The Hazelton Hotel

Rooms and decor

Picture a boutique hotel set right in the heart of Yorkville, Toronto's most upscale fashion, arts and culture district — that's the appeal of The Hazelton Hotel, open since 2008 and widely called the city's first true luxury hotel. The first thing that surprises most people is the room size: averaging more than 600 square feet with ceilings a full 9 feet high, which is rare for a downtown property. Open the door and you find airy space with a sitting area clearly separated from the sleeping zone. Many rooms have French doors opening onto a small private balcony so you can step out into the Yorkville atmosphere. The decor comes from Yabu Pushelberg, the Canadian design studio with a global reputation, and the concept is 1940s Hollywood glamour mixed with custom furniture, warm tones and details that read expensive without shouting. The beds are soft enough that several reviews single out how well they slept. Anyone who likes big, tastefully luxurious rooms should feel at home here.

Food and amenities

If one phrase captures the feel of The Hazelton, it's glamour with restraint. The public spaces are designed to look dramatic and luxurious without trying too hard, using marble, soft leather and warm gold detailing that catch the low light and make you feel like you're walking through a classic Hollywood set. The heart of the food side is ONE Restaurant from renowned Toronto chef Mark McEwan, serving contemporary dishes from good local ingredients, with an outdoor terrace looking onto the buzz of Yorkville — it's been a gathering spot for locals and celebrities for years, so dinner here feels especially lively. Down another level is the Valmont spa, which uses premium Swiss skincare and has quiet treatment rooms, plus a standout indoor salt-water pool and a well-equipped fitness centre. What really sets the place apart is the private cinema inside the hotel that guests can use — exactly the kind of small touch that underlines its high-end boutique character. And the most consistently praised thing is the service: staff here are warm, attentive, remember guests by name and look after you beyond expectations, which has kept The Hazelton among the city's top-rated hotels.

Location and getting there

Location is the other ace here. The Hazelton sits on Yorkville Avenue, right in the heart of Yorkville, the district that packs in more designer boutiques, art galleries, fine restaurants and stylish cafes than anywhere else in Toronto — step out of the lobby and you can shop and wander all day without getting in a car. Bay subway station (Line 2, the green line) is just about a 4-minute walk, so it's easy to hop a train to other parts of the city. The Royal Ontario Museum is a few minutes on foot, and the district connects to Bloor Street, the main luxury shopping strip, where a short walk more brings you to the big-name stores and brands. In short, if you want to wake up and shop a high-end neighbourhood, sip coffee in a stylish cafe and soak up upscale Toronto with barely a ride needed, this location scores a perfect ten.

Things to know before booking

To be straight with you and help you decide — the first thing to weigh is price. The Hazelton sits among the most expensive options in Toronto, from around $515 up to many times that per night in high season, and there's a per-room, per-night facility fee on top, plus valet-only parking charged separately at a fairly steep rate, so anyone driving in should budget for it. Another point that comes up in some reviews is soundproofing: certain rooms pick up noise from the hallway or neighbouring rooms, which can leave light sleepers unsettled on some nights. If you're sensitive to noise, ask at booking for a room set deeper in, away from the lift or corridor. And because this is a smaller boutique rather than a giant chain, some facilities aren't as grand — the indoor pool, for instance, is fairly compact and better for a relaxing soak than for serious laps. Overall these are minor gripes next to the praise for the service and rooms, but worth knowing so your expectations line up.

Our take

After reading through several hundred real reviews, our team sees The Hazelton Hotel as a place that proudly sells warm, local boutique luxury in the middle of an upscale district — spacious rooms with private balconies, glam design that's hard to stop photographing, service so warm it draws unanimous praise, and a Yorkville location you can shop all day. If your mental picture of the trip is shopping the luxury streets, coming back for the Valmont spa, then dinner at ONE Restaurant and a film in the private cinema, this is about as well-matched as it gets. But if you're after a big hotel with grand chain-scale amenities, or you're on a tight budget, this may not be the answer. Overall we give it 9.0/10, best for couples and luxury lovers who value warm boutique atmosphere, excellent service and a heart-of-the-fashion-district location over sheer hotel size.