September 18, 2006

Presenting: A Behind-The-Scenes Look at The Historic Royal York Hotel - One of Toronto's Crown Jewels

The more time I spend discovering Toronto the more I realize it is a fascinating city with interesting people and places, historic and current, famous and not so famous. Sometimes our most interesting discoveries are local ones - broadening our minds and expanding our horizons doesn’t always require a plane ticket and thousands of kilometers travelled.

So in the spirit of local explorations I singled out Toronto’s historic Royal York Hotel as the next destination for my inquiries about Toronto. The Royal York (now officially called the "Fairmont Royal York") has been a distinguished feature on Toronto’s skyline since 1929 and as one of the most prestigious hotels in the city, it has held allure for international travelers and locals alike for almost 80 years. More than 40 million guests have stayed here since the opening, including three generations of Britain’s Royal Family.

The grandeur of the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, viewed from Union Station

The name-dropping does not stop there: famous, even legendary guests have graced this Toronto landmark: Sir Winston Churchill, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Gina Lollobrigida, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennet, Jerry Lewis, Jane Fonda and Tony Curtis. Other visitors include Annie Lennox, Wayne Gretzky, George Lucas, Queen Latifah, N’Sync and many more. Just last week when I attended a special function at the Fairmont Royal York to celebrate the 196th Anniversary of Mexico’s Independence I spotted Sandra Bullock, who was in town for Toronto’s renowned International Film Festival. Sandra very graciously responded to all the requests for autorgraphs before she retreated to her table in the Library Bar. The Royal York no doubt has been a favourite hangout of the rich and famous for a long time.

Royalty has long been celebrated here

Built by famous Montreal architects Ross and Macdonald, assisted by the Toronto office of Sproatt and Rolph, the hotel opened its doors in 1929. In the Age of the Metropolis, it was entirely appropriate to have a stepped back skyscraper-style hotel anchor the downtown skyline. Every room was equipped with a private phone, a tub bath and a radio, a sensational achievement at the time.

28 storeys rise up to almost 400 feet above street level. Originally the building had five storeys rising from a rectangular basement, then featuring sixteen stepped-back bedroom storeys, a two-storey roof garden restaurant, and finally a four-storey steeply pitched, copper-covered roof. The architectural style can be labeled as “modern classicism” and its geometric forms, stylized ornamentation and stepped-back layout qualify it as one of Toronto’s jewels from the Art Deco era.

The famous clock in the lobby

For a personal discovery of this celebrated institution I met Melanie Coates and Alka Patel who both work in media relations for the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. These two experts were going to give me a first-hand behind-the-scenes look at some of the interesting features of this Toronto landmark.

While I was waiting for Melanie in the ground floor reception area I just sat down in one of the big armchairs to take in the atmosphere. International travelers, here on business and holidays, were streaming in and out of the two-level Beaux-Arts inspired lobby, many of them were waiting for someone beside the railway clock located centrally in the lobby, a popular meeting place for hotel guests.

The lobby impresses with its two-floor design

After we connected, Melanie pointed out that the lobby was completely renovated in 2001. Prior to then it had had a very dark carpet while now a new gorgeous light-coloured mosaic tiled floor is gracing this expansive space. The Imperial Foyer adjacent to the Lobby was also recently renovated and a stunning vaulted ceiling was uncovered. The Library Bar on the south side opened in 1971 and provides an intimate and cozy atmosphere with its dark paneling.

The Imperial Ballroom on the west side of the building is a grand space that used to be the venue for legendary entertainers such as Marlene Dietrich, Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Hope and Tony Bennett. In addition to big band concerts, this grand space was later turned into a dinner theatre and with the increasing demand for corporate meetings and special events, it became a site for conventions in the 1980s. Today it has partly returned to its roots as a ballroom and is a sought after venue for galas and receptions.

The Imperial Ballroom is set up for a meeting

Walking eastwards on the main floor we passed by Epic, the hotel’s signature restaurant whose cuisine combines fresh local ingredients with classic French touches in a contemporary environment. We took an escalator upstairs and Melanie pointed out Toronto’s smallest bar: “York Station” only holds 16 guests, has been referred to by its patrons as “the best bar in Canada” and is the perfect spot for waiting on a commuter train.

The Mezzanine level also holds a range of other meeting rooms of the hotel. We walked eastwards into the addition to the hotel, constructed between October 1956 and February 1959. This addition expanded the hotel’s capacity by 400 hotel rooms to reach today’s total of about 1400 hotel rooms and suites. The meeting rooms in this new section are named after different Canadian provinces and territories and are decorated with immense murals depicting scenes from Canadian history. The public areas hold photos and captions explaining the history of the hotel, and shed some light on the interesting personalities behind this fascinating structure.

