Four Seasons Hotel holds court over Avenue Road in Toronto’s ritzy Yorkville district. Its location is ideal for both business travellers and downtown adventurers, and it’s perfect for museum buffs: The Royal Ontario Museum becomes the encyclopedic castle next door.
Inside the sprawling hotel there are 380 guest rooms, two swanky restaurants and two casual lounges. The lobby greets visitors with a new flower arrangement weekly. Most impressive are rooms that the Hollywood elite has enjoyed for countless film festivals — notable guests include Robert DeNiro, Anthony Hopkins and the Rolling Stones. But the majority of Four Seasons guests arrive with business on their minds, since conferences and conventions are de rigeur in one of the nine meetings rooms or in the 7,168-sq. ft. Regency Ballroom. On the 32nd floor, three penthouse salons provide a breathtaking view of Toronto while allowing guests to hold seminars, parties or banquets.
Just being in one of the deluxe executive suites is like diving into the lifestyle of the rich and famous. The one-bedroom suite features frosted glass French doors separating the king-size bed from the living room. With more space than some entire apartments, the seating area would be convenient for business meetings or room-service dinners.
Less expensive rooms include the moderate queen, superior, deluxe, premium king and executive suites. The legendary Suite 1601 is the penultimate room with a baby grand piano (signed by famous entertainers), full kitchen, a washer-dryer combo and a walk-out balcony. Celebrities and well-to-do guests choose 1601 (the largest suite in the hotel) for its bungalow-type space and imaginative décor, which also make it a popular site for movie shoots.
Some might argue that all luxury hotels look and feel alike, but the Four Seasons, a 42-year-old company with 60 properties worldwide, prides itself on reputable quality. Funny enough, even the beds garner special attention: Julia Roberts told Oprah Winfrey that her favourite thing to sleep in was a “Four Seasons bed.” Also, the custom Sealy mattresses recently won the Most Comfortable Beds award from Travel & Leisure magazine. Sidestepping the hype, sleeping is as comfortable as reclining on a cloud made of cotton.
Beyond the comfortable rooms, Four Seasons Toronto offers a deluge of features that will make your vacation feel like a getaway. If you’re hungry for delectable delicacies, Truffles Restaurant is known for its exquisite French cuisine and romantic atmosphere. The only restaurant in Canada to garner CAA/AAA’s Five Diamond Award nine years in a row, Truffles offers visually stunning meals that taste as great as they look.
For the less formal and more see-and-be-seen dining experience, Studio Café treats diners to an art gallery-like setting infused with Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. Particularly memorable is the orecchiette with smoked chicken, the melt-in-your-mouth mashed potatoes and the heavenly German cheesecake.
Executive chef Lynn Crawford brings her talent from Four Seasons New York to the 30-year-old Toronto hotel, which she joined in August 2002. Evident in dishes blending multiple tastes, her kitchen prowess elevates Four Seasons dining. Crawford explains: “The art of layering flavours in fresh, regional ingredients highlights the quality of contemporary Canadian cuisine.” Crawford is aided by Prakash Seetful, the amazingly-talented sous chef.
To find relief from the gourmet offerings, the hotel’s health club blends friendliness and technology in a soothing environment. The staff smiles and converses sincerely (a trait inherent in every Four Seasons employee) and the equipment looks state-of-the-art. Televisions top every running machine and stationary bicycle, attaching to free headphones available beside the water cooler. A swimming pool (both indoor and outdoor) flanks a hot tub ideal for melting away stress.
High-tech buffs would also feel welcome within the glamorous halls. A business centre sports two guest PCs (a 400MHz Compaq EP Pentium II and a 1.6GHz Compaq EVO Pentium 4) connected to high-speed Internet through a shared T1 line. Some of the more impressive offerings from the business centre include translation services, dictaphone rental, couriers and desktop publishing and binding. While I didn’t take advantage of the many frills, I’m sure business guests would appreciate the technological buffet.
In addition, Four Seasons Toronto recently introduced Wi-Fi access for notebook users eager for wireless high-speed. The first- and second-floor lobbies connect to WayPort’s Wi-Fi deals, and every Four Seasons room includes high-speed Internet connectivity.
Four Seasons Toronto doesn’t shine solely on the merit of its property; personality and hospitality set the hotel apart from its competitors, as regional vice-president and general manager, Christopher Hart, explains to me over lunch at Studio Café. “Our product is our people,” states Hart simply. “We strive for excellence so we go out of our way to meet needs.”
Indicative of Four Season’s dedication to that excellence, Hart relays a very Canadian maxim he has picked up in his 20-year hospitality career: “You don’t skate to where the puck is, but to where the puck is going.” In other words, Hart is always looking to improve his hotel’s already-exemplary performance.
That effort, cloaked in an attitude that goes the extra smile, truly gleams from every corner of Four Seasons Toronto. While it’s difficult to pinpoint the highlight of my Four Seasons experience, I can definitely say that the professional staff and the exquisite accommodation helped make my overnight stay one of the most delightful in recent memory.
