HOTEL REVIEW
An iconic building playing a pivotal role in revitalising Toronto’s downtown core, The Ritz-Carlton salutes Canada with a series of harmonious interiors rich in warmth, texture and symbolism.
The Ritz-Carlton Toronto
Words: Neena Dhillon Photography: Ron Starr / Chris Cypert “T
his was a world-class city without world-class hotels,” says Tim Terceira, General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, explaining
why the luxury brand became interested in the Canadian city some years back. Sleeper is sitting with the welcoming GM in the Club Lounge on the 20th floor, enjoying panoramic views out to Lake Ontario. Terceira extols the virtues of this downtown location at the crossroads of the financial and entertainment districts, pointing out its position next door to legal and investment firms, opposite the convention centre, minutes to popular theatres and sports arenas and within literal reach of the CN Tower. A no-brainer for outsiders, perhaps, but this area, known as King West, was associated with parking lots and bland office blocks a decade ago. For wealth and affluence, locals typically look uptown towards Bloor-Yorkville. The Ritz- Carlton and its developer partners, therefore, have taken a calculated risk. “There are thousands of condominiums being built downtown so it is becoming much more live- and-work oriented,” continues Terceira. “As a residential retreat built and staffed to attain five-diamond rating, we felt this was an ideal opportunity for us to become a social centre in Toronto.”
This commitment to becoming part of the community
starts with the very fabric of the development, a 53- storey reflective glass and steel tower designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, in conjunction with Toronto- based Page+Steele, to accommodate both a five-star hotel and 159 residences. Found at the base of the structure, a five-floor glass podium that cantilevers more than 20ft not only encourages a sense of interaction between the street and hotel, providing cover for the porte-cochère, it also mediates between the pedestrian scale and large urban scale of the tower above. Unusually the chiselled tower increases in floor plate at the upper levels, with the angled form gesturing towards the lake on its southern side. It is an impressive addition to the skyline. Charged with the interiors, hospitality specialist Hirsch Bedner Associates was asked to develop a contemporary
056 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM
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