Union Hotel: What's the deal?
Checking into Union Hotel, you’ll be welcomed by a split-flap display, but this is no train station. Despite being steps from its namesake transit hub, the new boutique property feels unmistakably like a home. The FRANK Architecture and Interiors-designed lobby is its beating heart. With private work booths, a faux fireplace, plus funky accents and furniture you’d enter a fierce Facebook Marketplace bidding war for, it feels more like an interior designer’s living room than a hotel.
There’s oodles of local love scattered everywhere, too, like the eye-catching raccoon mural by award-winning Toronto artist Emily Mae Rose. It’s an oasis next to one of the busiest places in the city.
Union Hotel: The rooms
Union Hotel’s 189 guest rooms come in four distinct styles — Chic, Groovy, Swanky and Posh Suite — all of which are bursting with personality. They’re generously decorated with more original artwork, and the burnt orange and green accents are a millennial’s dream come true.
After your day hoofing it around Toronto, slip into a plush black robe, pamper yourself with Routine Natural Beauty amenities, brew a cup of Genuine Tea moringa mint from the temperature-controlled kettle, then dive into a Giller Prize-listed or winning book — there’s one in every room. If you’ve got a touch of insomnia, Union Hotel’s rooms are equipped with alarm clocks that will play soothing stories until you drift off.
Union Hotel: What else?
Though this neighbourhood is full of Toronto’s best restaurants, Humble Donkey — Union Hotel’s intimate café and lounge — shouldn’t be overlooked. Stocked with Sam James Coffee beans and pastries from Breadhead, it’s a convenient spot for a slow start to your day or a nightcap. The lights dim for dinner, and you can people-watch while sipping on a Bandit brew or an espresso martini with the eight-ounce Union Burger in hand.
For more food options, check out UH Marketplace; in lieu of in-room mini bars, the lobby shop is stocked with treats like Eatable popcorn, Le Seltzer sodas and merch (including delightfully absurd stuffed raccoons).
Rooms from $250 per night; unionhoteltoronto.com
