W Toronto has taken over a former Marriott hotel in Yorkville’s Bloor Street East, bringing in design studio Sid Lee to reimagine the interiors of the brutalist building.
It’s the first W hotel to open in Toronto and was three years in the making, with the building stripped back to its bones as part of an almost $40m refurb. The concrete exterior remains the same, but inside, the space is bright and is a riot of colour.
Courtesy W Hotel Toronto
Courtesy W Hotel Toronto
Courtesy W Hotel Toronto
Courtesy W Hotel Toronto
Courtesy W Hotel Toronto
Courtesy W Hotel Toronto
Sid Lee has installed new circular seating areas in communal spaces, bringing in round sofa sections that wrap around freestanding fires to create a conversation pit feel. The social aspect is key, with guests entering the hotel via its ‘plant-forward’ coffee house, kitchen and bar, dubbed Public School, which is helmed by executive chef Keith Pears.
A rooftop bar and restaurant crown the building, flowing onto an open-air terrace packed with greenery and far-reaching views of the city’s downtown. Inside, an intricate brise-soleil patterned screen envelopes the bar, creating intriguing light-play as the space transitions from day to night.
While the downstairs of the hotel embraces plenty of orange and terracotta, its guest rooms (which start at CAD $793 per night) are dipped in royal blue, with a coloured section framing the bed. Guests can dip into the minibar to mix their own cocktail – with scannable QR code recipes to hand for guidance – or drop into the Toronto hotel’s Living Room bar to order a glass of champagne or prosecco or pick up a whole bottle of Moët from the vending machine.
90 Bloor St E, Toronto, ON M4W 1A7
