A residential neighborhood favored by students (it’s close to U of T) and the artistically inclined, the Annex is known for its cheap-and-cheerful restaurants and stately Victorian manses. It had few good hotel options, until recently. Launched in 2018, the Annex Hotel offers a cross between a boutique hotel and an Airbnb rental. Check-in happens online, and there is no check-out; guests simply close the door behind them and walk away. Instead of key cards, each guest logs into an online portal and is given a key code to access their rooms (in case of cellphone malfunction, I recommend scrawling the code on a piece of paper as a failsafe). The hotel boasts that it has no televisions, no phones, no parking lot, no gym, and no front desk. This is a space designed by millennials, for millennials. Need ice? Text the attendant on duty. Need an extra towel? There’s a help-yourself closet in the hall. Although there’s no concierge, the hotel hosts hangouts in the lobby (also a cafe-bar open to the public) and is happy to help with locally informed itineraries and insider recommendations. Rooms, decorated by hot local design firm StudioAC, have an industrial-loft allure, but the frosted-glass washrooms provide little privacy. Toiletries (Malin+Goetz) and beds (firm-yet-yielding mattresses) are top-tier. Note: You need a different key code after hours to access the main door; make sure you know this in advance; sifting through your inbox late at night is less than ideal.