The Hotel Waverly is located at 484 Spadina Avenue on the northwest corner of Spadina Avenue and College Street in downtown Toronto. It opened in 1900 making it one of the oldest Toronto hotels in continuous operation. The white four-storey hotel is located next to Toronto's Chinatown and to landmarks The Silver Dollar Room and The Scott Mission. Its proximity to the mission has kept rental rates low, attracting customers who are looking for a deal in downtown. The Waverly's interior rooms are modest but comfortable. This accommodation does provide low-cost housing benefiting Toronto's transient community as well as monthly residents. The hotel offers 24-hour laundry facilities, free parking and snack counter.
The hotel's central location is close to major attractions such as the Art Gallery of Ontario, Queen's Park, The Royal Ontario Museum and Kensington Market, making it a prime target for redevelopment. It enjoys proximity to major transit routes via the 506 Carlton Streetcar and 510 Spadina Streetcar.
Though he denied it, there is some evidence that James Earl Ray may have stayed at the Waverly while hiding out in Toronto after shooting Martin Luther King, Jr..[1] It was also the longtime home of poet Milton Acorn, several of whose works depicts life in the neighbourhood.[2] In popular culture the hotel was the opening scene of the Elmore Leonard novel Killshot and was also featured in the film version.[3] The hotel is also briefly pictured in the music video for "Games for Days" by Julian Plenti (a.k.a Paul Banks).[4]