Queer travel expert Jack Kenworthy turns 250+ city adventures into your guide for safe, vibrant, and inclusively fabulous global journeys.
Honey, let us spill the tea on Toronto. Just because it’s not a capital doesn’t mean it’s not fabulous! And let us tell you, the gay hotels in Toronto are where it’s at! Forget those tired chain stays; Toronto’s vibrant scene is worth every sequin on your boa. With New York State just a twinkling star across Lake Ontario, this city is your glittering gateway to multiple city soirees.
So, pack your sexiest outfits and prepare to sashay into the Canadian adventure of a lifetime. From these fabulous gay hotels, you can strut your stuff across the city, and honey, they make the perfect base camp for all your Canadian exploits. Toronto is not just a place to see, darling; it’s a place to be seen.
So let’s not walk; let’s vogue our way into this fantastic city. Can I get a Yas, Queen?
However, before you run to our queer guides to find out exactly what there is to do in Gay Toronto, allow us to paint an image for you. Not only is the city’s geographical location stunning as well as convenient, but Toronto also possesses one of the most active art and culture communities in the entirety of the Americas, and this fact is represented very well by the presence of the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Ontario Science center.
Suppose you’re not interested in spending your time in museums or galleries. In that case, however, there’s always the Toronto Zoo, the Distillery District, and St. Lawrence Market, with its wide array of shopping and perusing opportunities.
Now that we’ve covered Toronto’s more generalized appeal, you’re sure to be wondering what the city has to offer to queer travelers looking to connect with a new community of like-minded people and enjoyable hangout locations.
The most widely-known gay neighborhood in Toronto is the Church-Wellesley Village and visitors to this part of the city are almost certain to walk away with a smile on their face. Not only does the Church-Wellesley Village harbor a bustling shopping and entertainment scene, but it also is the home of an active nightlife that threatens to be almost too engaging and energetic.
Dipping your toes in the waters of Church-Wellesley and its surrounding areas is an absolute pleasure and a lot safer and new-traveler-friendly than the regional communities of many other cities. The Church-Wellesley Village is also located directly adjacent to the city’s core commercial strip, which makes it.
Toronto is a very open, progressive, and creative city, but hotels still have to make money, and thus our usual disclaimer – as always – still applies here. Obviously, in most cases, there aren’t going to be hotels out there marketed directly towards gay people or queer people in general.
We know that, and therefore we’d like to note that the hotels on this list follow the same logic. Most of them have been listed as accommodating, friendly, and unjudgmental to, for, and by queer people in general, as well as being highly rated in general.
So, if you’re looking for a relaxing yet still intriguing and luxurious getaway, strap yourself in and prepare for your life’s journey. It’s off to Toronto to find out which of the city’s top eight best gay hotels is the best fit for you and your plans for a queer-themed holiday!
In this article we will cover...
The Anndore House
If there was ever to be a strong, solid start to a list of the best gay hotels in Toronto, The Anndore House is the perfect fit. Situated smack-bang in the middle of the Church-Wellesley Village neighborhood we mentioned earlier, this upscale and trendy hotel is as much of a pleasure on the eyes as it is on the feet, the holiday, and the sense of comfort.
Not only that, but the Anndore House’s rates are amazing for what it offers to potential visitors, especially given that it offers access to the entire center of the city, not just the Church-Wellesley Village.
The marketing and actual site for the Anndore House recommends coinciding stays in the hotel with the neighborhood’s annual pride events, which is a wonderful step in the right direction and proof that queer travelers can feel at home here.
Reviews for the business peg its staff as wonderfully helpful and reliable in even the worst of cases, meaning that you can truly relax and allow that holiday feeling to take hold. And it’s not just the aesthetics and the social aspects of the Anndore that hit all marks either.
An amazing array of eateries, restaurants, bars, and even fast food joints is available within a few minutes walk from the hotel’s door. The hotel’s offerings aren’t exactly shabby, as they include a bar and a well-decked-out restaurant of the building’s own.
Suppose you’re looking for lux rooms at a very easily affordable price and being allowed to put your finger on the pulse of Church Wellesley and Toronto as a larger whole. In that case, the Anndore House is the perfect place for you to unwind and begin to explore the city.
Chelsea Hotel
Some hotels focus on selling their connection to famous and popular areas, some pump up the luxury of their rooms, and others try to impress with comprehensive service and amenities.
When it comes to the Chelsea Hotel, however, visitors can expect to be met with a different angle of pleasantry altogether. If you’re looking for a cozy place that makes you feel at home rather than like you’re in a foreign city and forced to explore, then the Chelsea Hotel is the perfect match.
This hotel offers all the same benefits that more ‘upper shelf’ feeling hotels do without as much of the fuss and the intimidating processes, meaning that relaxation stays king, and worry is a thing of the past. This calm and ready attitude carries on to Chelsea’s staff attitude, meaning that queer travelers can feel well at home and safe within its walls.
The Chelsea also advertises itself as family-friendly, which many of the other gay-friendly hotels on this list do not, either through being adult-orientated or simply too expensive and luxurious for that kind of appeal.
