Inside the Anndore House, a stylish new boutique hotel near Yonge and Bloor

The 11-storey brick building at Yonge and Charles originally opened in 1955 as the Anndore Hotel and Apartments, where guests could choose to rent a room for a night or live there semi-permanently on the cheap. The space has had a few different identities since then, including, most recently, a stint as the Comfort Hotel. Now, sporting a brand-new coat of black paint, the building is on the verge of reopening as the Anndore House, a boutique hotel.

The asset management firm Silver Hotel Group bought the property four years ago. After a year of construction, during which they stripped the place to its bones and replaced everything from the flooring to the light fixtures, the place is officially set to reopen on April 12. In a nod to its apartment past, the rooms, designed by Cecconi Simone, have been made to feel like industrial lofts. The main floor lobby, by Studio Munge, is a casual meeting place where guests can grab an espresso or get a quickie haircut from Crow’s Nest barbershop. There’s no real reception desk, and guests can check in (and order room service) just by using the hotel’s app.

In a neighbourhood where there’s very little middle ground between super-fancy luxury hotels like the Four Seasons and chains like Howard Johnson, it’s safe to say the Anndore House will fill a gap. Rooms start at $299 a night, and suites start at $399.

The Comfort Hotel was easy to miss. (This is what the exterior used to look like, if you don’t remember.) The painted brick did wonders:

The entrance has gold details and a sleek new walnut door:

There are Art Deco touches throughout the space. The central table functions as a reception desk, where visitors can do an in-person check-in, if they want. The piece of art behind the table is by Toronto artist Maureen O’Connor:

The lobby bar is off the reception area. “We designed the common spaces to emulate a warm, sensible familial home,” said Alessandro Munge, of Studio Munge. There’s a library of vinyl LPs down here for people who want something to play on the turntables inside every guest room:

Behind this wall of artifacts will be the hotel’s Mediterranean restaurant Constantine, helmed by Craig Harding of Campagnolo and La Palma. It’s not yet open:

The room numbers are in the tiles:

One of the benefits of reviving the old building was that the square footage of the rooms is more generous than in newer buildings. There are three sizes. This King Suite, with a separate living room, is the largest. Cecconi Simone sourced the furnishings. The art, by Turkish artist Merve Ozaslan, is meant to reflect the space’s 1950s roots:

The bathrooms have bronze fixtures, and they come equipped with plush white robes. The toiletries are from gender-neutral NYC-based brand C.O. Bigelow:

The bedrooms have tons of closet space, and adorable plush owls from Restoration Hardware. Toronto artist Ric Stanton created the panels behind the bed:

The rooms are all decorated similarly. This is the next size down. It has a lounge area in front of its bed, with two leather chairs:

Here’s an opposite view. The renovation opened up the walls to reveal some original brick:

The rooms are all outfitted with Crosley record players and some records. Everybody likes Neil Diamond, right?

Also on hand: swanky snacks from Sugarfina.

If visitors want to make their pals back home jealous, they can send a cheesy postcard (or, more likely, post an Instagram story of it):

15 Charles Street East, 416-924-1222, theanndorehouse.com