Stay Awhile in Toronto

Thompson Hotels has officially stepped into the international arena with their latest venture, Thompson Toronto, which opened late last month. For its tenth outpost, the chain, which also  has properties in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, enlisted  local heroes like designer Jeremy Laing, who designed uniforms for the penthouse staff. The opening’s special guests included Sir Richard Branson, who touched down to launch Virgin America’s new nonstop service from Toronto to Los Angeles and San Francisco, and pint sized Tavi Gevinson, whose pop-up appearance at the hotel’s opening party was about as titillating as near naked models pillow-fighting in the windows off the lobby. Located in the fashionable King Street West neighborhood, the vast glass checkerboard structure, designed and developed by Toronto-based Freed Developments, is largely an ode to van der Rohe, with distinctly modern interiors by the West Chelsea-based Studio Gaia. Thompson Toronto boasts 102 hotel guest rooms, with floor to ceiling views of the city, and an upscale take on grubby diners, The Counter, that’s open 24/7. The stylish set is bound to be all over the rooftop pool bar, aptly centered around an infinity pool, which melds into the sweeping cityscape.