Inside the Drake Motor Inn, the hotel’s latest outpost in Prince Edward County
When Drake Hotel founder Jeff Stober was a kid, his family took summer road trips to Cape Cod, where they’d stay in retro roadside inns. He’s loved them ever since. Last year, his team purchased a motor inn right beside the Drake Devonshire in Wellington (formerly known as Cribs on the Creek) and spent six months transforming the rooms into playful spaces that blend modern comfort with nostalgic whimsy.
Visitors will find plenty of nods to old-school road trips and family vacations (think Polaroid cameras, vending machines and board games). The rooms are more spacious than most of the ones at the Devonshire, making it easier to accommodate families, and, best of all, dogs are allowed to spend the night (canine beds are available on request, and they charge $35 a day for pet-related housekeeping costs). Here’s a peek inside.
This is a Studio King room. Mia Nielsen, the Drake’s curator, chose pieces with the same warm tones as Kodak film, like these shots by Toronto artist Steven Beckly:
The nightstands were handmade in Toronto and the beds were custom-made in Quebec:
The Drake’s in-house design team, led by Carlo Colacci and Joyce Lo, used a combination of tambour wood panels and grasscloth wallpaper on the walls:
The Den Queen room comes with a pullout couch. Toronto still-life photographer Alison Postma created artwork hanging behind the couch:
Each room comes with its own Polaroid camera and visitors can purchase film to capture memories. There’s also a custom vending machine that dispenses Drake General Store souvenirs, minibar snacks and select items from the “Pleasure Menu,” which includes bondage tape, vegan condoms, butt plugs and vibrators:
Here’s the minibar setup in the Studio King room. Danish design brand Woud made the shelves:
The stationery is on-brand:
The bathrooms feature work by Philadelphia artist Roxana Azar:
Each bathroom also has a custom vanity stocked with Malin and Goetz products. French designer Charlotte Perriand made the sconces:
43 Wharf Street, Wellington, ON. Thedrake.ca.
Correction
An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the motor inn purchased by the Drake as "run down." Toronto Life apologizes for the error.
 and spent six months transforming the rooms into playful spaces that blend modern comfort with nostalgic whimsy.
Visitors will find plenty of nods to old-school road trips and family vacations (think Polaroid cameras, vending machines and board games). The rooms are more spacious than most of the ones at the Devonshire, making it easier to accommodate families, and, best of all, dogs are allowed to spend the night (canine beds are available on request, and they charge $35 a day for pet-related housekeeping costs). Here's a peek inside.
This is a Studio King room. Mia Nielsen, the Drake's curator, chose pieces with the same warm tones as Kodak film, like these shots by Toronto artist Steven Beckly:
The nightstands were handmade in Toronto and the beds were custom-made in Quebec:
The Drake's in-house design team, led by Carlo Colacci and Joyce Lo, used a combination of tambour wood panels and grasscloth wallpaper on the walls:
The Den Queen room comes with a pullout couch. Toronto still-life photographer Alison Postma created artwork hanging behind the couch:
Each room comes with its own Polaroid camera and visitors can purchase film to capture memories. There's also a custom vending machine that dispenses Drake General Store souvenirs, minibar snacks and select items from the “Pleasure Menu,” which includes bondage tape, vegan condoms, butt plugs and vibrators:
Here's the minibar setup in the Studio King room. Danish design brand Woud made the shelves:
The stationery is on-brand:
The bathrooms feature work by Philadelphia artist Roxana Azar:
Each bathroom also has a custom vanity stocked with Malin and Goetz products. French designer Charlotte Perriand made the sconces:
43 Wharf Street, Wellington, ON. Thedrake.ca.){kind=link}