Gladstone House
Toronto, also known as Canada's cultural capital, is filled with unique boutique properties, including the artsy Gladstone House, a towering red-brick building on a prominent corner of the West End neighborhood. Built in 1889, it’s Toronto’s oldest-operating hotel.
But this isn’t just a property with art hung on the walls. There are three dedicated gallery spaces and a staggering number of art shows per year (somewhere around 45). Guests and locals can take art classes, attend gallery openings, and sign up for workshops or social events, such as a life-drawing class, yoga in the art gallery, or karaoke night.
Food is not forgotten, either. The property is home to Melody Bar, which features soaring, 14-foot ceilings, as well as an all-day café, where you can enjoy everything from avocado toast at brunch to seared ribeye for dinner. Plus, if you can manage to stay on a Sunday, Monday, or Wednesday, then you'll have access to Uncellared Wine Mondays (half-priced bottles), Sunday Fun Jam (family-style dinners), and the Harvest Wednesdays Food Series, which features dishes made with locally grown and produced foods ($75 per person).
What You Need to Know
The Look
Here, each of the 37 rooms is specially curated by artists and different from the next, and they all feature fun names that connect to the décor. For example, in the Surreal Gourmet room, you'll find retro kitchen appliances, marshmallow pillows, and other foodie-approved touches. The Teen Queen room is filled with nostalgia-inducing, posters of celebrity heartthrobs and features bright pink and purple patterned bedding.
Tip: Before you book, be sure to check out the hotel's website for photos so you don’t end up with a room that doesn’t jive with your idea of calm — like the pixelated ceiling in the Pixel room.
The property also has several art galleries, where you'll find rotating exhibitions. In the lobby, there is a small gift shop where you can buy items created by local artisans and artists. Hotel Gladstone’s monthly market series, , brings together 20 local makers under one common theme (think wellness, feminism, and more).