It seems counterintuitive to need a break when most of our time is spent at home, when clothing with any sort of structure has been jettisoned and when, even with work commitments, we’re spending a lot of time just sitting around.
Yet the thought of a lovely staycation seemed like a very good idea at the beginning of a gloomy (pre-lockdown) January, and one at the Fairmont Royal York seemed even better.
When I mentioned my plans to friends, many had stories of staying at the Royal York – it’s a very popular place to celebrate anniversaries and birthdays ending in a zero – and almost all of them had enjoyed high tea or a cocktail here. I fell into the latter category so this was going to be my first time venturing beyond the magnificent lobby, a storied setting replete with intimate vignettes of cushy seating, a soaring wood-panelled beamed ceiling and the kind of warm, ambient lighting that triggers an away-from-it-all, clubby feeling.
I booked a Fairmont Gold room which comes with a list of generous perks, including access to an elevator, reserved exclusively for gold patrons, that whisks guests up to the 18th-floor lounge for priority check-in. Here, Gold Ambassador Jason greeted us with sincere smiles (and as graciously as is possible from behind a plexiglass shield), then said the one sentence everyone arriving at a hotel wants to hear: “We’ve upgraded you to a suite.”
This is Jason who joins a team that boasts employees with 20 to 30 years of service at Fairmont Royal York.
Fairmont Gold suites signal a new aesthetic for the Royal York; each one feels more like a cool, glam pied-a-terre than a space in a 91-year-old hotel. “We really wanted them to have a comforting, residential feel,” says Megan van der Baars, the 28-year-old dynamo who started working at the hotel in housekeeping and is now the Manager of Media and Marketing.
A Fairmont Gold King Suite.
Her description is apt, although I am sad to say that my permanent residence doesn’t include sleek, high-gloss black doors, monogrammed bedding and a shower with aromatherapy pods and a rain-head the size of a small satellite dish.
The sitting room in our suite.
There is an expert edit of tailored furniture in the suite’s sitting room, along with a fabulous built-in bar. Room-with-a-view bonus: both sets of windows in the suite frame impressive perspectives of the CN Tower.
The lighting throughout is layered and most flatteringly on display in the bedroom’s uplit sculptural wall treatment and the king-size bed’s discreet, retractable reading spots. The bathroom’s glow takes a few years off the visage and I loved the vanity’s soft, motion-activated underlighting that was triggered upon entering the space – a thoughtful touch in the middle of the night.
Another perk of a gold stay is complimentary room service breakfast, and it is generously budgeted for up to $50 per person. Fresh fruit and vegan oatmeal take the decadent sting out of lemony pancakes piled high and dripping with wild blueberry compote.
All of this makes leaving that much harder, so if, like me, you want to linger as long as possible, call your gold concierge to request a late check-out time. I did and the answer was, “Of course, Ms. Wright – 3pm is fine, enjoy.” Oh, Fairmont Royal York, I could get used to you.
