Toronto’s glitziest season is almost upon us, and this year, those coming into town for TIFF will have a new place to sleep or schmooze: W Toronto (90 Bloor St. E.), freshly open in the address previously home to the Toronto Marriott Bloor Yorkville.

If you can’t quite picture the old-timer anymore, you’re not alone. The previous property had all the curb appeal of a parking garage—you could walk by for years and not notice. But stroll along this stretch of Bloor now, and you can’t miss the shiny cool kid, with its new, glassy façade revealing Public School, a street-level coffee house/restaurant that extends up into a second floor, inviting you to come on in. I checked in recently for an early peek.

You might be wondering where the lobby is. Walk past the bigger-than-it-looks-from-outside Public School, into the elevator and up to the sixth floor, where you’ll find the check-in and the W’s signature lobby lounge, Living Room.

You’ll get an immediate sense of the hotel’s design boldness, from the retro-vibe velvet furniture to the big indoor “firepit” encircled by seating for you and all your friends. Make a mental note to come back later for cocktails you could almost pretend are healthy-ish, like the Celery Sour or About Last Night (a combo of tequila, coconut purée and matcha). Or snap up a bottle of Moët & Chandon—why, yes, there’s a Champagne vending machine—for a celebratory start to your stay.

There are 254 of them, 30 of which are suites; two are “Extreme Wow” suites (W parlance for presidential). The less sprawling guest rooms are still laid out to feel a little more open, with the sink and lit-up vanity mirror pulled out into the main space (versus enclosed within a bathroom).

The decor takes its dramatic cues—stage-inspired pendant lights, deep blue curtains—from Toronto’s theatre district. My room came outfitted with a curved banquette for lounging and a little table, but while you could theoretically get some serious work done, that’s hardly the point of staying here.

There’s no spa, but there is a fitness centre—equipped with the requisite cardio machines, and bigger than many hotel gyms I’ve seen. But the most unusual feature in the building is Canada’s first W Sound Suite, a recording studio for would-be musicians and podcasters.

Public School is destined to become a neighbourhood go-to for coffee meetings, business lunching and breakfast (my petal-sprinkled avocado toast was especially pretty), but the main restaurant is on the rooftop: Skylight, all high ceilings and giant windows, complete with an outdoor patio.

Led by chef Keith Pears, the concept at Skylight includes a raw bar (with a Grand Royale seafood tower if you’re in the mood to splurge), and a menu spanning mezze to grilled dishes, like whole branzino for two. Of course, there are more specialty cocktails, too—the most showy, High Park, comes delivered in a sort of glass terrarium that opens with a plume of smoke before you sip the mezcal- and sherry-spiked drink. It’s an apt emblem for the hotel: playful, extravagant and made to be noticed.

Accommodation was provided to Wing Sze Tang by W Toronto, which did not review or approve this article.

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