| Local Lifestyle

While many people see hotels only as places to stay for tourists or businesspeople, we will take you around our city and the world to show you some famous historic hotels that, over the years, became symbols of the cities they are located in. With an increasing need to travel, there has been higher demand for comfortable, often high-end accommodation for hundreds of years. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest hotel still in operation is Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, a hot spring hotel in Hayakawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, which opened in 705. The following paragraphs will present facts and fascinating obscurities about the iconic hotels of our age, from the Parisian Ritz to the greatest gems among Toronto’s hotels.

The Fairmont Royal York (100 Front Street West, Toronto, Canada)

The larges of the famous Canada railway hotels is the Royal York in Toronto, opened in 1929. Canada’s Grand Railway Hotels are a chain of hotels across the country originally built by the Canadian railway companies — or at least, the railways hugely contributed to these hotels’ construction. The hotels were designed to serve the passengers of Canada’s then-expanding rail network and they celebrated high-end rail travel.

The Farimount Royal York

The Farimount Royal York

The Fairmont Royal York Hotel boasts an offer that satisfies even royal needs, as it is the residence of choice every time the Queen or other member of the royal family visits Toronto. The hotel was awarded the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award. This magical place was designed by Ross and Macdonald and built by the Canadian Pacific Railway company — conveniently, just a few steps from Union Station. The Fairmont Royal York has 28 floors and a total of 1,600 rooms, and it also includes five great restaurants, four lounges, and 24-hour in-room dining options. You can also have a drink in the smallest bar here in Toronto here — the York bar.

EPIC Bar

EPIC Bar

Barbara from Windsor has fond memories of the bar:

I have been to a number of Toronto bars before but York became my number one the minute I walked in. The combination of intimacy and also kind of cuteness is just too much to resist.

There are three beehives located on the 13th-floor rooftop terrace to serve its in-house garden. This means that hotel restaurants are always stocked with fresh vegetables and herbs, and visitors can always enjoy fresh flowers in their rooms. They are called the Honey Moon Suite, the Royal Sweet, and the V.I. Bee Suite.

Fairmont Guest Room

Fairmont Guest Room

 

The Omni King Edward Hotel (37 King Street East, Toronto, Canada)

Originally built in 1903 by George Gooderham, the King Edward Hotel was the first of the luxurious hotels in Toronto. For $6 million at that time, the King Edward Hotel quickly became the spot to enjoy the high-class lodging in the city. The hotel, with its 301 rooms spreading across 18 floors, maintains its reputation as one of the most luxurious hotels today, housing an art collection worth more than $75 million!

Omni King Edward Hotel

Omni King Edward Hotel

Jonathan found the practical use of the King Edward Hotel’s halls very appealing:

I work for a multinational corporation, and each year, towards the end of the spring, we organize a grand banquette. It’s always held in different city so we can get in touch with our partners all over the world. The King Edward Hotel was definitely in the top three from 20 events I’ve been to during my years in the company. The flexibility and at the same time the beauty of the space were amazing. I highly recommend the hotel to anyone looking for a high-end banquette venue.

The list of celebrities that have stayed in the King Edward Hotel includes Rudolph Valentino, Louis Armstrong, Mark Twain, Margaret Thatcher, Britney Spears, and John Lennon to Elvis Presley. The Beatles stayed at the royal suite during their first visit to Toronto in 1964. The moment that put the hotel on the celebrity map was a visit of secret lovers Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton that created a huge controversy among Torontonians.

Rooms In Omni King Edward Hotel

Rooms In Omni King Edward Hotel

 

One King West Hotel and Residence (1 King Street West, Toronto, Canada)

The big three Toronto hotels conclude with the beautiful building that once hosted the Toronto Dominion. In 1999, the building underwent a redesign from Stanford Downey Architects and saw the creation of the second tower adjacent to the building, later nicknamed “the Sliver” due to its slender profile.

The hotel itself has a number of exciting amenities you just have to see, starting with a morning workout at the rooftop fitness centre. Imagine your morning jog on a treadmill including the sunrise over Toronto! The same goes for the top-floor suite, with access to a pool and a view of downtown. If you are thinking about an anniversary gift, this is your chance. (The room starts at $450 a night.) The One King West prides itself in its staff’s training.

Each member of the One King West team understands your need for true convenience and pure comfort. They are attentive, very caring and passionate about their jobs. They always try to ‘go the extra mile’ in order to make a real difference during the stay of our guests.

