Toronto's new Pantages Suites Hotel & Spa plays up its theatre connections. Built on the same block as the old Pantages Theatre, the hotel refers to its lobby as "centre stage," its rooms as "scenes" and its cleaning staff as "stage designers." So, in this vein, a reviewer could say this: The location is star quality; the staff are in character; the set is well designed and the plot meanders a little.
The 111-room Pantages opened in March, taking up 12 floors of a new 45-storey condo tower in downtown Toronto. It joined a burgeoning accommodation scene, where the boutique-style offerings of Hotel Germain and Soho Metropolitan have added to the city's selection of grand dames and luxury chains. But while Pantages is billed as a boutique hotel, the vibe is not design-above-all-else. It's more of a mixed-breed hotel: part condo, part business haven, part wellness movement and, yes, part boutique. With that mix, it might just offer something for everyone.
Ambiance
Because the hotel is not a converted factory, and because, through the lobby's glass wall, condo dwellers can be seen descending the stairs to walk their pugs, Pantages exudes a condo-like atmosphere on first impression. It doesn't immediately instill the sense of separation that staying in a hotel often evokes, that you're arriving at a hotel.
But Pantages soon establishes itself through fun and savvy details: the stubble-faced babe who blinks and smiles on the flat-screen TV as you ride the elevator; the in-room CDs compiled by the owner; the polished rocks slipped under the pillows at turndown. What condo board is going to spring for that?
Design
There are the boutique hotel signs: lobby accents include exotic flowers, a dish filled with rocks and spiky plants, and a central, oversized lampshade. The rooms are within the boutique colour palette: chocolate, black and cream.
But unlike some fashion-forward hotels, function seems as important as design here. Many rooms have full kitchens and washers and dryers. There's lots of closet space. The windows open. The rooms have simple travel alarm clocks. And, best of all, for any traveller who quickly tires of restaurant food, there is the "minibar with an attitude" stocked with tempting treats: Panda's Licorice, Shikar Corn Poppadums; foie gras mousse; Palme d'Or lobster bisque. Some of these ideas came from Pantages general manager, Rodney Darwin, who, with nine hotel openings under his belt, knows how to satiate road warriors.
Rooms
Pantages has three types of rooms, but all have 400-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets, CD players and 27-inch flat-screen TVs and offer wireless Web access and free local calls. Most of the rooms are deluxe one-bedroom suites, some with hardwood floors and queen- or king-sized beds. There are 23 two-room ambassador suites that include a kitchen island with stools, two flat-screen TVs and love seats. And then there are the 14 Serenity rooms set to open at the end of August. These look promising: They possess an apartment-like feel and a wellness focus that includes Jacuzzi-style tubs, an air purifier, yoga mats and blocks and views of the yet-to-be-built-but-already-named Zen garden. Only the Serenity rooms don't have the fully equipped kitchen, but yoga's better on an empty stomach anyway.
Clientele
The guests seem a mixed bunch: couples in jeans and T-shirts, middle-aged blondes in yoga pants, a man in an argyle sweater and sunglasses holding a newborn.
Service
Front-desk staff come across like most Torontonians: polite and friendly, but without excessive smiling or nosing into where you're from or whether that's really your husband you're travelling with. They do know the city: a night clerk recommended a good sushi restaurant nearby that a passerby could easily miss.
Amenities
Today's ultimate hotel amenity isn't a swimming pool -- it's a spa. The Pantages Anti-Aging & Longevity Spa, which opened last month, is sure to draw hotel guests, as well as locals. The spa is spacious -- 8,000 square feet spread over the fifth floor -- yet cozy. It features both ancient and modern treatments from Ayurvedic massage to Botox injections with the on-staff doctor. Water is a theme here, from the whirlpool and fountains in the halls to an aqua bar and "aqua sommelier" offering H{-2}0 from around the world. The spa also has late hours (open to midnight) and a series of inventive programs, such as the After Eight Treat designed for couples. There's nothing like ending a busy week or journey with a Swedish massage with your partner and then lounging in the dark relaxing room, sipping blueberry-flavoured water, nibbling fresh strawberries and gazing at a saltwater fish tank.
The Pantages is also constructing a 5,000-square-foot conference floor on the third floor that is slated to open in January and will offer six boardrooms and a ballroom that can seat up to 300 people.
Food and drink
Think club sandwich instead of limoncello martinis. Opening in September, the first-floor corner of the hotel will be home to Fifties-style diner Frans, which will offer room service, continental breakfast and, of course, breakfast around the clock. The hotel also has a marble bar in the lobby that will open with the restaurant; for now, you can pick up orange juice and pain au chocolat there in the morning.
Things to do
Pantages is ideally located for downtown activities: It's next door to the Massey Hall concert venue and minutes away from the Eaton Centre and Dundas Square (the city's new concrete-infested public space), and blocks from the downtown business towers. And, of course, the WinterGarden/Elgin Theatres and Canon Theatre (formerly Pantages) are just a short stroll away.
Information
Pantages Suites Hotel & Spa: 200 Victoria St.; 416-362-1777 or 1-866-852-1777; pantageshotel.com. While the hotel's rack rates are higher ($300 and up for the deluxe and ambassador rooms and around $250 for the serenity rooms), current room rates are about $200 a night.
For more information on the spa, call 416-367-1888 or visit http://www.pantagesspa.com. A couple's After Eight Treat costs $299; an hour-long Pantages Spa Facial is $90.