Mural in the Ontario Room

Prior to the Royal York Hotel there had already been two earlier hotels on this very site: the Ontario Terrace Hotel opened in 1843 and was renamed the Sword’s Hotel in 1853. In 1860 it was renamed again as the Revere House and finally as the Queen’s Hotel in 1862. The Queen’s had been one of Toronto’s most prestigious hotels prior to its demolition in 1927 to make way for the Royal York Hotel. At the time many people were outraged that this venerable institution was going to be torn down to make way for a new hotel.

Starting in the mid 1880s, the Canadian Pacific Railway had built imposing luxury hotels at significant locations throughout Canada. Among others, these included the Banff Springs Hotel, the Chateau Lake Louise, the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa and the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City. During the 1920s it was decided that Toronto also needed a grand railway hotel, so the idea for the Royal York Hotel was born. Construction took about a year and a half and on June 11, 1929, the Royal York Hotel opened to grand fanfare. Incidentally at the time it was the tallest building in Toronto and even throughout the entire British Empire until the construction of the Canadian Bank of Commerce’s tower one year later.

The CN Tower is a virtual neighbour

During the ensuing depression the Royal York Hotel managed to stay open and it is said that management scoured the street for guests and staff had to live off tips. A radio station opened at the hotel in 1930 which remained open until 1936. Its call letters were CPRY (for “Canadian Pacific Royal York”). Even more surprisingly, the hotel had a fully operational hospital complete with an operating theatre, two wards, a nurses’ room, a dispensary, a consulting room and waiting rooms.

A key event happened in 1934 when John Labatt, famous entrepreneur and beer industry magnate, was kidnapped and dropped off three days later, tired yet unharmed, at the Royal York Hotel. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth I (the Queen Mother) came to stay in the hotel in 1939. Naturally, royalty has been part of the Royal York Hotel ever since its inception.

Architectural detailing featuring the Royal Yorks coat-of-arms

Tragedy unfolded in 1949: fire broke out on the cruise ship Noronic which was moored at Harbourfront, just steps away from the hotel. 118 people were killed in this disaster. The Royal York became a field hospital for the survivors. In 1959 the new 400-room addition opened on the east side of the hotel, including extensive conference and meeting facilities. This 17-story addition made the Royal York Hotel the biggest hotel in the British Commonwealth.

The opulence of the Ballroom

But you would be off the mark if you assume that the hotel only hosts human guests: the 1975 Shriner’s convention not only brought 65,000 human guests to the hotel, but the hotel was also required to take care of all the parade horses as well as a life-sized papier maché camel.

Extensive renovations were carried out in the late 1980s and early 1990s. More than $100 million was invested in order to restore the hotel’s 1920’s glory. In 1976 a celebration was held to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Canadian Pacific Railway Corporation. Meals were sold at 1886 prices, at 89 Cents for a four-course meal this was even cheaper than when the hotel opened in 1929!

In 1999, Canadian Pacific Hotels & Resorts acquired Fairmont Hotels to form Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, a global company with a portfolio of unique architecturally interesting luxury hotels throughout North America and the Caribbean. The official name of the hotel since then has been the Fairmont Royal York. In the early years of the New Millennium Fairmont invested almost $15 million in transforming the new lobby area, public meeting areas, the Epic Restaurant as well as the Imperial Room and Library Bar.

The famous Concert Hall

Following the history displays on the Mezzanine Level I got to see the Concert Hall which housed the first production of the Canadian Opera Company. This grand space featured a projection booth as it was also used as a cinema. The original projector is still located in an enclosed area and as a unique historic artifact it is currently being studied by a media historian.

As the hotel was completely booked during my visit, to my chagrin we were unable to see any of the hotel rooms or the lavish guest suites that the Fairmont Royal York Hotel is known for. Instead Alka took me to the Upper Canada Room on the 18th Floor, the former Tea Terrace. At one point the 18th and 19th floor were a two-level tea room, however, today they are separate again, making up two separate floors. The 19th Floor is dedicated to executive meeting spaces that afford privacy in professionally equipped facilities. Wonderful views over Toronto’s harbour open up and it really makes you appreciate the Royal York’s location in the heart of Toronto.

Amazing view from the 19th floor

But more interesting stops were yet to come: I was going to get a glimpse of the Royal York’s roof, from inside and from outside. We took the elevator up a few more floors and then ascended a number of concrete steps on foot. Along the way I had a chance to admire the original mechanisms of the elevators dating back to 1929 which surely have been thoroughly overhauled several times since then. The mechanical equipment of the Royal York Hotel from the start has been state-of-the-art.

The elevator mechanics, still working after almost 80 years...

