Trump joins Toronto's luxury landscape

When the Trump International Hotel & Towers opened its doors in the heart of Toronto's financial district on Jan. 31, the towering, ultramodern hotel became the third of five new upscale properties poised to raise the accommodations bar in Canada's largest city. The debut of the Trump, along with that of the Thompson Toronto in June 2010 and the Ritz-Carlton, Toronto in February of last year -- as well as new entrants still under construction from Four Seasons and Shangri-La -- will go some way toward alleviating what was a serious dearth of luxury, full-service digs in a city of Toronto's size, economic importance and growing popularity as a business and leisure travel destination. According to David Whitaker, president and CEO of Tourism Toronto, the city ranked third in growth in hotel room supply last year for all of North America, behind only New York and Nashville. "The majority of that growth came from the luxury category," he said. "This gives us a tremendous platform to appeal to and attract high-value visitors to Toronto not only for the hotel guest experience but for the cosmopolitan panache the city offers." A recent tour of Toronto provided a glimpse at, and in one case into, these new high-end, high-rise hostelries. Now the third-tallest structure in Toronto, the Trump, rising 922 feet, is a mixed-use building offering 261 guestrooms and suites measuring at least 550 square feet each. Facilities include a 12,000-square-foot spa, a saltwater infinity lap pool and Stock, a restaurant from chef Daniel Boulud. The city's new flagship Four Seasons Hotel Toronto on Yorkville Avenue consists of two glass towers comprising 55 and 26 stories. The former will house 259 guestrooms and suites, 100 residences and public gardens. When the hotel opens, at press time scheduled for sometime in April, the existing Four Seasons a block away will be repurposed as residences by its new owners. The new Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto will open in August as the Hong Kong-based chain's second property in Canada. (Its Vancouver redoubt debuted in 2009.) The 153-room, 49-suite hotel will occupy the first 17 floors of a 65-story pinnacle rising on University Avenue at Adelaide Street. Highlights include an outlet of restaurant Momofuku and a state-of-the-art theater. Now just over a year old, the 267-room Ritz-Carlton, Toronto still gleams. Distinguishing features include a 23,000-square-foot spa with saltwater pool; an extensive, high-tech fitness center; four corner suites per floor that feature hardwood floors; and signature restaurant Toca, specializing in Canadian dishes, wines and cheeses.