W Hotels Worldwide announced the opening of W Toronto in Toronto's downtown Yorkville neighborhood.
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Designed by global creative agency Sid Lee, W Toronto is a juxtaposition of the city’s biophilia, man-made city grid and brutalist architecture.
The contrast begins with the exterior, where the brutalist façade 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.
W Toronto features 254 guest rooms - including 30 suites - two of which are Extreme Wow (Presidential) Suites.
Drawing inspiration from Toronto’s illustrious theater 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 honor of Toronto’s musical legacy and nods to nature, like the abstract floral wallpaper and mushroom-shaped accent lights.
As a playful wink to personal artistic interpretation, Double Queen Rooms are adorned with wall art that reads “Not everything has to mean something. Some things just are.” by Canadian writer and musician Charles de Lint. ■
Monsoonal moisture will continue to draw northward from the Southwest and pool with moisture from the Gulf of Mexico over the central U.S. along a sprawling, slow-moving frontal boundary.