W Toronto hotel was years in the making
Story by IAN STALKER
The Wait is over for What Marriott Bonvoy says is a very Welcome addition to Toronto’s hotel scene.
W Hotels Worldwide, one of Marriott Bonvoy’s 30 hotel brands, opened the W Toronto on July 21, saying the 254-room property has been years in the making.
“We’ve been looking for the right location in Toronto for the W brand for probably 10-plus years,” Paul Cahill, Marriott’s area vice president Canada, told Travel Courier during a colourful opening ceremony that saw a woman on stilts join Marriott officials for the unveiling of a large W sculpture outside the hotel and had hotel staff offering free tea to passing pedestrians. “Even through the down days of Covid we kept forging ahead.”
“We hope today will be the beginning of a newfound excitement for this city,” hotel general manager Craig Reaume in turn told a gathering on hand for the opening.
Marriott says W Hotels was “born from the bold, 24/7 culture of New York City,” and has “redefined hospitality for over two decades, breaking the norms of traditional luxury wherever the iconic W sign lands. With nearly 60 hotels around the globe, the detail-driven design, iconic Whatever/Whenever service and buzzing, signature Living Rooms create an experience that is often imitated but never matched. Dynamic and invigorating, the brand celebrates each travellers’ desire to uncover the destination through a lens that is distinctly W.”
Cahill noted the 11-story W Toronto overlooks Toronto’s trendy Yorkville district, giving it a “perfect” location for a hotel that Marriott says is a celebration of Toronto’s “storied art scene, diversity of culture and legacy of non-conformity. “Destined to bring a new energy and sophistication to the city’s luxury lifestyle hospitality scene, W Toronto gives locals a new playground and travellers an authentic, socially charged retreat.”
W Toronto is a “juxtaposition of the city’s biophilia, man-made city grid and brutalist architecture,” Marriott added. “The contrast begins with the exterior, where the brutalist facade has been transformed through warm, LED lighting that illuminates the night sky, including a glowing, opaque orange lift to take guests to the rooftop bar and restaurant. The journey begins on the 6th floor, where the Welcome Desk and Living Room (the W brand’s signature lobby/lounge) drips in jewel tones of ruby, amethyst, and topaz – with curved lines and velvet furniture reminiscent of Toronto’s late 60s and early 70s counterculture movement. Other highlights of the 5,000 square foot space include a communal “fire” pit, a circular destination bar featuring cascading amber lighting and access to The Yard, an outdoor terrace surrounded by a three-story atrium of guest room windows – creating a voyeuristic tension between public and private.”
Thirty of the W Toronto’s 254 guest units are suites, two of which are Extreme Wow (Presidential) Suites. “Drawing inspiration from Toronto’s illustrious theatre district, guest room beds are flanked by stage-inspired pendant lights and situated in front of a sapphire velvet curtain that can be automatically drawn open or shut. Design touches include curved banquettes, dressing room-style vanity mirrors, ‘record’-like tables in honour of Toronto’s musical legacy and nods to nature like the abstract floral wallpaper and mushroom-shaped accent lights.”
W Toronto is also home Canada’s first W Sound Suite, the brand’s signature recording studio experience. Situated off the Living Room, behind a nondescript, one-way, tinted window, W Toronto’s W Sound Suite has professional equipment for accomplished and novice musicians, podcasters and others.
Hotel executive chef Keith Pears — whose resume includes being named B.C. Chef of the Year, Gold Metal Plates, Bocuse d’Or National Selection, and appearing on Chopped Canada – oversees W Toronto’s three beverage and food venues. PUBLIC SCHOOL, is the “rebellious, ground floor coffee house, kitchen and bar driven by barista culture by day and new school tonics, elixirs and low or no alcohol beverages by night. The playful, unpretentious, plant-forward menu is served across two sweeping levels, accentuated by inviting, late 60s/early 70s seating in a palette of soothing earth tones as well as “Toronto Gush”, an original mural inspired by Toronto’s Graffiti Alley.
SKYLIGHT, the hotel’s rooftop bar and restaurant, adds to the city’s late-night scene with curated cocktails and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. The indoor-outdoor boho oasis overlooks Toronto’s iconic Bloor Street, celebrating the 60s Yorkville hippie revolution. In addition to the bazaar-inspired main room — with its nightly DJ booth and performance stage — SKYLIGHT features The Loft (for semi-private events); The Den(an intimate seating, people-watching nook); and The Terrace (with birdcage-style seating).
Hotel event spaces encompass 4,679 square feet, and are available for those conducting business or celebrating a milestone. Industry, at 1,980 square feet, features botanical-inspired wallpaper decorated with elliptical lighting, reminiscent of floral seedlings, and can be divided into three intimate spaces. Studios 1 and 2, off the Living Room, as well as Strategy 1 and 2, offer more casual working session settings.
The 3,300 square foot FIT gym is another feature.
Meanwhile, Cahill says there are now around 260 Marriott-branded hotels across this country and Marriott has 30 brands globally, 18 of them found in Canada.
“We can imagine how much opportunity there is for us to grow our brands in Canada,” he said.
For more information on W Hotels, visit whotels.com/theangle.
