Tour Delta Toronto – as it prepares to welcome its first guests
With a whisky bar and a whimsical wall of hockey pucks, Toronto's newest hotel offers great views from city's highest rooms
Set to officially open Nov. 27 – although a large group booking is coming in the day before for the sole purpose of being the hotel’s first guests – the Delta Toronto, at the corner of Bremner Boulevard and Simcoe Street, will offer 567 rooms on 46 floors, making it the highest hotel-only facility in Toronto.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail
The walls of the lobby area are decked out in white oak and will feature exhibits that reference the south core neighbourhood – a wall of hockey pucks pay tribute to the nearby Air Canada Centre, home to the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. The interior design of the building and its finishing touches were the work of New York-based Champalimaud Design.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail
The Delta Toronto will be connected to the city’s enclosed PATH walkway system via a purpose-built addition which spans Simcoe Street. The connection allows hotel guests to cross over to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and, by 2015, the Pearson Express high-speed railway connection to Pearson Airport.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail
On the fourth floor, the permanent outdoor bar – to be built under the awning shown here – will allow guests to socialize al fresco with views across the south core, including the old railway roundhouse, CN Tower and Rogers Centre.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail
The conference and meeting rooms, located on the second and third floors, have been named after local Toronto neighbourhoods to further give guests a sense of where they are staying.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail
A bathroom with a view. Guest rooms occupy the fifth to the 46th floors of the Delta Hotel, totalling 567 rooms. The rooms on the southwest corner offer ensuites with a full view over the south core. The Delta painstakingly checked the blinds in each one to make sure that its guests are afforded full privacy.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail
There are 29 different layouts of guest rooms, with 13-14 rooms on each of the floors. The rooms are divided into three different types: Mode, Mode Deluxe and Mode Club. The Club rooms, which are situated on the top three floors, offer access to the Club Lounge on the top floor. The palate selection of differing shades of blue was a deliberate choice as part of Delta’s rebranding campaign.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail
The lobby of the Delta Hotel houses an entrance to the SoCo Kitchen and Bar, and it will also feature Char No.5, a dedicated Canadian whisky bar, which is being sponsored by Corby Spirit and Wine Ltd. SoCo Kitchen and Bar’s menu is the creation of Dan Craig, formerly the executive chef at EBO Restaurant and Lounge at the Delta Hotel Burnaby in B.C., and who was recently named Chef of the Year by the B.C. Chefs’ Association.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail
The pool and whirlpool, located on the fourth floor, are for hotel guests only. Delta Toronto architect Mansoor Kazerouni decided to locate the heated pool on the north side of the building. Because the facilities will be mainly used early in the morning or at night, he decided guests should have a view of the city lights.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail
The interior wall to SoCo Kitchen and Bar showcases the work of Canadian artist Aleksandra Rdest. Named the “Brise Soleil,” the piece illustrates the many area landmarks from the CN Tower, to the Air Canada Centre, Rogers Centre and Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada. The vivid colours of the glass panels was designed to reflect the stark diversity of Toronto. The hotel showcases other Canadian artists, with each of the first three floors featuring a large piece of artwork focused on the West Coast, the Prairies and the East Coast.Valerie Brive
The Delta Toronto, with its protruding podium and tower, will be the new flagship for Delta Hotels Ltd. as part of its rebranding efforts from a three- to a four-star hotel chain, a project that it expects to roll out to all 40 of its properties across Canada by the end of 2016. Read full story at link below: New Delta embraces its neighbourhoodKevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail