Toronto Ontario Hotels
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| Drake Hotel, Photo courtesy of George Whiteside Photography and Tourism Toronto |
Not just for overnight guests…
Even if you’re not staying there, you might want to pop in to one of these landmark hotels and have a look around if you’re in the neighbourhood. Members of the public are welcome to drop in for a drink or lunch or maybe “afternoon tea” as well... For someone like me, on a budget, this is a great way to experience the loveliness of these “grand old dames” without breaking the bank.
Note: The date you see after each name is the year the hotel opened..
Drake Hotel Toronto (1890)
This hip old/new hotel is located at 1150 Queen Street West in the trendy Art & Design District that stretches along “West Queen Street West”. The Drake Hotel opened in 1890 as D. A. Small’s Hotel but has gone by many names over the years. Recently renovated, it now caters to the cool crowd. It’s small, with only 19 guest rooms, but it has a lot of amenities open to the non-resident public: rooftop bar, restaurant, café and a lounge/bar with live entertainment.
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| Royal York Hotel, Photo courtesy of Tourism Toronto |
100 Front Street West, right across the street from Union Station (railway). Perhaps the best known of all Toronto Ontario hotels. If you come by train, you don’t even have to go outside if it’s raining or snowing; you can take the underground tunnel. Its Art Deco exterior and interior detailings make this building a thing of beauty. It’s a storied old hotel, plush and elegant and comfortable in its vintage trappings. Check out Balzac Fine Arts for Inuit sculptures and paintings by many Canadian artists.
Gladstone Hotel Toronto (1889)
Another artsy hotel located at 1214 Queen Street West, the Gladstone is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Toronto. (Montgomery’s Inn is older but it’s no longer a hotel; it’s a museum.) The style of architecture is Richardsonian Romanesque. It’s one of the quirkiest Toronto Ontario hotels, with these great leering monster/dragonlike creatures surrounding the window frames. The hotel’s in a hip, young area of town, the Art & Design District (read more about Queen Street West Toronto). The Gladstone’s art exhibits, music, and comedy shows cater to this community. The Queen West Walking Tour, led by guide Betty Ann Jordan, leaves from this location as well as nearby Drake Hotel. The hotel boasts unique guest rooms designed by artists. Dining area is open to the public for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and late night munchies.
Hotel Victoria Toronto (1909)
Victoria Hotel Toronto is found at 56 Yonge Street, close to Union Station Toronto, Harbourfront, the Air Canada Centre, the Financial District and the Entertainment District with its theatres, bars, clubs and restaurants. Now a true antique (100 years old in 2009!), this building is small and unassuming but dignified, and it fits neatly into its neighbourhood, unlike the bigger new hotels that just seem to dominate everything around them.
continue to p 2 of Toronto Ontario Hotels (Historic)
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