Last week, Spanish-based hotel chain RIU Hotels & Resorts announced their plan to open a hotel in Downtown Toronto in 2021, marking their expansion into the Canadian market. The company has over 40 hotels around the Caribbean, and just more than 100 around the world currently, making it the 30th largest chain world-wide. A rendering accompanying RIU's news release identifies Plaza's Theatre District Residence, a two-tower Quadrangle-designed development at Adelaide and Widmer in the Entertainment District, as its home.

RIU's Toronto location—part of their Plaza Hotels line serving travellers visiting urban destinations—will occupy the first 28 floors of the 48-storey north tower. The hotel will have 353 rooms, with amenities including meeting rooms, a gym, bar and restaurant, with the company to invest approximately $100 million in the project. The upper 20 floors of the tower will house condominium suites, known as Encore at Theatre District.

Encore at Theatre District (R) with RIU branding, image via RIU Hotels

A statement by Luis Riu, CEO of RIU Hotels & Resorts, reads that the opening of the company's first hotel in Toronto “is a big step forward in our commitment to expanding the Riu Plaza hotel line in the world’s key cities, establishing the RIU brand beyond more traditional vacation destinations. We hope this hotel attracts RIU customers around the world to discover the city of Toronto with us."

With construction permits in place for the development, RIU is announcing a projected 2021 opening for the hotel. The project will mark RIU Plaza Hotels' 10th location, with six existing locations and three more already under construction.

Additional information and images can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.

* * *

UrbanToronto has a new way you can track projects through the planning process on a daily basis. Sign up for a free trial of our New Development Insider here.