Shangri-La Hotel Toronto

Shangri-La's sophomore property in North America, housed in a sumptuously appointed, centrally located skyscraper, balances the downtown bustle with plenty of Asian zen (and most anything else demanding urbanites might wish for).

• Not having to call for a toothbrush—virtually any toiletry you may have left behind is waiting on your bathroom vanity
• Selecting a loose-leaf tea from the 68-choice "library"
• Momofuku pork buns and Milk Bar soft-serve, charged to your room

Given that the Shangri-La's heated porte-cochère is located on Simcoe Street, it's conceivable—especially during the months of January and February—that a guest might check out of the hotel without ever having used its pedestrian entrance on University Avenue. But this less trafficked approach, home to one of the most significant public art installations in Canada, is worth braving the elements for. Zhang Huan's 24-ton, stainless steel Rising, which resembles a tangle of branches besieged by a flock of fluttering doves, was two years in the making. While some of its "peace pigeons" ascend the hotel's facade, others appear to have actually "flown" inside, where they can be seen hovering overhead or perched atop the lobby's centerpiece double-sided fireplace. As Huan explained at its unveiling, Rising is an expression of his wish for "beautiful city life to be shared by mankind and nature."

Eastern equilibrium and grace prevail throughout the hotel's Lobby Lounge (as the soaring, luminous central atrium is known), its contemporary grey furnishings accented by purple orchid blooms and statement Chinese calligraphy paintings with lush black brush strokes. At teatime even the tabletops, clad in tiered platters and hand-painted china, and servers, who wear chinoiserie-printed qipao dresses by Asian-Canadian designer Sunny Fong, are complicit in the spell.

But busy city travelers can't live on aesthetics alone; they need convenience, efficiency and access, all of which the Shangri-La delivers in spades. Intuitively designed, tech-intelligent guestrooms with pre-programmed iPads and bedside control panels mean you can schedule tomorrow's room-service breakfast, request a wake-up call, draw the black-out shades and turn out the overheads—all from under the covers. Once your day is underway, whether your agenda is corporate or cultural, the hotel's address at the intersection of the financial and entertainment districts promises minimal schlepping. Opera, ballet, and of course, TIFF, are all within a few blocks' walk, and Soho House Toronto, a favorite rendezvous of the city's creative and media cognoscenti, is within a few steps.

Between the refined, ingredient-driven fare at Bosk and David Chang's three-story, three-restaurant Momofuku satellite next door, those who prefer not to venture out could have nearly a week's worth of pilgrimage-worthy dinners on-property, not to mention live jazz every night. The Lobby Lounge's entertainment calendar, as popular as its afternoon tea, has sparked an animated local scene (be prepared to wait for a table). Peace and quiet can be found on the fifth floor, in one of the curtained cabanas surrounding the sky and candlelit pool, or at the destination hammam-style Caudalie spa, where massages conclude with a mint tea and baklava ritual. Guests traveling to Toronto for work will find the business-pleasure dichotomy quickly becomes muddled. Even a day full of meetings can begin with a private sun salutation in the yoga studio and end with a detoxifying scrub in the hammam.

Caring hospitality being a touchstone of the Shangri-La brand, the service here is as polished as the glossy new high-rise itself. Occasionally, it is downright exuberant. Upon spotting our party outside the airport, our driver leapt out of the car and bounded—joyfully—across the parking lot to greet us. After a morning's journey, not even the state-of-the-art infrared sauna could have revived me as much as his heartfelt welcome.