TL;DR

Style: Creative, artsy boutique hotel in Toronto’s vibrant West Queen West.
Vibe: Eclectic mix of heritage architecture and bold modern design.
Rooms: Compact, cool, and industrial-chic with exposed brick and unique art.
Food & Drink: Hip café and bar with regular live and community events.
Neighbourhood: Surrounded by galleries, bars, and creative spaces in a lively district.
Check prices here

As you might glean from the coloured lights and patterned ceilings, Gladstone House, in Toronto’s artsy West Queen West, is not your typical luxury hotel.

It’s an in-your-face kind of combination of old and new, much like the hip neighbourhood it calls home.

The gorgeous 1889 redbrick sits on the corner of a block that features plenty of history.

The area clearly developed to complement the centuries-old railway nestled to the side of the hotel.

The train runs throughout the night, be warned, and a small army of cool bars, cute cafés, and unique restaurants lining Queen Street make their own noise.

It’s definitely the kind of place for those who like to keep their finger on the pulse. If you’re a spa-and-brunch type, pop back to the Toronto listings, and we’ll find you something better.

If you’re the cocktails, art, music and creative energy type, stick around.

What are the rooms like?

Rooms: 55 total, with exposed brick and urban loft vibes.
Design: Industrial-chic furnishings and local art accents.
Size: Compact Studio Queens to spacious Loft and Corner Kings.
Amenities: Smart TVs, blackout curtains, and modern bathrooms.
See each room in detail here

Rooms are a solid take on post-industrial chic.

There’s a nice chunk of exposed brick in most of The Gladstone, adorned with street-style wall pieces and the effortlessly cool kind of bare-bones, right-angled furnishings.

As an historic building, there’s not a one-to-one consistency within the room types, and they start pretty small.

Your Studio Queens are just 180 square feet, with everything you need tucked tightly inside.

If you need space for a yoga mat or a dog bed, we don’t think this will cut it. If you’re solo or a snuggly type of couple, you’ll be fine.

The magic of the semi-minimalist is you can get a small room without feeling crowded.

Other options provide more space, with the Loft and Corner Kings hitting over 300 square feet.

You’ll have to utilize connecting rooms if you want a suite situation or shared space for any 2+ party.

Strangely enough, we think the bigger rooms start looking just a little spartan once they get that much space.

For practicality’s sake, it’s a missed opportunity for storage. Or even just a rug, to tie the room together.

Whatever you choose, you’ll have access to top-notch bedding, blackout curtains, glass showers, and Smart TVs.

What are prices like?

Check prices here

And what’s the food like? Any facilities we should know about?

Dining: Gladstone Café serves all-day eats and weekend brunch.
Bars: Cassette Bar hosts comedy nights, drag dinners, and happy hours.
Extras: Coffee station, art studio, and fitness space onsite.
Events: Meeting and event rooms available for private bookings.

In keeping with the rest of the neighbourhood, Gladstone House has a nice selection of hip dining options.

We’ll start with the 4th floor coffee station, as we assume many of you like a cup of joe in the morning.

Gladstone Café is open all day, including a weekend brunch. There’s an outdoor patio when the weather is nice, and the interior is bright and cheerful among all the exposed brick.

It’s a stylish spot with a smidge more refinement than the other spaces, but a cleverly designed fluorescents that add a unique and artsy touch.

Cassette is a newer space with zero snobbery, a bar’s bar with bar snacks and bar cocktails and bar-related events.

They’ve got happy hour, comedy night, drag dinners and even a few “mending nights” for the more stationary party people.

The more active can enjoy the fitness studio.

Besides food and drink, we’re looking at some stylish meeting and event spaces available for private rentals.

Our final draw is an in-house art studio where you’ll find a rotating roster of friendly artists working on their creations.

How is the neighbourhood? Anything interesting nearby?

Location: In the heart of West Queen West, Toronto’s creative hub.
Nearby: Surrounded by art galleries, bars, and music venues.
Transport: Close to the light rail for easy downtown access.
Access: About 20 minutes to downtown and major museums.

West Queen West is pretty well-known as the artsy part of the city’s more gentrified areas.

You’ll find plenty of restaurants and bars to enjoy, with a solid nightlife, a creative vibe, and a nice number of venues in walking distance.

It’s a nice location on the westerly side of the city, a half-hour walk from the extensive parks along the water.

It’s not super-central, though Gladstone luckily sits right next to the light rail. Toronto gets some attitude about its public transit, but when you’re this close it sure comes in handy.

To the centre-y centre you’ll either drive 15 minutes or hop on the tram for 20 minutes or so.

Once there, you can wander towards the Royal Ontario Museum, Gardiner Museum, Queen’s Park and the University of Toronto.

Shopping and market-hopping can happen over in Little Italy and/or Kensington Market, near Old Toronto, not far from the rest of downtown.

Around there you’ll find Art Gallery of Ontario and the Toronto Sign.

On the other side of the waterfront, near the harbour, you’ll find the stylish Distillery District.

And what about the reviews? What did other guests think?

Some things guests liked:

“Great building and good location. Nice bar and restaurant downstairs. Staff were great!!..”

“Great location! Was debating to stay more downtown or here and happy we chose here as the vibe is cooler and less crazy but there is still incredibly easy access into downtown on the trolley….”