Global Gaze
The Drake Hotel unveils it’s new Modern Wing, Dec 1, 2021 (Toronto)
It has been 17 years since The Drake Hotel re-opened its doors as a creative hub in Toronto’s West Queen West area. As part of its continuing drive to build and evolve, the property’s brand-new Modern Wing will open for sleepovers on Dec 1, 2021.
The Drake is building on its legacy as a neighbourhood hub rooted in contemporary art, culture, and hospitality, and celebrating its local surroundings. The opening of the five-storey Modern Wing marks an exciting chapter in The Drake’s story, unveiling a vibrant, expanded collection of 32 meticulously designed additional guest rooms, bringing the total offering to 51.
The new 32 new artfully designed guest rooms also come with a polished steel boxcar-inspired rooftop suite with cityscape views, brand-new spaces for meetings + events, a re-imagined Sky Yard rooftop patio, and a new stylish and generous reception lobby in signature Drake style, with an intimate bar perfect for their legendary cocktails. All textured and curated with a collection of ‘art of the moment’ by an exciting, diverse group of artists.
Composing layers of history and modernity as it stretches east of the original building, the Modern Wing captures the dynamic evolution of the legendary property. Told through new layers of architecture, interior design, furnishings, objects and art, the expansion reveals a design that provides relaxed comfort, encourages curiosity, and holds many surprises.
Set in a brand-new building adjoining the original hotel on multiple floors, the Modern Wing offers imaginative public spaces and cultural amenities and is capped with a polished steel boxcar-inspired, cantilevered rooftop level suite. The façade of the handcrafted brick building features apertures intersected by oversized contemporary windows, a considered reference to historic, ghosted windows that pay homage to the street’s traditional streetscape.
Guests are invited to experience The Drake’s signature referential and playful style in a re-envisioned lobby, meeting and event spaces, and an intimate street-front bar – all of which are curated with a collection of exceptional artworks by a diverse group of artists. The original hotel ‘Classic Wing’ will retain the Drake Lounge, Dining Room, Sky Yard rooftop patio, Drake Underground performance venue, and neighbourhood Drake Café.
Built in 1890 as Small’s Hotel, the property was frequented by passengers of the nearby Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1949 it was expanded and renamed the Drake, but the hotel eventually waned with the closure of the local railway station. In the 1970s it became a flophouse, and through the 1980s and 1990s served as a punk bar and a rave venue. In 2004 the property was reinvented as one of Toronto’s first, stylish boutique hotels, and an internationally recognized bastion of art, culture and design.
Bookings are now open for sleepovers starting December 1.
About the Author
Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto with a focus on tourism, lifestyle, entertainment and community issues. He has written several travel articles and has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He’s willing to take on any assignments of interest, attend parties with free booze, listen to rants, and travel the world in search of the great unknown. He’s eager to discover the new, remember the past, and look into the future.