Ace Hotel Toronto — the brand’s inaugural home in Canada — opens its doors today.
The 123-room ground-up project was designed by revered Toronto firm Shim-Sutcliffe Architects, led by Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe, recipients of numerous awards including the 2021 Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Gold Medal, the nation’s highest honour for architecture. Anchoring the building is Alder, a seasonal wood-fired restaurant from critically acclaimed chef Patrick Kriss, which will open for dinner service on August 9. Chef Patrick also helms the menus for The Lobby, as well as the hotel’s rooftop bar and lounge, Evangeline, opening later this year.
Ace Hotel Toronto stands in the city’s historic Garment District, a neighbourhood ignited by innovation and industry at the start of the 20th century, once a manufacturing centre that grew into an influential artistic hub.
At a nexus of neighbourhoods including Queen West, Downtown and Chinatown, and within walking distance of famed music venues, galleries, bars and restaurants, the hotel joins an area long defined by many of the independently minded and community-focused institutions that form the city’s cultural backbone.
“Long a leading global light for its forward-thinking approach to city-making and design, Toronto is a city that embraces originality and is rooted in the same open-to-all philosophy that founded Ace,” said Brad Wilson, CEO, Atelier Ace / Ace Hotel Group. “We could not be more proud to open Ace Hotel Toronto — the architectural magnificence of Shim-Sutcliffe Architects’ work has created a bona fide wonder. They have built an inherently civic space that respects the neighbourhood’s storied past while nurturing its future.”
Ace Hotel Toronto. Photo Courtesy Ace Hotel Toronto/William Jess Lair
“Likewise, Chef Patrick Kriss has worked in tandem with our team to create something exceptional at Alder, a restaurant with an honest reverence of seasons and quality. It is with great gratitude to the gifts of friends near and far that we welcome all to finally fill this remarkable space.”
I’ve stayed at the Ace hotels in both New York City and Palm Springs, and they’re both outstanding; hip and fresh and cool.
Ace Hotel Toronto features:
• Guestrooms and public spaces designed by Shim-Sutcliffe Architects and Atelier Ace
• Food and beverage offerings from Chef-Partner Patrick Kriss
• The Lobby with a menu of drinks and small plates, and open-to-all arts, culture and music programming
• Ground-floor wood-fired restaurant, Alder
• Rooftop bar and lounge, Evangeline, opening soon
• Original artworks by primarily Canadian artists, including tahsine al hassane, Nadia Gohar, Dennis Lin,
Guillermo Trejo, Claudia Gutierrez, Victoria Sequeira, Meera Sethi, Jennifer Alicia, Dahae Song and many
more
• An in-room vinyl collection curated by storied independent Toronto record label Arts & Crafts
