I always think the Entertainment District looks like it's still deciding what kind of neighbourhood it wants to be - glass towers leaning over low brick, a marquee here, a patch of lake light there. I've spent enough nights in hotels to know a place reveals itself in its surfaces long before its amenities list does, and this stretch of Toronto has more of them worth noticing than most.

The materials this district is made of

Glass is the obvious material here - towers of it stacked along King and Front - but stone podiums, old brick shoulders and a lot of hammered steel hold the ground floors down. Years of closing the night audit by lamplight taught me to read a lobby by what the walls were doing rather than what the rate sheet said, and I still do it out of habit. My honest favourite is glass with something warm behind it - a bar glow, anything that stops a tower from feeling like an office at 9pm.

The surface that owns the morning

Morning here belongs to whatever catches the light first, and in this district that's almost always glass or water. I've learned to ask for an east-facing room on principle, even when nobody can promise one.

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   1

   Shangri-La Toronto

   9.0

   Shangri-La Toronto - glass-enclosed showers, deep soaking tubs and a fitness centre wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows, so even the workout gets good light; more on this hotel.
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   2

   Radisson Blu Toronto Downtown

   8.4

   Radisson Blu Toronto Downtown - a rooftop patio, a seasonal pool and rooms that may pick up a harbour view, so ask the desk nicely if water-side light matters to you; this harbourfront stay is one I'd book again.
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   3

   The St. Regis Toronto

   8.7

   The St. Regis Toronto - sixty-five storeys of glass that catches early light before much of downtown stirs, butler service included; details at the hotel's own site.

The surface that owns the evening

Evening flips the district's palette - the same glass goes dark and warm bar light takes over. These three do that shift especially well.

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   4

   The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto

   9.0

   The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto - EPOCH's terrace and a 20th-floor Club Lounge looking over the lakeshore and CN Tower, a good perch once the day's done; book directly via Booking.com.
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   5

   Delta Hotels By Marriott Toronto

   8.9

   Delta Hotels By Marriott Toronto - Char No.5's whisky list is the right way to end a night here, and it's one of my favourite hotels in the Entertainment District for exactly that reason.
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   Le Germain Hotel Toronto

   9.1

   Le Germain Hotel Toronto - a cappuccino bar in the library by day, PUNCH's spiced plates once the lights dim; more at Google Travel.

Weather as a developing agent

Toronto's sky changes its mind often, and these three hotels are built with a plan B for that.

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   Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel

   8.4

   Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel - a two-storey indoor waterfall garden that doesn't care what the sky is doing outside; this indoor oasis is worth the detour even on a dry day.
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   8

   Residence Inn By Marriott Toronto Downtown / Entertainment District

   8.7

   Residence Inn By Marriott Toronto Downtown / Entertainment District - an indoor pool and a full kitchen in every suite, handy when the forecast won't cooperate; see guest photos on Tripadvisor.
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   Hilton Toronto

   8.4

   Hilton Toronto - two pools, indoor and outdoor, so the weather only gets to pick one of your options ->.

A room close to the best wall

Some rooms are worth booking for a single surface alone. These are the ones I'd ask for by name.

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   Soho Hotel Toronto

   9.0

   Soho Hotel Toronto - heated bathroom floors, which matter more than anyone admits on a grey Toronto morning; details via Booking.com.
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   One King West Hotel And Residence

   8.8

   One King West Hotel And Residence - a 1914 building that wears its age well, suites with separate sleeping, dining and working corners; more at its own site.
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   12

   Le Germain Hotel Maple Leaf Square

   9.4

   Le Germain Hotel Maple Leaf Square - in-room minibar and cable TV, a 24-hour gym, and an address right at the foot of Maple Leaf Square's glass towers; I keep it among my favourite where to stay in the Entertainment District picks.

The texture shot list

That's my own little shortlist, not a ranking - go wander the district yourself and see which surface catches your eye first. I still do this on every trip with my partner, camera in one hand, coffee in the other, the way I do in my favourite Paris corners. Find your own favourite wall; that's really the whole point.