The Kimpton Saint George couldn’t be a better home away from home when visiting Toronto. Tucked between the fashionable Yorkville and the historical The Annex neighborhoods and with the University of Toronto and several of the city’s top museums practically on the hotel’s doorstep, the Kimpton Saint George is the perfectly situated base for exploring Toronto. Just about equal distance from Uptown and Downtown, it’s just a short walk to several tram and bus stops nearby to quickly get around Canada’s largest city.
Arriving to the hotel, the dark wood and rich textures of the reception and lobby make you feel right at home among the nearby high-end boutiques, galleries and design studios along Bloor Street’s “Mink Mile.” Yet, the Kimpton Saint George is totally unpretentious with its friendly staff and cozy lobby living room with a roaring fire.
And best of all, Kimpton Saint George is not just pet tolerant – but truly dog-friendly with dogs welcome throughout the hotel, pet amenities like a welcome bag full of treats, toys and dog-walking essentials including a towel. There are no pet fees, no breed or size restrictions, and multiple pets are welcome.
First Impressions of Kimpton Saint George Toronto
As Canada’s first Kimpton property, the Kimpton Saint George sets the bar high. Be sure to take time to take in all the carefully curated art and details throughout the hotel. With a vision to tell the story of Toronto and all of its eclectic eccentricities through art and design, tons of details were chosen to shine a light on intimate details of Toronto that this sprawling metropolis’s residents hold close to their hearts.
If you arrive heading west on Bloor Street, you can’t miss the giant owl mural adorning the side of the 14-story hotel. The Kimpton Saint George commissioned the owl mural from local Toronto street artist Jerry Rugg, otherwise known in the street art community as BirdO. Take a look at the owl’s sunglasses, which reflect the Toronto skyline at sunset.
The lobby is set in warm tones with locally designed furniture that makes you feel like you’re a guest in someone’s home. And especially when decked out with all its’ holiday finest, the Kimpton Saint George lobby is a place you want to hang out and relax for a while. With a complimentary coffee, tea and hot chocolate bar in the mornings and a complimentary wine social hour for guests every evening, you’ll undoubtedly find yourself doing just that.
What are the rooms like at the Kimpton Saint George?
The Kimpton Saint George has 188 rooms and suites. Like the lobby, you can expect a welcoming space in muted colors, stylish furniture custom-designed by Toronto-based Mason Studio and crafted by local artisans, and one-of-a-kind, hand-dipped, metal, wall art pieces created by Ottawa artist and designer Laura Langford.
Something unique to Kimpton hotels are that they have armoires instead of closets – and aim to surprise guests with the “Closet Smile.” It’s something unique to each Kimpton property, and you’ll find an albino squirrel when you open your armoire at the Kimpton Saint George.
Why an albino squirrel? It’s a nod to Toronto’s infamous albino white squirrels found specifically in Trinity Bellwoods.
Most important is the king bed dressed in Frette linens, which is basically like sleeping on a cloud that perfectly hugs your body for the best night sleep.
The bathrooms feature spacious walk-in showers and Atelier Bloem bath products. There’s also a hair dryer in room, which even I approve of. The only thing lacking is a handheld shower nozzle, which is sometimes essential for a quick rinse of pet’s paws. Luckily, we had sunny – but freezing cold – weather and Coco didn’t get mucky to need a rinse.
Every room also has extra-fluffy robes, a yoga mat and a small refrigerator. Higher category suites even come with record players with a stash of LPs by Canadian artists. Additional amenities like Nespresso machines are available upon request, in case you don’t want to make the trip down to the lobby for the complimentary coffee, tea and hot chocolate.
And for pets, beds large enough to accommodate even larger breeds of dogs and bowls are placed in room for use during your stay.
Other Amenities at the Kimpton Saint George
Other amenities at the Kimpton Saint George include a fitness center with various equipment and Peloton bikes on the 2nd floor, bicycles available for guests who want to discover Toronto by bike, and an onsite parking garage (for an additional charge).
Kimpton Saint George also has a partnership with Radford Studio to offer guests in-room beauty services such as exclusive Kimpton facials, brow and lash services. They can also arrange in-room hair and make-up services for wedding parties.
The Fortune Fox is an onsite gastropub, though the restaurant is not operated by the Kimpton itself. The menu offers all day elevated gastropub food and the chicken wings are a signature here.
We did not try the Fortunate Fox, as you’re certainly spoiled for excellent dining choices all within a stone’s throw of the Kimpton Saint George. But it is worth noting that there is a smaller late night dining menu available until 1am.
Every month there’s also a social media password you can get by following Kimpton on social media such as Instagram. Give the password to the front desk to be gifted a surprise.
Is the Kimpton Saint George worth it?
As my second and third Kimpton stay (I also had a fab stay at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh sans a pet a few years ago), I’m definitely apt to look for this upscale hotel chain in more destinations in the future – and especially when traveling with a pet. Coco certainly gave her paws up approval. And I did not hesitate to return to the Kimpton Saint George for my latest visit to Toronto for just as fabulous a stay as our first time there for exploring dog-friendly Toronto at Christmas.
We were guests of Kimpton Saint George Toronto in order to bring you this story. However, Luxe Adventure Traveler maintains full editorial control of the content published on this site. As always, all thoughts, opinions, and enthusiasm for travel are entirely our own. This article contains affiliate links. When you book through our affiliate sites, we earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
