Revival of Queen St. West
By Steven Flockhart & Brookes Merritt
http://www.ukula.com/
Ukula recently caught up with Jeff Stober, Toronto entrepreneur and owner of The Drake Hotel. He talked with us about his foray into hotel management, the development of a niche market and how his vision has sparked change in the popular Queen West scene.
Combining classic charm and décor with 18 eclectic rooms, a lavishly furnished private suite and a bohemian lounge-scene, the 120-year-old Drake Hotel on Queen St. West has become an enigma in Toronto’s hospitality industry.
Unlike hot spots attempting to assimilate underground culture into the mainstream, the Drake offers fine hospitality without pretension - a grassroots destination for everyman, not just those with celebrity status.
“I wanted [the Drake] to be a place where visitors would feel something different,” says Stober. Most places offer a static experience, he argues, commenting on the utilitarian nature of corporately-owned hotels. “That’s exactly the type of environment I wanted to break away from.”
Before becoming an entrepreneur Stober worked as a corporate head-hunter. In 1981, after just seven months on the job, the 22-year-old Stober quit to open his own successful placement firm, eventually opening all across Canada.
Stober rode his success until 1998 when he sold his majority shares to pursue other interests, which included travelling to India and Nepal. In 2001 he returned to Toronto and found himself drawn to the fringe communities beyond the corporate landscape. “I was keen to do something that would benefit local people at the street level,” he says.
He stumbled upon the Drake property while visiting a gallery in the Queen West neighbourhood. His curiosity got the best of him after he learned it was for sale. “I went to see it and decided [it] was going to be my next project.”
Having contemplated entering hotel management in his youth, Stober harboured a keen interest in the industry. “I was always fascinated with the way [boutique-type] hotels worked. I studied their growth during the 1990s and was enthralled at their [rise in popularity].”
He secured the Drake property in October, 2001, and set out creating his vision for the hotel. “The neighbourhood was still untouched and raw; I felt it would be good for everyone to have something like this in the centre of the community.”
Stober teamed up with architect Paul Syme and the 3rd Uncle Design firm to recapture the old spirit of the Drake. “I wanted to recreate as much of that nostalgic feel as possible.”
In February, 2004 - two years and $6-million later, the hotel opened it’s doors, enabling Stober to finally give something back to the community he’s so passionate about preserving.
“We’ve created an environment that inspires new ideas, experiences and ways of seeing the world around us,” he says.
The hotel now has one of the liveliest event calendars in the city. Patrons can enjoy quiet drinks at the main bar, climb to the rooftop sky bar to catch local indie bands or take in spoken word readings in the basement bar. “We often do things on the wrong side of mainstream,” Stober laughs.
Events include ‘Room 101,’ where guests play charades and board games. ‘Tin Tin Tin,’ is a musical number serving up an earful of cacophony, put together by Globe & Mail music critic Carl Wilson.
The rarity of the Drake’s allure has attracted much of Toronto’s A-list and ‘scenesters,’ but Stober stoutly maintains that his hotel tips no hat to elite clientele. “When you come to a place like this you leave your ego at the door,” he says. “It’s not about who you are or what you do. It’s about meeting different types of people and interacting with them on another level, whether culturally or creatively.”
Stober hopes the hotel will maintain long-time local interest. “There’s [still] so much we can do here; the growth of the community will help us continue to develop and push our own boundaries.”
The hotel offers haven to those mindful of heritage and independent appeal. To those in the know, it’s clear Stober’s entrepreneurial spirit has pumped life back into the once-ordinary aura of Queen St. West The combination of the hotel’s design and Stober’s openness to new experiences create a welcoming atmosphere at the Drake.
The result is an intriguing venue of revelry and repose that stands out amidst the stagnant smog of Toronto’s token night-life.
