Kat Florence Hotel Is a Gem in Ontario’s Elora
Luxe restoration.
The charming village of Elora is like a Hallmark dream—pretty cafés, stylish boutiques, and a mix of locals and visitors exploring the downtown shopping district’s 19th-century limestone buildings, clutching shopping bags and coffee cups before taking selfies on the pedestrian bridge overlooking the mighty Grand River.
In the midst of this postcard view of small-town Ontario is a discrete metal sign signalling the latest addition to Elora’s downtown: Kat Florence Hotel. Formerly the Commercial Hotel, part of this 1840s stone building housed an old movie theatre, while the rest was a decaying eyesore, targeted for its location by a corporate hotel chain.
For jewellery designer Kat Florence, who had grown up in Elora, this past-its-prime structure could be revived and reimagined, as she believed a shiny jewel was hidden beneath. She and her husband, Don Kogen, endured a three-year process of permissions, restoration, and construction to open the hotel in late 2024.
Local partners made the difference for the project’s success, including Martin Simmons Sweers Architects in Kitchener, women-owned Thirteen Design Studio and bespoke builders Centrix Homes, both in Guelph, and mason B.E.N. Stoneworks in Arthur.
These companies were key to the transformation from crumbling stone and broken windows to a historically appropriate glow-up, including the restoration of a balcony, a key feature of the original edifice, and the modern interiors, with a design palette mixing earth tones, contemporary furniture, and vintage accessories, sourced locally and globally.
There are four one-bedroom suites, ranging from 800 to 850 square feet, featuring white oak furniture, cabinetry, doors, and shelving custom built by Waterloo-based Chervin Custom Cabinetry. There are also European design books, brass candlesticks, leather charging pads, scented amenities, streaming services, a coffee and tea bar, and a choice of milk, as well as a chilled bottle of Veuve Clicquot.
The suites are named for gems: emerald, paraiba, sapphire, and ruby.
Noted for crafting one-of-a-kind jewellery using precious stones such as Australian ridge back opals, sapphires from Kashmir, diamonds from Namibia, and paraiba tourmaline from Brazil, Florence has used her detail-oriented eye in the suite decoration.
The Florence-Kogen family home is now the Diamond Cottage (formerly a bakery), a three-bedroom oasis tucked away on a side street, a stone’s throw from the hotel’s main building, the current fifth option for accommodation. The cottage has a mature garden overflowing with bushes, flowers, and trees as well as contemporary sculptures, and it also has multiple zones including a fire pit, covered dining area, sunny lounging area, terrace with Algonquin chairs, and a hot tub. There is also the possibility of seeing a rabbit.
Inside the cottage, numerous windows frame the garden’s greenery, the natural pop of colour to the earth tones found throughout. There is a twin bedroom with grey chevron-pattern tile bathroom and a sleek built-in storage area. The expansive living room has an oversized cream sectional and a gas fireplace, and any chef would appreciate the adjacent modern kitchen, featuring a chunky dark wood dining table set against an exposed old brick wall and stocked with every kitchen accessory from lemon zester to stock pot, martini glass to handcrafted pottery mug.
Through the French doors is an office with a small balcony and a curved leather lounger for reading or napping. To the right and down the hall is a king bedroom overlooking the village shops and cafés, with a green velvet loveseat, a dressing room, and an ensuite bathroom.
To the left past the sliding barn door is the master suite, with a king bed below skylights, an open bathroom, also lit from above with skylights, and including a soaker tub, double sinks, a rain shower with glass tiles, and concrete and terrazzo flooring. Around the corner is a spacious dressing room with the latest Dyson hair dryer with accessories and a wicker tote to borrow when exploring the village. A door leads directly to the hot tub outside.
The Kat Florence design aesthetic is a balance of light and dark, exposed wood, old brick, brass, glass, ceramic and stone accessories, soft floral prints and chunky woven blankets, coffee table books, vintage pieces and modern items. Suites include tiles from Morocco, Italian light fixtures, and framed vintage sketches from France, as well as furniture sourced locally and hand-sewn Indian carpets from Guelph’s Rug & Weave.
Guests have access to The Elora Mill Hotel and Spa for an included spa treatment and use of the pool. as well as tickets to The Gorge Cinema, located next door to the hotel’s main building and the hotel’s latest addition: a chocolate brown Rolls Royce.
Information and advice are available from the friendly hotel concierge staff.
In September, the hotel expands to open a lobby/reception and in 2026, the nearby Dalby flatiron building converts to new suites—even more options for the traveller wanting an A-lister getaway in a quaint Ontario village.
