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Hotel rooms with furry nudist tapestries on the wall: they’re so hard to find.
Luckily, Toronto’s Gladstone Hotel has got it covered. Or – in this case – uncovered.
The lesbian/feminist/activist room (dubbed “Faux Naturel) is one of 37 funky artist-designed rooms that make The Gladstone an oasis of colour in a desert of drab chain hotels.
If artificial pubic hair is not your hotel artwork of choice, perhaps you’d prefer to drift off counting not sheep but Tom Cruises in “Teen Queen,” a teenage girl’s bubblegummy sanctuary adorned with Teen Beat pinups. Or primp and preen in “Model Citizen,” an homage to the peacock and its inherent narcissism.
Speaking of showing off, The Gladstone wasn’t always able to strut its stuff like this.
The oldest continuously operating hotel in Toronto, it was a glamorous debutante back in 1889. But, like so many young beauties, its glory days were numbered.
“It had a 100 years’ reputation as a dump,” says spokesperson Fabiana Francisco, guiding me through the building. “Even today, if you take a cab from the airport, and say you’re going to The Gladstone, the cab driver will probably say “you’re going WHERE?”
But those taxis are not up to speed: following a massive facelift in 2005, The Gladstone emerged as a cutting edge boutique hotel.
Manager Christina Zeidler commissioned all sorts of creative types - including painters, material artist, graphic designers, architects, commercial and contemporary fine artists - to craft the 37 rooms, which are cozier than your average hotel digs. But what they lack in space they make up for in character.
For instance, at first glance the “Chinoiserie” room appears to be covered in basic, Asian-themed wallpaper. But upon closer examination, you can pick out custom hand-painted additions. Like the CN Tower masquerading as a hat on a traditional figure.
The list goes on and on, as no two rooms are even remotely the same.
But The Gladstone is much more than an inn: it’s practically the community centre of artsy cool in Toronto. One writer referred to it as a “cultural incubator,” and with good reason: it boasts an enviable location on West Queen Street West, abundant gallery space and a commitment to organic/fair trade foods and green cleaning products. All of this scores big points with hipsters and celebs.
The handmade soaps and shampoos originate from an Ontario farm. And the staff aren’t just rattling off a script when they tell you this – they make an annual pilgrimage to the source and pitch in with the labour.
And you couldn’t fail to miss Hank, The Gladstone Cowboy. A longtime resident of the area, Hank dons his pin-festooned Stetson and does double duty operating the refurbished 1904 elevator and acting as in-house historian.
The Ballroom Café Serves up a mean latte, whilst the legendary Melody Bar hosts karaoke Thursday through Saturday. The last Thursday of each month is Queeraoke (“a lot of Madonna and Abba,” quips Francisco).
And the souvenir shop is fittingly offbeat: instead of Toronto teaspoons or Blue Jays tea cozies, The Gladstone is hawking mementos like a piece of the Gardiner Expressway on a silver chain ($35) and a “hoser cosie” for beers ($40).
But despite the cool factor, a warmth pervades this landmark.
“We’re known for being really relaxed and casual. We treat everybody like a star and a star like everyone else,” says Francisco. “It’s like a big bed and breakfast.”
We pass by a diminutive woman working in the kitchen.
“Hi mom!” she says. “Really, that’s my mom.”
The Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen Street West, Toronto
www.gladstonehotel.com
416-531-4635
View gift shop items online at www.thesouvenirshop.ca
Rates: From $185 (artist-designed room) to $475 (Tower Suite)