The St. Regis Toronto

Rooms and decor

Picture a sleek glass tower of 65 floors rising over Toronto's Financial District on Bay Street — standing 276.9 metres, the second-tallest building in the city and in Canada. That is the first thing that pulls you in about The St. Regis Toronto. The tower was completed in 2012 as the Trump Tower before being reworked and becoming a full St. Regis in 2018. The thing nearly every review agrees on is the view, because all 261 rooms start on the high floors, floating above the skyline — open the curtains and you get skyscrapers, the top of the CN Tower, and the water of Lake Ontario behind floor-to-ceiling glass. Rooms run to a warm, plush look with dark wood, marble, and soft fabrics, and the St. Regis beds get repeat praise for a good night's sleep. The marble bathroom is roomy, with a separate tub and a good-pressure shower. What people fall for is sipping morning coffee while the city wakes up, or watching the lights flicker at night from above it all. If you like classic luxury with a view above the clouds, this lands.

Food and amenities

If this hotel has a heart, it is Louix Louis, a contemporary French restaurant on floor 31 that reviews call the highlight. The photo everyone takes is of the two-storey grand bar lined with more than 500 spirits — one of the largest collections in North America — under a ceiling painted like an old ballroom, serving contemporary French food and city views across the glass wall. Beside it is Astor Lounge, which keeps the St. Regis tradition of champagne sabering — opening a bottle with a sabre at around 6 PM, the way every St. Regis does — plus afternoon tea and signature cocktails. One floor up is the wellness level: the St. Regis Spa on floor 31 with treatment rooms for massage, facials, and body work, paired with an infinity-edge saltwater pool on floor 32 where tall glass opens onto downtown views all around. Picture swimming with the whole city's skyscrapers in front of you; reviews say the saltwater is easy on the eyes and the mood is very relaxed. Add a whirlpool, a Technogym fitness room, and a yoga/pilates studio. Rounding it out is the 24-hour butler service that comes with every St. Regis room, helping with packing, pressing clothes, and the small details that make a stay feel special.

Location and getting there

Location is another strong card. The hotel sits on Bay Street in the heart of Toronto's Financial District, at the corner of Bay and Adelaide — a spot the city's business and finance crowd knows well. Step out of the lobby and you are minutes from offices, banks, and good restaurants, which makes it ideal for anyone in town for meetings. Sightseeing is just as easy: the Eaton Centre is about an 8-minute walk, and St. Lawrence Market and the Old Town are within easy strolling distance. The city's signature landmarks, the CN Tower and the Lake Ontario waterfront, are about 15 minutes away. Getting around is simple, with the Queen and King subway stations (yellow Yonge-University line) a 4-6 minute walk away — hop on and ride straight into other districts without needing a taxi. If you are driving, the Gardiner Expressway is easy to reach. In short, if you want to be within walking distance of the business core and the big mall, with transit to everywhere else, central Bay Street fits.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. The point that comes up most is price: this is genuinely at the top end for the city, and there are extra charges worth pinning down when you book — especially a daily service or destination fee and fairly pricey valet parking. Some reviews felt the add-ons beyond the room rate ran higher than expected, so on a tight budget you may want to weigh whether the luxury and the view are worth it. The second point is the district: the hotel sits in an office-and-finance zone that buzzes on weekday afternoons, but at times — especially weekend evenings when the offices close — the area around the building goes quiet and shops shut early. If you want somewhere with late-night spots and constant crowds, it can feel a little sleepy. Last is the building itself: it started as a condo-hotel, so getting in and out sometimes means sharing the lobby and elevators with the residences, and since the tower has been open since 2012, some reviews felt parts of the room design read more classic and formal than fresh next to the city's newer luxury hotels. Come for the view, service, and location, and treat the rest as small details.

Our take

After reading through a lot of real reviews, The St. Regis Toronto sells "city views from the second-tallest building in Canada, the Louix Louis restaurant on floor 31 with a two-storey bar and 500-plus spirits, a sky-high infinity saltwater pool on floor 32, and St. Regis 24-hour butler service" with real confidence. If the trip in your head is sleeping above the city, waking up to the skyline and the lake from bed, walking a few minutes to the business core and the big mall by day, coming back to swim the sky-high pool and soak at the spa, then closing the night with champagne sabering at the Astor Lounge and a city-view dinner at Louix Louis, this is about as good a fit as it gets. But if you are on a tight budget, would rather skip a stack of extra fees, or want a livelier district to wander at night and a fresher design, the high price and the finance-district quiet on some evenings may not be your match. Overall we give it 8.9/10, best for couples, business travelers, and luxury travelers who value the view, the service, and the central location over the price.