Four Seasons Hotel Toronto

The Four Seasons' sleek hometown flagship is polished and pampering, just like the Yorkville neighborhood it’s located in.

• The intimate, discreet feel of the property (despite its 259 rooms)
• The 1,700-work collection of contemporary Canadian art
• The spa's all-natural, mix-and-match scrubs and wraps and its eco-friendly, bromine-treated pool

For some, the words "Four Seasons flagship" may conjure images of old-world hotel splendor—a palatial lobby with a sparkling scene. But the Toronto-based company wanted to make a more subtle, sophisticated statement with its 21st-century Yorkville home. Arriving guests access reception via an understated foyer that might easily belong to a high-end residential building if not for telltale floral arrangements. Suspended above the front desk, a large-scale porcelain and wood dandelion mobile sets the tone for the hotel's contemporary Canadiana-inspired design motifs, its seed head wisps casting whimsical shadows as they appear to float away on the wind.

Guest rooms feel fresh and light in cream, grey and pearl with delicate botanical flourishes and wall art that quietly evokes Canada's great woodland wilderness. A typical vignette might include a simple line drawing of pine boughs, a laser-cut leaf rendering and a tiny gold-foil printed moose or fox. Even the veined granite in the bathrooms seems to resemble wood grain in its striations. Fittingly, many of the rooms have views over Yorkville's treetops (about ten minutes from the downtown core, the landscaped, retail-rife neighborhood—formerly an independent village—is right for those who prefer a little bit of distance from the commotion of the city center).

Breakfast and dinner are served at the hotel’s glam, Pop art-accented outpost of Café Boulud, helmed by renowned Chef Daniel Boulud and designed by the first lady of Four Seasons, Ms. Rosalie Sharp. Downstairs, the breezier street-level dbar serves lunch, dinner, and happy hour bites to a buoyant crowd. The 30,000-square-foot spa—also a hit with the neighbors—is the largest in the brand, offering drop-in yoga and Pilates classes, a hair and nail bar, a bromine-treated pool and a sun terrace.