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Guest
Once dilapidated hotels offer funky alternative in Toronto
By ROGER WARD
TORONTO (CP) - This city has its share of swank, international chain hotels but a growing number of small boutique establishments offer different, edgier accommodation.
Two notable examples are the ultra-funky Drake Hotel and the art gallery-inspired Gladstone.
Both 19th-century hotels began as railway stopovers on what was then the western edge of Toronto's Queen Street. They descended into latter 20th-century seediness, only to be reborn as havens for a new culture of cool.
"In actual fact, (guests) don't have to leave the four walls and certainly don't have to leave a three or four block radius to get a very strong feel of what's happening culturally in Toronto," said Jeff Stober, owner of the Drake.
The radius he referred to is a stretch of Toronto just to the west of the downtown core. It's a place where a time-worn grocery store like the Square Market can coexist with a trendy vegetarian restaurant called Fresh, and a clothing store named Rockin' Cowboy.
A guest entering the narrow, dark lobby of the Drake recently might have encountered a psychedelic video playing on a flat screened TV sitting next to a working 1960s-era pay photo booth.
It's all part of an ever-changing art display that leaves the visitor wondering what part of the decor is permanent and what is ephemeral.
The effect has taken several years of extensive renovations to achieve, Stober having bought the old hotel in late 2001.
The 19 rooms of the Drake take a rather cheeky approach. The rooms, some called Crash Pads, are fitted with ultra-modern clear glass-doored shower cabinets that are visible in the room, creating a somewhat voyeuristic effect.
At the foot of the bed there might be retro-looking ottomans, covered in clear material, so the springs are visible.
That is contrasted with a flat-screen TV and DVD with high speed Internet.
Downstairs there's a spacious eclectically furnished bar and a formal dining room that still manages to sport somewhat distressed-looking wooden chairs.
A utilitarian cafe boasts many dishes under $10 and what the menu hails as "cheap ass drinks."
At night, the Drake is the venue for an ever-changing revue of Toronto musical talent, with a club-like room in the basement for fully-staged events.
Stober said the whole concept of the Drake is to make the visitor feel as though they are part of a unique culture.
"They want to feel the DNA of that particular community and I think it is the role of a hotel like the Drake to expose people very clearly to a tremendously vibrant cultural community," he said.
While the Drake is trendy and sassy, the Gladstone, a few blocks to the west, exudes an elegant dignity befitting its name, honouring 19th-century British prime minister William Gladstone.
The oldest continuously operating hotel in Toronto has been revived since 2002 from a semi flop house to an art gallery, with 37 guest rooms and spacious social function areas with ceilings over four metres high.
Each guest room is designed by an individual artist, the concept of Christine Zeidler, who owns the hotel along with her family.
Marketing director Chris Mitchell says turning the hotel into an art gallery was a natural.
"There was an arts community here that was utilizing the space, there was lots of grass roots arts organizations running events here because it was cheap," she said.
Mitchell noted the owners did not forget the needs of the disadvantaged residents during the renovations. The Zeidler family supported them in finding alternative housing, partnering with community services," she explained.
The rooms are designed by mostly local artists who won a competition. They range from the traditional and ornate to high tech and whimsical.
One room has what appears to be a stack of old suitcases and steamer trunks in the corner. They open up to reveal the TV and DVD.
Like the Drake, the Gladstone has attracted guests from all over the world and all walks of life. "People looking for a real alternative experience when they come to the city," said Mitchell.
"We've had a convention of heart surgeons stay here, we've had a psychiatric convention as well as corporate events."
As for those who still need a fix of traditional Toronto attractions like the CN Tower and Air Canada Centre, they are a short streetcar or cab ride away.
-
If you go . . .
Drake Hotel: Room prices range from $179 for a Crash Pad to $229 for a Salon and $289 for a large suite; www.thedrakehotel.ca; phone toll free 1-866-372-5386.
Gladstone Hotel: Room prices start at $165; www.gladstonehotel.com, 416-539-0593.
Other new boutique hotels in Toronto include:
-Soho Metropolitan: www.metropolitan.com/soho.
-Cosmopolitan/Pantages: www.cosmotoronto.com.
