The architectural firm Webb Zerafa and Menkès (now WZMH Architects) – the descendant of Peter Dickinson Associates – designed the building, which along with the hotel included luxury apartments on the upper floors.

The lobby featured a mural painted by Shirley Tattersfield depicting Canada's history, a tribute to the country's centennial that year.

During its time Sutton Place hosted numerous celebrities and was a major destination for actors during the annual Toronto International Film Festival.

Notable guests included Pierre Trudeau, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Stevie Nicks and Ted Danson.

Three months after it opened, the stock promoter Myer Rush was seriously injured by a bomb planted in the bed of the 6th-floor room where he was staying.