New Hospitality Choices Add to Vancouver’s Sheen and Toronto’s Pomp

Vancouver is growing in popularity as a business and leisure hub with new hotels adding more choice for visitors. Seaside, is a new waterfront hotel destination located in The Shipyards District of Lower Lonsdale (Lolo)—North Vancouver’s historic arts and dining neighborhood .

The boutique property delivers comfort with 71 rooms and suites that bring panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, snow-capped North Shore mountains, and forests beyond. In Toronto, the W Toronto will open next year in Toronto’s fashionable Yorkville neighborhood with bold design, innovative programming and whatever/whenever experiences.

Each room at the new Seaside echoes the natural world in reclaimed wood, marble bathrooms and a “floating” bed lit from below with a warm, diffuse lighting at night. Seaside Provisions, the on-site restaurant, bar, and lounge creates a holistic dining experience in a style-infused spot called the Living Room. Guests can expect locally sourced coastal tapas in a room filled with curated art and photography. Guests may arrive by boat, kayak, or paddleboard and tie up to dock and dine.

The Waterfront Spa puts wellness at waters’ edge with an intimate and welcoming place of fitness, healing and recovery. An adjacent event space is available to host functions, parties, or large-scale meetings for up to 200 standing guests.

The property is the latest opening for Executive Hotels and Resorts.

Meanwhile, Marriott International is bringing W Hotels’ bold design, signature “Whatever/Whenever” experiences to Toronto for the first time, underscoring growing demand for luxury hospitality in Canada.

The nine-story, 255-room property located at 90 Bloor Street East in Toronto’s fashionable Yorkville area, will be surrounded by high-end boutiques, galleries and design studios as well as chic cafes, polished bars and fine-dining restaurants. The $40 million design transformation, which began in July 2019, reimagines the property’s guest rooms, restaurants and amenities. The property is expected to open as W Toronto in Summer 2020.

“We are applying a unique, vibrant sensibility to the upcoming W Toronto, one that has not been seen before in Toronto,” said Paul Cahill, Area Vice President, Eastern Canada for Marriott International. “The exciting evolution of this property into Toronto’s first W hotel is consistent with the ongoing evolution of this Toronto neighborhood whose vibrancy, sophistication, and density continues to grow. This is a strategic location for the brand, and we foresee it welcoming international business and leisure travelers, but also becoming a destination for urban thrill-seekers.”

W Toronto is taking inspiration from social, historical and physical insights and embedding elements of each into the rooms and public spaces. It is expected to feature multiple food and beverage venues including an indoor/outdoor lobby bar and lounge equipped with a DJ booth/recording studio for collaborating, broadcasting and recording podcasts; a specialty restaurant and a 9th floor roof top restaurant, accessible from street level with a glass exterior elevator; and a unique coffee and cocktail bar. W Toronto will also feature a 3,300-square-foot fitness facility and 4,800 square feet of meeting space to serve as a unique venue for social and corporate events.

There will be signature FUEL-focused activities (fitness and wellness programming) including weekly workouts, healthy cuisine and fun adventures powered by the W brand mantra of DETOX. RETOX. REPEAT.

The new W will add to Marriott’s growing luxury portfolio in Canada, where the company now has seven open luxury hotels along with additional luxury hotel projects expected to be announced before year-end.