RIU Plaza Toronto opens, marking RIU's debut in Canada
RIU Hotels & Resorts has opened the RIU Plaza Toronto, the brand's first property in Canada and its twelfth urban hotel worldwide. The newly built, four-star tower brings 352 rooms to 30 Widmer Street in the Entertainment District, steps from the Princess of Wales Theatre, David Pecaut Square, the Rogers Centre, and the CN Tower. Guests can expect a lobby bar, a second-floor restaurant with the signature RIU Plaza buffet breakfast included, a 24-hour gym, and a meeting room for up to 40.
Key points
- Why it matters: RIU adds a major North American city to its RIU Plaza map, broadening options for brand-loyal travelers.
- Travel impact: 352 new rooms in a high-demand district support peak events and shoulder-season city breaks.
- What's next: RIU continues urban expansion while building a third New York property.
- Design notes: Brick podium meets glass tower for a heritage-meets-modern look.
- Location edge: Short walks to theaters, sports venues, and attractions in the core.
Snapshot
Rising within a twin-skyscraper project, the RIU Plaza Toronto occupies 23 floors of one 49-story tower, blending a brick-clad base with a sleek glass shaft that suits the surrounding skyline. The ground-level lobby and lobby bar serve as an all-day social hub, while the second-floor restaurant anchors mornings with RIU's included hot-and-cold buffet breakfast. Rooms and suites follow a warm, contemporary palette with matte chrome finishes and beige accents. Amenities include a fully equipped 24-hour gym and a flexible conference room for up to 40 guests. The address at 30 Widmer Street puts travelers within a few blocks of headline venues and dining across King Street West and the nearby theater district.
Background
Canadian travelers have long filled RIU's beach resorts across the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. The Toronto debut brings that familiarity to an urban stay, positioned for both business and leisure segments. The Entertainment District location concentrates theaters, sports, and festivals, and it benefits from strong transit and walkability. For event-driven demand, the added room stock helps smooth price spikes around major happenings like TIFF and playoff runs. The opening also extends RIU's city portfolio that started with Panama City in 2010 and now spans Madrid, Dublin, London, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Berlin, Guadalajara, and Panama, with further growth planned in key global gateways.
Related reading: Toronto International Film Festival road closures, Sept 4-8 and Four Seasons Hotel Toronto celebrates TIFF's 50th in style.
Latest developments
RIU Plaza Toronto details and neighborhood highlights
The hotel's 352 rooms span standard categories through suites, including king-bed layouts and upper-floor options with skyline views. Public spaces emphasize quick convenience for urban stays, from an all-day lobby bar to grab-and-go-friendly breakfast service. The on-site gym runs 24/7, and the meeting room accommodates up to 40, fitting small corporate briefings and media junkets. The address at 30 Widmer Street places guests near King Street West's dining scene and within easy walks of the Princess of Wales Theatre, David Pecaut Square, the Rogers Centre, and the CN Tower. The building's brick podium aligns with neighborhood heritage façades, while the glass tower projects a modern profile that complements Toronto's downtown evolution.
Analysis
For Toronto's core, the RIU Plaza Toronto arrives at the intersection of events, entertainment, and corporate demand. Adding 352 keys in a single opening helps absorb spikes linked to festivals, marquee concerts, and sports, potentially easing compression during peak weeks. RIU's decision to include breakfast aligns with city-center traveler preferences for predictable, time-efficient mornings, especially when meetings start early or showtimes run late. The compact meeting space signals a focus on small groups and media work versus large conventions, which matches the micro-event profile of the Entertainment District. Design-wise, the podium-and-tower approach respects the streetscape while delivering vertical capacity, a pattern that Toronto has leaned on to densify without overwhelming blocks at the pedestrian level. Strategically, the brand gains Canadian visibility among travelers who already know RIU from sun destinations, while offering a familiar service style to first-timers who may later convert into resort guests. At the network level, Toronto fills a geographic gap between U.S. RIU Plaza cities and European capitals, strengthening cross-Atlantic itineraries for loyalty members and tour partners.
Final thoughts
The RIU Plaza Toronto gives brand loyalists and first-time guests an urban address that balances convenience with value adds like breakfast. Its Entertainment District location offers walkable access to theaters and arenas, plus fast connections across downtown. With 352 rooms and a practical amenity mix, the hotel should perform well across business weekdays and event-heavy weekends. For travelers comparing city-center options, this opening puts RIU in the conversation for Toronto stays and underscores the brand's global push, anchored here by RIU Plaza Toronto.