W Toronto: A Dynamic Escape In Yorkville
A new standard in cultural excellence paired with the highest level of hospitality — Toronto welcomes the W hotel.
The Montreal team of architects extraordinaires, Sid Lee Architecture, are the creatives behind Toronto’s latest upscale hotel, the W Toronto. Located at the doorstep of the city’s lavish neighbourhood, the Yorkville hotel channels heritage while paving the way for modern class and cultural excellence.
With location in mind, the team thoughtfully designed a façade that adds value and dimension to the pre-existing structure with conscious efforts to highlight its historic roots, embellishing them with a dynamic flair.
The vibrant space welcomes guests into an urban oasis that reflects the city it calls home. Inspired by the French term “mise en scène,” Sid Lee re-imagined this idea, creating a multitude of them, which he incorporated into design features that allow for conversational flow and interaction between people — a sort of utopian experience facilitated within the structure’s own walls.
The project designers had one goal in mind when it came to the remodel: they wanted to ensure the hotel seamlessly integrated its architecture into the surrounding community and environment. The Senior Partner at Sid Lee, architect Martin Leblanc, expressed his vision for the W: “Connection to the community being an important part of W’s DNA, it was vital to connect the hotel to its context, but the original closed-off layout of the building represented an integration challenge.” Creating a space that was both fluid and welcoming was vital in bringing the W to life. Luckily, with the addition of a street-access elevator that idea was able to be realized: “Our team relied on a seamless connection between the interior and the exterior to turn the hotel into a connectivity hub.” Not only has the W become a hub for culture and hospitality, it welcomes patrons into a social atmosphere with its café-by-day, cocktail-bar-by night space, PUBLIC SCHOOL.
“OUR TEAM RELIED ON A SEAMLESS CONNECTION BETWEEN THE INTERIOR AND THE EXTERIOR TO TURN THE HOTEL INTO A CONNECTIVITY HUB.”
Fitting with the neighbourhood’s DNA, the W hotel’s interior design choices reflect the surrounding esthetic from Bloor Street designer shops, ultimately creating an immersive experience for guests to enjoy a chic yet welcoming stay while in town. With the use of a vibrant colour palette, the hotel welcomes guests into a space thoughtfully designed and decorated with modern art, featuring murals and exhibition pieces by local artists like Alan Ganev.
Embracing the structure’s brutalist qualities paved an opportunity for designers at Sid Lee to incorporate biophilic design throughout the hotel. Elements like these transport guests into unique spaces, adding vibrancy to the scenography and character to the W Toronto. Guests exploring the hotel will enjoy the seamless connection between its natural features and its urban setting, experiencing a transformative stay in an atmosphere that pays homage to the rich and varied city that is its home.
The designers at Sid Lee have set the tone for what a cinematic entrance on the Toronto scene means; they have brought to life a hotel experience that is rich in culture and reflects Canada’s largest and most diverse example of what defines a metropolis. With an array of rooms and common spaces to discover, a stay at the W is sure to highlight the beauty and diverse culture that is rooted in the soil of Toronto.
