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.
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Annex Hotel
296 Brunswick Avenue, Toronto
Our Rating
Neighborhood
Downtown North
Transportation
Nearby municipal parking lot ($4/hr). Subway: Spadina.
Phone 647/277-1179 Prices $150–$200 double Amenities 2 restaurants; cafe-bar. Units 24 Web site Annex HotelNote: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.