This is an advantage without parallel if you’re looking to travel with kids or simply if you are more the type that appreciates a bit of looseness and home comfort when relaxing rather than a more formal experience.
This also aligns with Chelsea’s location – not far from the Church-Wellesley neighborhood, and yet situated in just the somewhat slower downtown area with its theatres, restaurants, and uptown clubs. Here, you’re not far away from where all the action is happening, but you have just enough of a barrier to remain able to leave it all behind for just a little while when you need the time for yourself.
Shangri-La Hotel
Flared to life with powerful tastes of Asian-inspired hospitality and attentive staff, the Shangri-La is linked up closely with public transport and the rest of the city through the nearby Osgoode subway station, as well as indulging those with a weakness for culture with its proximity to the Ontario Gallery.
This hotel is the metropolitan globe-trotter’s dream, contrasting entirely with the Chelsea Hotel that we covered shortly before in the sense of its arms-wide-open take on style and convenience. Expect to feel in the lap of the world when staying here, with all the best opportunities quite literally at your doorstep.
Although it is the first five-star establishment on this list, the price tag that comes with even the better rooms that the Shangri-La Toronto has to offer is incredibly decent and pays off almost instantly thanks to the hotel’s excellent location and the sheer amount of included services that come with the price.
The hotel is one of the very tallest buildings in one of the cities, which gives lucky travelers unparalleled views of the city’s surroundings and hotspots.
All of its spaces are incredibly maintained and up to date both when it comes to fashion and technology, and the Shangri-La Toronto even offers the possibility for two or more rooms to be combined at request, meaning that there’s no limit to the luxury, space, and comfort you can have for both yourself and the person or people that you invite along.
This hospitality and opportunity-rich attitude extends from the hotel’s rooms to the main floor, where ample meeting spaces and private event halls with catering are available for even the most challenging occasions. Are we seeing the perfect location for a gay wedding here? Just maybe! It’s all up to you, of course.
Courtyard by Marriott Downtown
Another one of the several hotels on this list that are in the heart of the Church-Wellesley gay community district, the Courtyard deeply embraces the culture that it finds itself surrounded by and actively advertises itself as LGBTQ-Friendly on Google.
It’s got stellar reviews and a wonderful connection with Toronto’s vibe, but that’s not where the benefits stop. Although these factors provide a nice preface to the Courtyard, it is when the hotel’s specifics come out onto the table that it starts to shine, and the benefits of staying there become evident.
The Courtyard prides itself on being a relaxing location to stay, yet does everything it can to ensure that its visitors are in touch with the city. Even though its location is amazingly convenient, the Courtyard maintains a peaceful distance from the College subway station so that you aren’t swamped by crowds when leaving or coming to the place’s entrance.
The hotel’s rooms are well-maintained, private, and up-to-date, boasting space for meetings and private functions, as well as easy access to the downstairs food and drink amenities and room service and breakfast.
The hotel’s eating opportunities include an in-house full-service restaurant and bar, not to mention the fact that drinks are provided day-round and that there is an option to get coffee direct from Starbucks. Now that’s closer.
But enough about food. What are the options the Courtyard offers for travelers looking to have a good time exploring the city? Well – the fact that the hotel is just a few minutes walk from the Toronto Eaton Centre is a massive advantage to start with, and that’s without mentioning its proximity to the many colorful and enjoyable businesses within the Church Wellesley village.
Bisha Hotel
Although it’s the first hotel on this list to truly be at a significant distance from the Church-Wellesley village, the sheer level of luxury and spot-on accommodation that the Bisha Hotel offers removes all doubt from the mind. The extra distance is, without a doubt, worth it and certainly pays off well in the end.
Lining itself on the cutting edge of well-curated boutique design and outfitting, the Bisha Hotel holds a sterling reputation as a top-end hotel with a punch, just so long as you’re ready to lighten your pocket just a little. Protected with wonderful privacy and comfort, the Bisha’s rooms are worth celebrating alone, outfitted with marble bathrooms, Italian linen, and terraces.
If you’re willing to upgrade, though, things get even better. The suites of the Bisha Hotel are incredible – going above and beyond things that other hotels would consider impossible, with pool tables and separate living rooms that feel more like an apartment than a hotel room.
Surrounded by the colorful Entertainment district, the Bisha has unparalleled access to the taller and more glamourous areas of Toronto, including the CN Tower and the Fashion Quarter, with its countless shops and browsing opportunities.
If you’re interested in seeing what the high life of Toronto is like, and if you want to indulge yourself a little in the sparkly and the ‘wow’, this is the place for you.
Not interested in going out to get a bite to eat or to enjoy a night at the bar? The Bisha Hotel has that covered, too, with its amazing range of culinary services – a French café, a Japanese restaurant, and a Baja-Mexican eatery on its rooftop terrace. Very few other hotels in Toronto mirror this kind of luxury and comprehensive service, and it shows.
Gladstone Hotel
This is another hotel that is quite a bit of distance from the Church-Wellesley neighborhood, but we promise that Toronto’s strong public transport system means that this is hardly a problem.