For more information visit http://www.thedrakehotel.ca/ or call 416-531-5042. *Nightly room-rates: $150 and up * Dinner for two (w/wine): $100 and up. Located in Gay Toronto's Queer West Village
http://www.queerwest.org/queerwestvillage.php
By Steven Flockhart & Brookes Merritt
http://www.ukula.com/
Ukula recently caught up with Jeff Stober, Toronto entrepreneur and owner of The Drake Hotel. He talked with us about his foray into hotel management, the development of a niche market and how his vision has sparked change in the popular Queen West scene.
Combining classic charm and décor with 18 eclectic rooms, a lavishly furnished private suite and a bohemian lounge-scene, the 120-year-old Drake Hotel on Queen St. West has become an enigma in Toronto’s hospitality industry.
Unlike hot spots attempting to assimilate underground culture into the mainstream, the Drake offers fine hospitality without pretension - a grassroots destination for everyman, not just those with celebrity status.
“I wanted [the Drake] to be a place where visitors would feel something different,” says Stober. Most places offer a static experience, he argues, commenting on the utilitarian nature of corporately-owned hotels. “That’s exactly the type of environment I wanted to break away from.”
Before becoming an entrepreneur Stober worked as a corporate head-hunter. In 1981, after just seven months on the job, the 22-year-old Stober quit to open his own successful placement firm, eventually opening all across Canada.
Stober rode his success until 1998 when he sold his majority shares to pursue other interests, which included travelling to India and Nepal. In 2001 he returned to Toronto and found himself drawn to the fringe communities beyond the corporate landscape. “I was keen to do something that would benefit local people at the street level,” he says.
He stumbled upon the Drake property while visiting a gallery in the Queen West neighbourhood. His curiosity got the best of him after he learned it was for sale. “I went to see it and decided [it] was going to be my next project.”
Having contemplated entering hotel management in his youth, Stober harboured a keen interest in the industry. “I was always fascinated with the way [boutique-type] hotels worked. I studied their growth during the 1990s and was enthralled at their [rise in popularity].”
He secured the Drake property in October, 2001, and set out creating his vision for the hotel. “The neighbourhood was still untouched and raw; I felt it would be good for everyone to have something like this in the centre of the community.”
Stober teamed up with architect Paul Syme and the 3rd Uncle Design firm to recapture the old spirit of the Drake. “I wanted to recreate as much of that nostalgic feel as possible.”
In February, 2004 - two years and $6-million later, the hotel opened it’s doors, enabling Stober to finally give something back to the community he’s so passionate about preserving.
“We’ve created an environment that inspires new ideas, experiences and ways of seeing the world around us,” he says.
The hotel now has one of the liveliest event calendars in the city. Patrons can enjoy quiet drinks at the main bar, climb to the rooftop sky bar to catch local indie bands or take in spoken word readings in the basement bar. “We often do things on the wrong side of mainstream,” Stober laughs.
Events include ‘Room 101,’ where guests play charades and board games. ‘Tin Tin Tin,’ is a musical number serving up an earful of cacophony, put together by Globe & Mail music critic Carl Wilson.
The rarity of the Drake’s allure has attracted much of Toronto’s A-list and ‘scenesters,’ but Stober stoutly maintains that his hotel tips no hat to elite clientele. “When you come to a place like this you leave your ego at the door,” he says. “It’s not about who you are or what you do. It’s about meeting different types of people and interacting with them on another level, whether culturally or creatively.”
Stober hopes the hotel will maintain long-time local interest. “There’s [still] so much we can do here; the growth of the community will help us continue to develop and push our own boundaries.”
The hotel offers haven to those mindful of heritage and independent appeal. To those in the know, it’s clear Stober’s entrepreneurial spirit has pumped life back into the once-ordinary aura of Queen St. West The combination of the hotel’s design and Stober’s openness to new experiences create a welcoming atmosphere at the Drake.
The result is an intriguing venue of revelry and repose that stands out amidst the stagnant smog of Toronto’s token night-life.
For more information visit http://www.thedrakehotel.ca/ or call 416-531-5042. *Nightly room-rates: $150 and up * Dinner for two (w/wine): $100 and up. Located in Gay Toronto's Queer West Village
http://www.queerwest.org/queerwestvillage.php
Comments
Post a Comment