It uses biodegradable cleaning products, natural soaps, sustainable foods and local producers, and it recycles everything so you won’t find a single plastic water bottle in the building. As the oldest continuously operating hotel in Toronto (with a hand-operated Victorian elevator to prove it), this place has had a few reincarnations, but none as virtuous as this 2005 rebirth.

Located deep in the heart of the Art and Design district, it has an artists’ colony vibe, with each of the 37 rooms having been designed by a different local artist. Try to imagine The Teen Queen room, pretty in pink with unicorns and Brat Pack posters, or The Parlour of Twilight – a dusky purple and neon-lit, film-noir boudoir. All rooms are kooky but comfortable, there’s a pleasant saloon-style café and the Melody Bar has nightly musical entertainment: bands, DJs or karaoke on Friday and Saturday. Ah – that’s what the earplugs on your pillow are for. It was almost too good to be true.