From the brilliant hues of the Red Room to the neon glow of the Parlor of Twilight, the Gladstone Hotel will open the doors to its unique, artist-designed rooms this month.
In celebration of the second anniversary of the renovations that revamped this historic building, free tours are being offered to the public.
Last year, The Gladstone also offered free tours and saw about 5,000 people pass through over the course of a weekend.
But according to Chris Mitchell, the marketing, publicity and exhibition manager with the hotel, it's an expensive endeavor to keep all the rooms open, so this year it will offer guided tours Tuesday and Friday afternoons until Jan. 31.
Mitchell said the historic hotel and its elaborate artist-designed rooms are a huge curiosity to people and that is why the tours are offered.
"It is a way for us to really showcase what we've got," Mitchell said.
The Gladstone, located at 1214 Queen St. W., has about 100 events, art exhibitions and performances a month, according to Mitchell.
"A lot of people have had an opportunity to see the venues here, but haven't had an opportunity to see all of our artist-designed rooms," she said.
There are 37 rooms in the hotel, and each was designed by an artist or artists, whether they be furniture designers, graphic artists, sculptors, print makers and painters. None were designed by career interior designers.
It's an impressive redevelopment of the old hotel that Mitchell said was the vision of its president, Christina Zeidler.
"Christina Zeidler is an artist herself," Mitchell said. "Because the neighbourhood and the community are so connected to the arts, she wanted to involve that in reviving the building and the business."
It's just her vision, to rejuvenate (the hotel) for a contemporary time and involve the community in doing it," Mitchell said. "It really has realized her dream of opening this up to as many people as possible."
Tours won't include all of the rooms, but a large representation of them and people will have an opportunity to learn a little about the restoration process and the history of the building.
Tours begin in the lobby starting at 1:30 p.m.
People who would like to participate, can call 416-531-4635 to register.