-Hotel Le Germain: www.germaintoronto.com.
By ROGER WARD
TORONTO (CP) - This city has its share of swank, international chain hotels but a growing number of small boutique establishments offer different, edgier accommodation.
Two notable examples are the ultra-funky Drake Hotel and the art gallery-inspired Gladstone.
Both 19th-century hotels began as railway stopovers on what was then the western edge of Toronto's Queen Street. They descended into latter 20th-century seediness, only to be reborn as havens for a new culture of cool.
"In actual fact, (guests) don't have to leave the four walls and certainly don't have to leave a three or four block radius to get a very strong feel of what's happening culturally in Toronto," said Jeff Stober, owner of the Drake.
The radius he referred to is a stretch of Toronto just to the west of the downtown core. It's a place where a time-worn grocery store like the Square Market can coexist with a trendy vegetarian restaurant called Fresh, and a clothing store named Rockin' Cowboy.
A guest entering the narrow, dark lobby of the Drake recently might have encountered a psychedelic video playing on a flat screened TV sitting next to a working 1960s-era pay photo booth.
It's all part of an ever-changing art display that leaves the visitor wondering what part of the decor is permanent and what is ephemeral.
The effect has taken several years of extensive renovations to achieve, Stober having bought the old hotel in late 2001.
The 19 rooms of the Drake take a rather cheeky approach. The rooms, some called Crash Pads, are fitted with ultra-modern clear glass-doored shower cabinets that are visible in the room, creating a somewhat voyeuristic effect.
At the foot of the bed there might be retro-looking ottomans, covered in clear material, so the springs are visible.
That is contrasted with a flat-screen TV and DVD with high speed Internet.
Downstairs there's a spacious eclectically furnished bar and a formal dining room that still manages to sport somewhat distressed-looking wooden chairs.
A utilitarian cafe boasts many dishes under $10 and what the menu hails as "cheap ass drinks."
At night, the Drake is the venue for an ever-changing revue of Toronto musical talent, with a club-like room in the basement for fully-staged events.
Stober said the whole concept of the Drake is to make the visitor feel as though they are part of a unique culture.
"They want to feel the DNA of that particular community and I think it is the role of a hotel like the Drake to expose people very clearly to a tremendously vibrant cultural community," he said.
While the Drake is trendy and sassy, the Gladstone, a few blocks to the west, exudes an elegant dignity befitting its name, honouring 19th-century British prime minister William Gladstone.
The oldest continuously operating hotel in Toronto has been revived since 2002 from a semi flop house to an art gallery, with 37 guest rooms and spacious social function areas with ceilings over four metres high.
Each guest room is designed by an individual artist, the concept of Christine Zeidler, who owns the hotel along with her family.
Marketing director Chris Mitchell says turning the hotel into an art gallery was a natural.
"There was an arts community here that was utilizing the space, there was lots of grass roots arts organizations running events here because it was cheap," she said.
Mitchell noted the owners did not forget the needs of the disadvantaged residents during the renovations. The Zeidler family supported them in finding alternative housing, partnering with community services," she explained.
The rooms are designed by mostly local artists who won a competition. They range from the traditional and ornate to high tech and whimsical.
One room has what appears to be a stack of old suitcases and steamer trunks in the corner. They open up to reveal the TV and DVD.
Like the Drake, the Gladstone has attracted guests from all over the world and all walks of life. "People looking for a real alternative experience when they come to the city," said Mitchell.
"We've had a convention of heart surgeons stay here, we've had a psychiatric convention as well as corporate events."
As for those who still need a fix of traditional Toronto attractions like the CN Tower and Air Canada Centre, they are a short streetcar or cab ride away.
-
If you go . . .
Drake Hotel: Room prices range from $179 for a Crash Pad to $229 for a Salon and $289 for a large suite; www.thedrakehotel.ca; phone toll free 1-866-372-5386.
Gladstone Hotel: Room prices start at $165; www.gladstonehotel.com, 416-539-0593.
Other new boutique hotels in Toronto include:
-Soho Metropolitan: www.metropolitan.com/soho.
-Cosmopolitan/Pantages: www.cosmotoronto.com.
-Hotel Le Germain: www.germaintoronto.com.