Putting up the Ritz: the new hotel and residence building is going up on Wellington Street (Photo courtesy of Ritz-Carlton.com)

We’ve been giddily watching the new Ritz-Carlton climb into the sky over downtown (with that lion-printed cover wrapped around it like a five-star Snuggie, it’s hard to miss), but last week we had the chance to experience what the thing would be like on the inside. The unveiling of the Munge-Leung-designed model suite showed off how the hotel and its 15 floors of luxe residences will look when they open next summer at Wellington and Simcoe Streets. The event was swarming with notable locals, including Teatro Verde’s Shawn Gibson, foodie Sara Waxman and out-and-abouter Catherine Nugent. Strategically positioned violinists (sadly not included in room service—we asked) strung us along the immaculately staged rooms while maître cuisinier Xavier Salomon (of the Half Moon Bay Ritz-Carlton) gave us a taste of the gastronomic future of the hotel.

Check out the photo gallery, after the jump.

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