Once, members of the staff even acted as witnesses when a couple of guests needed two for their wedding. How exciting is that! Kiersten from Canberra adds to the list,

I have a severe nut allergy and often struggle with the safety of restaurants in every new city I visit, even more so since I love eating out and trying new cuisines. The reception desk at One King West was so very helpful in doing research and calling the restaurants for me, finding out their nut allergy policies. I am very grateful.

The hotel also has two record-breaking features. The bar, over 100 feet long, is the longest ever built in Canada, and the 40 tonne, four-and-a-half-foot-thick door to the hotel vault, built in 1913, is one of the largest and heaviest ever built. (Take a chance to see the vault live during the annual Doors Open Toronto!). Despite this mammoth weight, the precision of the door’s construction is so fine that a paper clip accidentally dropped in the opening will stop the door from closing.

One King West Hotel and Residence

One King West Hotel and Residence

The hotel is also an ideal venue for private functions, conferences, or business meetings. One King West offers a large variety of different-sized conference rooms. The highest standard of luxury is also suggested b names like the Grand Banking Hall, the Austin Gallery, and the King Gallery.

 

Algonquin (184 Adolphus Street, St. Andrews, Canada)

Inaugurated in 1889, the Algonquin Hotel, with its 234 rooms, dominates St. Andrews, New Brunswick. The castle-like façade and Tudor style construction make this hotel unique among the Railroad Hotels of Canada. The resort was very famous for its waters, which were believed to have healing properties. Guests would immerse themselves in the therapeutic solution in bathtubs designed with four taps — two for fresh water and two for salt water.

Algonquin Exterior

Algonquin Exterior

The hotel was frequented by both British and American heads of states and prominent politicians, including Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Lyndon B Johnson, Prince Charles, and Princess Diana.

The top tip for what to do at the Algonquin is definitely golf. The Algonquin Golf Course & Academy has been welcoming golfers for more than 100 years. The golf course was redesigned in 2000 by the renowned Thomas McBroom. The course will fit and challenge golfers of every level.

Algonquin Golf

Algonquin Golf

The hotel also offers more than 19,000 square feet of conference space, a selection of conference rooms that can accommodate between 15 and 400 people, business services, and high-speed Internet access in selected guest rooms.

Ball Room

Ball Room

 

The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac (1 rue des Carrieres Québec, Quebec, Canada)

Established in 1893, Le Château Frontenac was one of the first hotels built by the Canadian Pacific Railway company, and it’s certainly one of the best known hotels in the world. The hotel was sold in 2000 for a staggering $185 million.

The hotel’s list of famous guests includes King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Grace of Monaco, Chiang-Kai-Shek, Charles de Gaulle, Ronald Reagan, and Alfred Hitchcock.

The Fairmont Le Chteau Frontenac

The Fairmont Le Chteau Frontenac

If you are looking for a classy bit of a history to enjoy, the St. Laurent Lounge and Bar come highly recommended. The famous martinis on offer here include the Winston Churchill, the FD Roosevelt, and the Maurice Duplessis — all named after illustrious guests wh frequented the bar in years past.

The Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac is currently undergoing an extensive renovation and refurbishment project. As part of this project, some guest rooms have obstructed views and guests may encounter noise disturbances between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m, Monday to Friday, and between 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.

Room In The Fairmont Le Chteau Frontenac

Room In The Fairmont Le Chteau Frontenac

Ritz Paris (15 Place Vendôme, Paris, France)

The Swiss hotelier César Ritz has left us a number of amazing hotels all around the world, but the one in Paris is his greatest and certainly his final statement of 1898. It’s inspiration to many world-famous authors like Hemingway, who claimed that he liberated the hotel bar from Nazis.

When I dream of afterlife in heaven, the action always takes place in the Paris Ritz. It’s a fine summer night. I knock back a couple of martinis in the bar… After a few brandies, I wander up to my room and slip into one of those huge Ritz beds. They are all made of brass. There’s a bolster for my head the size of the Graf Zeppelin and four square pillows filled with real goose feathers—two for me and two for my quite heavenly companion,

said Hemingway.

