There’s no better introduction to Toronto than the Drake Hotel. And there’s no better host than Jeff Stober. Both full of character and this city’s answer to the art hotel. It was my first time at the Drake in Toronto and I came away wanting to go back. 

All through the hotel there’s an eclectic mix of Art.  And not just in frames on the walls. It’s everywhere.

For the duration of my stay, the Drake’s latest artist in residence, Jeremy Jansen, was busy burning things in The Drake Lab - his studio for two weeks. Out of this charred destruction, Jeremy was producing beautifully delicate artworks. The Drake Lab frequently hosts artists and collectives as part of their Artist in Residence program; a whole range of people come to develop their projects in the hotel’s space, producing everything from installation to painting. You can find out more about Jansen's work in his Q&A on the Drake's blog: www.thedrakehotel.ca 

I didn’t go to any of the Drake’s ‘Happenings’ but I did make time for an incredible cocktail in their ‘Sky Yard’ and a look round their current photography exhibition. It’s great to stay somewhere surrounded by such creativity.

The Drake really is Toronto’s ‘hotbed of culture’.