Toronto is getting a luxurious new hotel for eco-travellers
The American hotel conglomerate behind W, Bvlgari, the St. Regis and the Ritz Carlton is about to roll out one of its most luxurious boutique concepts to date in Toronto.
Get ready to get wowed by the 1 Hotel: A high-end luxury lodging chain that caters specifically to environmentally-conscious travellers (who have a lot of money).
Inspired by nature, the Starwood Capital Group project seeks to "bring the outdoors inside" through the use of "pure and natural elements" like organic cotton mattresses, reclaimed wood, corrugated leather headboards and living green walls.
That's not to say the suites are rustic — not by a long shot. At the brand's three existing hotels in Brooklyn, Manhattan and South Beach, clients enjoy triple-filtered water rain showers and unlimited, complimentary Tesla rides.
They have farmers markets in the lobby. In-house SoulCycle lifestyle boutiques, digital newspapers on tablets and 55-inch LCD televisions for every room.
At the Brooklyn Bridge location, you can rent a room with its own carved stone soaking tubs and lampshades grown from mushroom mycelium.
That suite, the 2-bedroom "riverhouse," can be rented for around $5,000 a night.
Starwood CEO Barry Sternlich confirmed to The Globe and Mail this week that Toronto will soon have a 1 Hotel of its own.
He didn't specify where the hotel would be — only that it would be downtown — but did say that Starwood has signed a deal to buy and convert an existing hotel in the city. The process should take about one and a half years, if all goes well.
All three of the existing 1 Hotels incorporate their surrounding elements as part of the experience. Miami, for instance, has four luxurious outdoor pools, while Brooklyn boasts floor-to-ceiling windows with unobstructed views of the Brooklyn Bridge.
What will 1 Hotels bring of Toronto into its new boutique hotel and/or resort? Reclaimed streetcar seats? Raccoon pelt blankets? Video footage of Rob Ford's greatest hits in every room?
TIFF people might definitely pay $1,200 a night for that.
