old with the new, sporting modern colours, maple furnishings, lots of pattern and texture, plus striped floor-length curtains. Small but sensible bathrooms feature marble floors, spacious showers, makeup/shaving mirrors and luxurious Le Labo amenities. Spacious Fairmont Gold rooms feel like sumptuous little apartments, with cool tones, rich textures and Art Deco accents. Gold guests get access to the 18^th-floor reception and lounge.

F&B: REIGN Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner—classic Canadian fare with a slight French perspective. A meat-forward dinner menu features beef, bison, boar, duck and lamb, while also offering oysters, poached shrimp and butter-roasted sablefish. At breakfast, try the smoked steelhead trout and wood-fired bagel. The adjacent bar is inviting and comfortable, with low seating, nooks for intimate or business chats, and space for live music. A pop-up bakery appears in the morning in one corner, offering fresh-baked pastries and specialty coffees. The lobby is taken over almost entirely by CLOCKWORK lounge, its swish bar anchored to a stunning clock tower. The classic Library Bar in the hotel’s west corner has been shaking Martinis and mixing Manhattans for decades. Canada’s only Benihana Japanese Steakhouse offers Teppanyaki, sushi and sake on the lower level, where guests will also find Piper’s Pub, which serves casual pub fare.

Extras: A fitness centre, complete with sauna and steam room, sits opposite a sizeable swimming pool and whirlpool. The lower level of the hotel is a little high street in itself, home to a variety of small shops. Mezzanine and 19th-floor meeting and event space can handle almost 3,000 people across 32 function rooms.

Off-Site: The Hockey Hall of Fame, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and Meridian Hall are two short blocks away. Scotiabank Arena (home of Toronto Maple Leafs hockey and Toronto Raptors basketball) and Rogers Centre (home of Blue Jays baseball) are a 10-minute walk away, as are the CN Tower and Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada. The hotel is part of PATH, the underground pedestrian network, which is linked to Union Station across the street, connecting guests to the subway and to all above-ground trains, including the UP Express train to the airport.

Rate: $$$

Book now

The post Toronto: Fairmont Royal York appeared first on TravelRight.Today.