The space right underneath the steeply pitched copper roof is actually empty and very dark. Alka explained that this area used to be occupied by a gentlemen who worked for the Royal York, refurbishing the hotel’s silverware. He apparently was a bit of a loner who enjoyed his time alone under the roof of this Toronto landmark. The entire space has a Gotham-like feel to it and I was actually expecting Batman to swoop in from around the corner any minute.

Gargoyles are protecting the hotel from the surrounding skyscrapers

A small door opened up into the open roof area just below the green copper roof and Alka and I, accompanied by a security guard, stepped outside and were blinded by the bright light. We were surrounded by Toronto’s downtown skyscrapers, from the white marble-clad Bank of Montreal tower, to the black TD Centre designed by Mies van der Rohe, to the Scotia Plaza and the golden Royal Bank Tower. All of Toronto’s blue chip centres of commerce and business are encircling this historic hotel, making its location even more strategic for the business traveller and more central for holiday-makers wishing to explore Toronto.

The view of the waterfront from the roof is astounding

We walked on a fairly narrow gravel-covered walkway between the hotel’s roof and the sandstone gargoyles that seem to protect this historic structure. We proceeded to the south side and I realized we were right underneath the huge neon letters saying “Fairmont – Royal York” which announce this venerable property to anyone arriving by train and at Toronto’s port, or driving by on the elevated expressway that crosses the city’s south side. The view of the surrounding skyscrapers, of historic Union Station with its many train tracks, the nearby Rogers Centre – the former SkyDome, the CN Tower, the harbour area and the adjacent Toronto Islands was mind-boggling. Alka pointed out that it is extremely rare for anyone to be taken up to this area and I felt very honoured to have seen this unique area that is normally concealed from the public.

These signs spell out "Fairmont Royal York"

Next on the menu was the roof garden, so we descended some stairs, took the elevator down a few flights to the eastern section of the building and climbed more stairs. The roof garden actually holds an extensive collection of organically grown herbs whose cultivation, maintenance and harvest is the responsibility of the apprentice chefs at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Alka mentioned that the hotel has about 100 chefs and one of their hotel packages offers guests a chance to go shopping at the St. Lawrence Market with the hotel’s executive chef. All the food waste in the hotel, about 2,200 pounds, is picked up daily by Turtle Island Recyling for composting while unconsumed banquet food is donated to Second Harvest which distributes it to over 27 agencies throughout Toronto. The hotel follows a comprehensive green action plan for all of its operations.

The roof garden, amid the skyscrapers

The hotel has also made a strong commitment to recycling and sustainability: it has cut its gas consumption by 40% since 1990 by eliminating the incinerator and switching off kitchen equipment that is not in use. Over 400,000 glass bottles and more than 300,000 pounds of cardboard and paper are recycled annually, equivalent to saving 4,000 trees. More than 20,000 pounds of soaps and 4,000 pounds of shampoos as well as reusable bed linens go to social agencies and missions every year.

A pastry chef creates a virtual golf course

Now that we had explored the lofty portions of this beautiful building it was time to investigate the below-ground innards of this fascinating structure. We took the elevator all the down to the main level where Alka showed me the biggest hotel kitchen in Canada. As it was mid-afternoon, the kitchen was a bit quiet. But we caught one of the pastry chefs at work who was in the process of decorating a cake which was increasingly starting to look like a signature hole on one of the world’s most popular golf courses.

This washing machine was enormous!

One floor down in the sub-basement I was fascinated by more parts of the hotel’s infrastructure: Toronto’s largest laundry is located at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. We saw the operation of the huge washers and dryers - one dryer load is equivalent to roughly 11 miles (almost 18 km) of clothesline. Housekeeping as well as a valet dry-cleaning service are also located on the lowest level of the Royal York Hotel. When you visit this area you realize how much work goes into operating one of Canada’s largest and most historic hotels, which has been referred to as “a city within a city block”. Everything, from food, to room service, to event management, housekeeping, cleaning, bed sheets, linens etc. requires a staff of dedicated well-trained employees. At the Royal York these employees come from all over the world, and more than 50 languages are spoken by its employees.

Ada and Dimitra have been with the Royal York for more than 30 years....

My official guided tour had come to an end. I thanked Alka for her time and took a few more pictures of the lobby area and the Library Bar. In this bar I connected with two long-term employees of the hotel: Ada Kulis is just celebrating her 30th anniversary with the hotel, and Dimitra Maritsa has actually been a waitress in the Library Bar since 1971, since opening day. Both ladies were very gracious and their bright smiles lit up my camera. For international travelers, local revelers in search of entertainment and gourmet food, and for employees alike: the Fairmont Royal York Hotel is a special place….

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