Shangri-La Toronto

Rooms and decor

Picture a slim glass tower running 65 storeys up over University Avenue in the heart of Toronto's finance district — that's the first thing that grabs you about Shangri-La Toronto, the well-known Asian-chain hotel that opened in 2012 and takes the lower 17 floors, with luxury residences above. Step into the lobby and you meet a modern, airy feel: high ceilings, soft light, and contemporary décor with a clean Asian touch that never shouts. All 202 rooms and suites run clearly wider than the downtown standard, dressed in warm tones with good materials, soft duvets, and marble bathrooms that look plush but stay easy to use. The detail reviewers get excited about is the in-room tech — a TV built into the bathroom mirror, tablet controls for the lights and curtains, and a Nespresso machine ready every morning. The best part is the floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the nearby CN Tower from many rooms — picture waking up to coffee and a view of the city skyline from a soft bed, with higher floors giving wider, quieter angles.

Food and amenities

The headline on food here is that the hotel connects directly to Momofuku by world-famous chef David Chang, set in the same building — a few steps from the lobby and you're at a renowned restaurant. Inside the hotel itself there's Bosk, a sharp-looking restaurant against a glass wall onto the street, serving contemporary food built on local ingredients, and The Lobby Lounge, which has become a popular meeting spot for Torontonians at afternoon tea, with live piano in the afternoons that several reviews call genuinely relaxing. If you're after a cocktail, there's a Prohibition-era bar for the evening. Up on the fifth floor is the full leisure zone many call the real draw — the Miraj Hammam spa, known for its Middle Eastern hammam ritual and relaxing treatments, a 20-metre indoor pool that runs much longer than the usual downtown hotel pool, plus a yoga studio and a fitness room with treadmills looking out over the city.

Location and getting there

The location is interesting because it straddles two districts at once. The hotel sits on University Avenue in the heart of the Financial District, full of skyscrapers and head offices, which makes it handy for business travellers heading to meetings. At the same time it borders the Entertainment District — about an 8-10 minute walk to the CN Tower, the Rogers Centre stadium, and major theatres like Roy Thomson Hall, home of the city orchestra, so anyone catching a show or concert can stroll back afterwards. Transit is easy too: St. Andrew subway station (yellow Yonge-University line) is about a 5-minute walk, so you can hop the subway to the Bloor Street shops, the Lake Ontario waterfront, or transfer elsewhere without a taxi. Drivers reach the Gardiner Expressway without much trouble.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. The most common point is price and extras — this is a high-end rate with line items worth checking at booking, especially the fairly steep valet parking and some service charges that can add to the room. On a tight budget, weigh whether the full package is worth the spend. The second is the area: handy for work, but the Financial District buzzes only on weekday working hours, and come evening or the weekend it goes fairly quiet with shops closing early, so you may need to head out for livelier surroundings. The third is design — the modern, understated style leaves some reviewers feeling the lobby and rooms are "still" and formal, short on individual charm or local character next to boutique hotels with sharper personality. Come for the service, the range, and the location, and treat the small things as adjustable details.

Our take

Having read through hundreds of real reviews, Shangri-La Toronto delivers on "warmly rated Asian service that reviewers rank number one, a complete leisure floor with a hammam spa and a 20-metre indoor pool, plenty of food with a direct link to Momofuku, and a Financial District location within walking distance of the theatres and CN Tower." If your trip in your head is waking to a CN Tower view from bed, coming back to a 20-metre pool and the Miraj Hammam spa, then closing the night with dinner at Momofuku or Bosk and a cocktail in a Prohibition-era bar, this is about as well-judged as it gets — especially for business travellers and luxury-minded couples. If you're on a tight budget, or want a neighbourhood that's lively day and night and a hotel with more individual charm than polished modern, the high rates and the weekend-quiet finance district may not be the best fit. Overall we give it 9.1/10, best for couples, business travellers, and luxury seekers who value service, range and location over the price they pay.