New boutique hotel in Toronto will have pipes stretching 700 feet underground

A new hotel will soon rise in downtown Toronto, filling a long-vacant gap in the urban fabric just north of the bustling Queen and Spadina intersection.

Manga Hotel Group, which owns and operates over 30 hotels across Canada and the U.S., including major hospitality brands such as Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and InterContinental Hotel Group, is keen on expanding its presence in Toronto — already adding the soon-to-open TOOR Hotel to its portfolio.

But Manga isn't done with its expansion plans in Toronto, and has been working behind the scenes towards gaining approval for a new boutique hotel property planned at 182-184 Spadina Avenue in the city's vibrant Chinatown neighbourhood.

The project has been in the works for several years, but is now approaching the finish line of Toronto's planning and approvals process with an August 2024 resubmission filed with City planners.

These latest documents have shed even more light on the project, with renderings confirming that the new hotel will operate as "Hyatt House."

Hyatt House will consist of two towers rising 15 and 14 storeys fronting Spadina Avenue and Cameron Street, housing a total of 250 hotel suites.

A three-level underground parking garage containing just 34 spaces is proposed to serve the site, while most guests would be expected to make use of public transit, walking, cycling, and rideshare options to get around.

Zoning approval for the hotel complex was granted in May 2023, and while all final approvals are not yet in place, the developer seems ready to kick off construction as soon as possible, and has even filed for shoring permits — which, if issued, would allow the first step in construction to commence.

Well, maybe not the first step.

Drilling activity to support a geothermal energy system technically marked the first step in construction for this site in 2023.

Permits were issued by the City for the drilling of 40 boreholes going down a staggering 700 feet below the street, which will be used as part of the building's energy-efficient geothermal heating/cooling system.