W Toronto: Vibes are Good, In-Room Dining is Not

W Toronto: Anshul’s Take

Anshul reviewed W Toronto back in 2023, and his take is worth revisiting before I add my own. From the outside, the hotel doesn’t announce itself. The building facade is understated, the entrance off Bloor Street is easy to miss, and after hours, with no staff around to point you in the right direction, finding the lobby is more of a puzzle than it should be. Once you’re inside and you find the check-in desk, the hotel’s personality snaps into focus: chic shared spaces, moody lighting, and an aesthetic that leans hard into “cool and edgy.” It does an excellent job at it. Whether that’s your thing or not is a different question.

Bloor Street Level Entrance (Anshul’s photo)

Lobby Elevators (Anshul’s photo)

W Toronto – Welcome Desk (Anshul’s photo)

Lobby Seating (Anshul’s photo)

The guest rooms continue the theme of chic and edgy. Anshul stayed in a ‘Spectacular Room’ on the 8th floor. It was a long walk from the elevators down a hallway that looked more like more futuristic than most hotel corridors, all white light against black panels. The room itself he described as a fancy bachelor pad: one big open square where the bed, sofa, bar, bath, and toilet all share the same space. Functional and packed with convenient touches like multiple power sockets, a custom cocktail bar, even a Jenga set, but not exactly the sanctuary you might want after a long day.

Where the hotel truly redeemed itself, Anshul said, were the food and beverage options. The Skylight rooftop bar and the Public School Coffeehouse both genuinely impressed him, and he left conflicted, not sure if he disliked the hotel or if it was simply too edgy for him. His conclusion: if you love understated elegance, look elsewhere. If you want hip luxury with great bars and restaurants, W Toronto delivers.

8th Floor Hallway

Spectacular Room – 818 (Anshul’s photo)

King Bed Room (Anshul’s Photo)

King Bed Room (Anshul’s photo)

King Bed Room (Anshul’s photo)

W Toronto: Emily’s Take

I can confirm everything he said about the hotel. The entrance is confusing and the hallway lighting is a lot. The room is exactly the studio-bachelor-pad situation he described, because I ended up in the same one, just a few doors down: 8th floor, long walk from the elevators, door opening straight into an open sink. But where Anshul got to enjoy the restaurants, I didn’t. And that’s where our experiences went in opposite directions.

W Toronto – King Bed (Anshul’s photo)

(Anshul’s photo)

(Anshul’s photo)

Mix Bar – W Toronto (Anshul’s photo)

W Toronto: Booking

I was in Toronto for a conference and booked through a group rate at $472/night all-in, $1,416 total for three nights. The group rate meant no points earning, which was disappointing. Additionally, I’d have much rather put this on my Marriott Bonvoy Amex which would have earned me 5x points on every $1, but corporate travel doesn’t always give you that luxury. I had to pay with my company card and collected no points.

W Toronto: In-Room Dining (Where it all Falls Apart)

With back-to-back meetings and an early start each morning, leaving the room for every meal wasn’t really an option. I would have loved to make it to Skylight or the Public School Coffeehouse, but ordering in was just easier given my schedule. I did it three times over the three nights: two breakfasts and one lunch.

Lunch was a charcuterie board for $50. It was fine. Not $50 fine, but fine.

In-Room Dining: Charcuterie Board

The first morning I ordered the classic breakfast: two poached eggs, peameal bacon, a slice of tomato, and potato fries, plus a smoothie on the side. It came to $65. The food was not as good as the lunch I had the day prior, and there was nothing about it that felt like it justified the price. You can get a proper sit-down breakfast at a good Toronto restaurant for far less.

In-Room Dining: Classic Breakfast

The second morning I went for the avocado toast. Two pieces of toast, two poached eggs, potato fries, and what I can only describe as a flavourless guacamole paste that very clearly came from a bottle. At a hotel in this price range, that was shocking. For $50, why did they not use real avocado? I forgot to grab a photo, unfortunately because I was in a rush.

All in, I spent $165 on in-room dining across three days, and none of it was even close to worth it.

W Toronto: Takeaway

W Toronto is not a bad hotel and I agree with Anshul’s take on it. The vibe is hip, the on-site restaurants are chic with good food and drinks, and the room, while unconventional, is functional. But if your stay looks anything like mine – long days, back-to-back meetings, not a lot of time to leave the room – know that in-room dining will cost you a lot and give you very little in return. Get to Skylight or Public School Coffeehouse if you can. And if you can’t…order pizza!