New RIU Plaza Hotel Toronto finally set to open after years of delays

Spain-based luxury hotel and resort brand RIU Hotels is finally preparing to open its first Canadian outpost in Toronto's Entertainment District this fall, a milestone that follows years of delays and missed opening dates dating back four years.

The new Hotel Riu Plaza Toronto was first announced over six years ago, when it was revealed that the brand's first location in Canada would occupy the lower levels of the two-tower Theatre District Residence complex's north tower at 30 Widmer Street.

When first announced all those years ago, the 353-room hotel was anticipated to open in 2021. 

However, few could have predicted the tumultuous pandemic years that followed, which saw construction stoppages and a near-total collapse of the hospitality industry.

Despite the initial promise of a 2021 opening, that year closed out with a complex rising just a few storeys above street level, and it had already become clear that the initial opening timeline would be significantly delayed.

In early 2025, the project website finally offered some hope of an eventual opening, stating that the new hotel would indeed welcome its first guests in "late 2025." 

This timeline was updated in mid-2025 to a nonspecific September opening date, though it seems RIU was hit with one final unexpected delay this summer — as the Toronto hotel page has once again changed its opening date.

However, the newly-revealed opening date of Oct. 10 is the first actual calendar date provided for an opening, indicating that the new accommodation is finally rounding the finish line.

Hotel Riu Plaza Toronto will offer perks like in-room Wi-Fi, a 24-hour gym, complimentary buffet breakfasts and a lobby bar, as well as business-focused amenities like a meeting room for the suit-and-tie crowd.

The long-awaited opening will be just the latest in a growing collection of combined condo and hotel developments in the city.

Hotel RIU Plaza Toronto joins a growing development trend of hotels built into condo complexes, with notable examples including One King West, the St. Regis Hotel, the Ritz-Carlton Toronto and, most recently, the TOOR Hotel.