Place Vendôme, amb el Hotel Ritz a l´esquerra

Hotel Ritz Paris

It was also home to Coco Chanel for more than 30 years, and the workplace of the iconic bartender Frank Meier. The Ritz was the place where he wrote his book, The Artistry of Mixing Drinks, published in 1934, a truly rare volume of only three prints and even today a bible for cocktail masters. The Ritz was adored by many, but one of them sticks out more than others. Marcel Proust adored the Ritz, of all the famous people here, perhaps the most. It is generally accepted that one of the key characters in À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time), the maître d’hôtel in a fictional hotel located in Balbec, is largely inspired by Olivier, Proust’s personal servant at the Ritz.

The jewel of the Ritz is L’Espadon, a world-renowned hotel restaurant, attracting aspiring chefs from afar. The hotel’s 18th century building has 159 rooms, of which the Imperial Suite has been listed by the French government as a national monument. The hotel has been closed for reconstruction since August 2012 and will open once again in July 2014.

Ritz Paris Room

Ritz Paris Room

 

The Waldorf Astoria (301 Park Avenue , New York, USA)

The symbol of New York’s luxurious hospitality services started as two hotels: one owned by William Waldorf Astor, whose 13-storey Waldorf Hotel was opened in 1893, and the other owned by his cousin, John Jacob Astor IV, called the Astoria Hotel and opened four years later and four stories higher. In 1931, after the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel was demolished to free the space for the Empire State Building, the new Art Deco, then the largest hotel in the world, opened at Park Avenue at 50th Street, occupying 47 stories and offering 1,508 rooms.

The Waldorf Astoria

The Waldorf Astoria

The hotel has its own railway platform as part of Grand Central Terminal, used by Franklin D. Roosevelt and many other famous visitors. Amazingly, there was an elevator large enough for Franklin D. Roosevelt’s automobile to reach the platform.

Interestingly, the Waldorf salad — a salad made with apples, walnuts, celery, grapes, and mayonnaise or a mayonnaise-based dressing, was first created in 1896 at the Waldorf in New York City by Oscar Tschirky, then the maître d’hôtel.

 

Meliá Hotel de la Reconquista (C/ Gil de Jaz 16, Oviedo, Spain)

Well known to many Spanards as a popular choice for the royal family on their journeys to the north of Spain, this small romantic hotel gained international fame for its appearance in Woody Allen’s Vicky Christina Barcelona. Woody Allen was taken by this city:

A delicious, exotic, beautiful, clean, pleasant, tranquil and pedestrianised city. It is as if it didn’t belong to this world. Oviedo is like a fairy tale.

The words of this great director encourage a visit of the city. The hotel is called after the “Reconquista,” the retaking of the Spanish territory from the Moors. The Hotel de la Reconquista occupies an outstanding 18th century building, now a classified national monument, which was originally the Hospital of the Principality of Asturias.

Amelia La Reconquista

Amelia La Reconquista

 

Hotel De L’Europe (Nieuwe Doelenstraat 2, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

The five-star Hotel De L’Europe is located in the heart of Amsterdam’s canals, near the Amstel river, founded on approximately 620 piles and made of mountain stone and red brick in Renaissance style. The hotel was drafted by a very successful Dutch architect, Willem Hamer, also famous for his pavilion in Vondel Park.

Hotel De L'Europe

Hotel De L’Europe

Alfred Hitchcock used the hotel just before the Second World War as a location for Foreign Correspondent in 1940. In 2012, the hotel was awarded the Michelin star for its restaurant Bord’eau. In 2007, Hotel de l’ Europe, as the first five-star hotel in the Netherlands, was awarded the Green Key — an international eco-label for tourism facilities. The hotel received the Golden Green Key, the highest level that can be awarded.

Hotel Sacher (Philharmoniker Str. 4, Vienna)

Since 1876, when it first opened its doors to the public, the Sacher became a Viennese institution, owned by Franz Sacher, the father of the incredible Original Sacher-Torte — the most famous cake in the world. Its original recipe from 1832 remains a well-kept secret. Even Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, received private deliveries of Sacher-Torte to the palace.

Hotel Sacher

Hotel Sacher

The Sacher’s 113 rooms were enjoyed by the Queen of England, First Lady of the United States Madeleine Albright, Michail Gorbatschow, John F. Kennedy, Yasser Arafat, and numerous others. The hotel features a rooftop spa as well as the famous Rote Bar and the Restaurant Anna Sacher, named after the legendary owner of 100 pet dogs, an aristocratic puritan.

Original Sacher Torte

Original Sacher Torte

Have you ever visited any of these amazing places? Do you have more suggestions you would put on the list? I would love to read all your comments!

MHMC