1 week ago Lost Toronto hotel was a den of Confederate spies during U.S. Civil War

While it's hard to imagine Front Street without the iconic Royal York Hotel, that plot of land was still home to Toronto's favourite hotel — just not how you think.The Queen's Hotel was a town staple, becoming the most popular and modern hotel in Toronto during its time.But, while it featured many prominent names, the Queen's legacy is also marred with the stains of the Confederacy.Before it was the Queen's HotelThat prime real estate along Front street was originally slated to be a series of row houses designed by John Howard — the man who would later give High Park to the city.But, in 1856, a hotelier named Patrick Sword renovated the building into a hotel — dubbed the Sword's Hotel ( or Swords' Hotel, or Swords Hotel, depending on which references you're pulling from, because proper grammar clearly hadn’t been invented yet).Original plans for the Sword's HotelBecause most of the people who booked hotels were government officials, when the colonial cap...

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2 w. ago 35th Annual National Suicide Prevention Conference in Richmond Hill, Ontario

RICHMOND HILL, Ontario, April 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP) is thrilled to announce the 35th Annual National Suicide Prevention Conference, scheduled to take place May 14 – 16, 2025, at the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel & Suites in Richmond Hill, Ontario. This signature event brings together a […]

Society

2 w. ago Vibrant New Addition to the JdV by Hyatt Brand – TOOR Hotel – Opens in Downtown Toronto

New upscale lifestyle hotel brings an elevated experience to the heart of Toronto CHICAGO — Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) announced today the opening of TOOR Hotel, a stylish new upscale lifestyle hotel in Toronto’s lively Garden District. As the second JdV by Hyatt hotel in the city, and the third in Canada, TOOR Hotel expands […]

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3 w. ago The history of the Selby Hotel in Toronto and its connection to Ernest Hemingway

The Selby Hotel, once located at 592 Sherbourne St., is a Victorian mansion with a history that spans over 140 years and boasts an interesting connection to writer Ernest Hemingway.Originally built for Henry Falwell Gooderham, a member of the influential Gooderham family, the mansion was designed by renowned architect David Roberts Jr. between 1882 and 1883.Roberts Jr. also designed many buildings in Toronto's Distillery District, and is perhaps most known for his iconic Gooderham Flatiron Building at 49 Wellington St.The Selby Hotel in 1940. Photo by City of Toronto Archives.The red brick mansion's Queen Anne Revival style pays homage to the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, and was constructed during a residential boom in Toronto.During the time it was built, the St. James Town neighbourhood was home to several of the city's most affluent families, and many grand Victorian homes sat on Sherbourne Street. However, only a few of these original mansions remain int...

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3 w. ago Blockchain Futurist Conference Announces 2025 Return to Toronto and U.S. Debut in Florida

Canada’s Largest Web3 Event to Take Place at Toronto’s Historic Old Stock Exchange Before Making Its U.S. Debut at the Guitar Hotel in the Greater Miami Area. TORONTO — Blockchain Futurist Conference, Canada’s largest and longest-running Web3 event, owned by Emerald, will return to Toronto on May 13, 2025, at the historic Old Toronto Stock […]

Culture

3 w. ago Toronto hotel guest catches unreal missile of a throw at Rogers Centre

One fan visiting the Toronto Blue Jays stadium this week got a souvenir so unique that you'd probably only believe it if you caught it on video.But, thankfully for one Baltimore Orioles fan, that's exactly what happened this week when he decided to stay at the Toronto Marriott City Centre Hotel connected to the Rogers Centre.Well known for being the only hotel on the continent directly attached to a major league ballpark with views of the field, the young Orioles fan caught the attention of a few players during a training session yesterday.And with Baltimore outfielder Colton Cowser wanting to test out his arm strength, a souvenir baseball made it all the way from the diamond up to the fan’s hotel room.COLTON COWSER JUST THREW IT TO THE WINDOW AND WE GOT A BALL!NO WAY THAT JUST HAPPENED! #Birdland pic.twitter.com/gVwm5zKoML— HiMyNameIsJC 🫡 (@HiMyNameIsJC_) March 26, 2025The Orioles' content team got their own angle of Cowser's throw, which made its way into th...

Events

3 w. ago New Maple Leafs player still hasn't moved out of downtown Toronto hotel

When Scott Laughton got traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, it was an opportunity to return close to home.But the Oakville native is still searching for an actual home to live in.The 30-year-old forward, who, before the trade, had spent his entire NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers after being drafted by them in 2012, is currently living in a downtown Toronto hotel, as per Sportsnet's Luke Fox.And before facing off against his former team for the first time on Tuesday, Laughton told reporters that he's actually located quite close to his former head coach, John Tortorella."I said, 'Stay in your room. I'll stay in mine. I don't even want to see you,'" Tortorella joked before last night's matchup.Tortorella might've wished he had stayed in his hotel room a little bit longer, however, with Toronto coming away from the contest with a 7-2 win Tuesday night.Laughton and his wife, Chloe, welcomed a son late last year, and despite the trade to Toronto, his family is likely to spend plen...

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