The first thing that one notices when it comes to this hotel is that the area surrounding the Gladstone Hotel – Little Portugal – is hip, trendy, and on the mark with its restaurants, eateries, and other enjoyable going-out opportunities.
The entire energy of the neighborhood sets the Gladstone far apart from basically every other hotel on this list, meaning that you’re in for a unique, wonderful staying experience. Art and color are the words of the street, and the wild and cultured sum up some of its best highlights.
The original structure of Gladstone’s Victorian building also makes for an incredibly unique accommodation experience, though not one that skimps out on a sense of luxury and comfort nonetheless.
The hotel is full to the brim with services and modern amenities, including an in-house restaurant, a more than capable trendy bar, and several lounges that make for a perfect spot to chill and enjoy the scenery and the feeling of the place. Pets are also allowed, which is quite rare for a hotel in Toronto.
The Gladstone is a place for those looking for an experience to knock their socks off in unexpected ways, but how does it shape up in the more conventional ways of measuring the quality of hotels, especially when it comes to friendliness to gay travelers?
Well – the Gladstone Hotel directly advertises itself as LGBTQ-friendly, which immediately ticks off the former, and it bears a sky-high rating across all major platforms, which means that visitors all agree upon one thing – it’s cool, and it’s here to serve well.
W Toronto
Sitting at a good solid middle in the price range, as well as carrying a quite formidable pro-to-con ratio when it comes to its location between the Yorkville and Church-Wellesley neighborhoods – both of which are wonderful to explore for newcomers and tourists – the W Toronto lives up to the reputation of its franchise very well. Friendly and accepting to LGBTQ+ customers and travelers?
Check. Affordable and very much worth what you get for the price, just like the other hotels on this list. Check. Excellent location and exquisite outfitting? Check.
The W Toronto has it all, and the only thing left to add is you and your best holiday ever. Customers would have it that the staff are world-class and eager to rise to the occasion should a need for help arise, and what more can you ask for?
But, of course, first, a few words about the Yorkville district since we haven’t discussed it before. This particular nook of Toronto’s lively, inviting downtown sector is full to the brim with trendy stores, high-note galleries, and – contrastingly enough – smaller homes of equally impressive grandeur and culture. It’s a place of allure, and this compliments its bordering zone Church Wellesley wonderfully.
One needn’t go outside the hotel’s walls to start enjoying what W Toronto has to offer, however. The W is truly decked out with the lot, and just about anything you could ask for is accounted for. A pool, a spa, a fitness center, a bar, and a restaurant, to start with.
And in the rooms? Hot tubs, full kitchens, room and laundry service, and much more. The W Toronto takes luxury and makes it to the max, yet remains friendly and accommodating for travelers with pets and children.
Sonder (The Wellesley)
Suppose this hotel’s nickname didn’t give it away from the beginning. In that case, the Sonder takes great pride in its location within the borders of the Church-Wellesley neighborhood and village and its ties to the LGBTQ community that the space houses don’t end there.
As a place of accommodation, Sonder is hip, in touch, and eager to please when it comes to customer service and doing all that it can to make the experiences of its visitors pleasant. Boasting excellent public transport connections, it is nearly directly opposite the Wellesley subway station, so the Sonder lives up to every expectation and delivers so much more than one assumes at first.
When arriving at Sonder, its setting is the most striking thing about its appearance.
Built up in one of its streets’ last standing Victorian-style structures and embracing that old-world taste with a dash of its flair and modernity, The Wellesley’s forefront offers both an attractive and practical door out onto the ways of the city, meaning that you can get to and fro from where you need to be without having to worry about navigating your way through a massive building complex and endless hallways to find your room and to finally be able to relax.
The Sonder offers a clean, quiet, and deceptively isolated-feeling escape away from the hustle and bustle of travel, and what more is there to ask for than that?
If you’re looking for a hotel that is all-no-fuss without the tag-along cliches of being unattractive and inconvenient, then the Sonder is the place for you. There is no other place of accommodation in the city that offers such a perfect balance between being charming and functional, and that is precisely where the Sonder finds its greatest appealing factor.
Gay Hotel Map Of Toronto
Feeling a bit lost while planning your journey to Toronto? No worries, darling! Our detailed LGBTQ+ tailored map is here to guide you. We’ve pinpointed all the vibrant gay-friendly bars, exhilarating clubs, extravagant parties, cozy hotels, relaxing saunas, and soothing massage parlors to ensure you find the perfect spot.
And these aren’t just any spots; we’re talking about the creme de la creme of locations in the heart of the city’s vibrant gay scene. Think panoramic views, easy access to nightlife, and all the amenities to make your stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.
But hold on to your feather boas! These hot spots are fabulous; they vanish quicker than a drag queen’s five o’clock shadow. Don’t delay; book now to secure the best deals and locations. Remember, the early bird catches the best deals in Toronto! So, pack your rainbow flag, and get ready to experience the ultimate gay-friendly holiday in Toronto.
