The Drake hotel review

The Drake only opened in February 2004, but it has already earned a following that includes some famous faces (musical group the Black Eyed Peas and actress Heather Graham have stayed here).
Part of the appeal is the hotel's rags-to-riches pedigree: Formerly a flophouse in a run-down Toronto neighborhood called Parkdale, the Drake was rescued by owner Jeff Stober, who injected C$6 million (US$4.8 million) into creating a boutique hotel. The renovation is gorgeous, and Stober's timing was excellent -- when he bought the property in 2001, the steady march of gentrification had already begun on Queen Street West. Even though the Drake is on its western fringe, Parkdale is less shabby and more chic, and there are some terrific restaurants, galleries, and shops within walking distance.
(all about hotel blog)
The 19 guest rooms are absolutely tiny -- they range from 14 to 28 sq. m (150-300 sq. ft.) -- but they are cleverly designed and have good amenities (CD/DVD players and lovely linens, for example). Still, the rates have gone up steeply since the hotel opened, and spending a minimum of C$159 (US$127) per night for a 150-sq.-ft. "Crash Pad" is hard to regard as a deal. I do love the neighborhood and the property, but you're definitely paying a premium for the "cool" factor if you stay here.

The Drake's strength is in its public spaces, and for a property this small, it has an awful lot. There are a restaurant and bar, a rooftop lounge, and a cafe; an exercise studio for yoga classes and a massage room; and a performance venue, the Underground, that features live music. There are also works of art throughout the hotel.
The Drake has been warmly welcomed by Toronto's arts community, and this is the one hotel in town where you're far more likely to meet city residents than visitors. Still, there's no getting away from the facts that this hotel is far from the downtown core and that access to public transit is limited to the Queen Street streetcar.