Avantika Stars in W Toronto ‘Hotel Tales’ Campaign: Video, Interview

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Mean Girls and Not Suitable for Work star Avantika helped to kick off W Hotels‘ TIFF festivities last week with a dinner at W Toronto, the hotel chain’s property located in the heart of the city’s ritzy Yorkville neighborhood.

The outdoor dinner took over the rooftop of TONO, the property’s new restaurant from Michelin-starred chef Akira Back, welcoming just over 30 guests for skyline views and a meal inspired by Nikkei cuisine (a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian dishes). The party continued late into the night at TOKI Listening Bar, the hotel’s hidden vinyl bar with Japanese whiskey-inspired cocktails and spirited highballs on tap.

The evening also served as a kick off for W Hotels’ latest “Hotel Tales” campaign, which features Hollywood stars like Chloë Sevigny and Ziwe promoting the “spontaneous, unexpected and culturally relevant moments that can only happen at W Hotels.” The latest film, dubbed “The Unexpected Invite,” features Avantika at W Toronto as she eschews her usual hotel routine to say “yes” to a dinner party on the property. A night of revelry transpires, leading her to encourage travelers to take the road well, less traveled.

“When it comes to hotels, they’re such a big part of an actor’s life, and you spend almost a quarter of your year in a hotel” she tells THR, about why she wanted to partner with W on the campaign. “When it comes to brands like this, that feel big and massive and luxurious, you would think that they lack the sort of warmth and hospitality of say, a bed and breakfast or something local. But I think W Hotels have that [warm] quality, and I really appreciate that.”

THR caught up with Avantika to chat more about her campaign, her hotel must-haves and the recent movie that her “peeing myself with laughter.”

THR: We’re here in Toronto to launch your new “Hotel Tales” campaign for W Toronto. Have you been to the city before?

Avantika: Yes! My longest stay in Toronto was when I filmed a movie here when I was 14. And then most recently it was three weeks ago when I shot this campaign for W Hotels. I sort of experienced the city in a new light coming back here as an adult, which was really, really fun.

What do you like about the city?

I like the diversity here. I grew up in San Francisco and then I moved to New York, and so that’s kind of the environment I tend to gravitate towards. Toronto is like that you know? Even when we’re talking about the Desi community — and I’m friends with a lot of Tamilians — but the Tamilians are mostly from Sri Lanka, so like experiencing their food and their culture was really, really cool. There’s also a big hip-hop scene here, which is my favorite genre of music, so it was also super fun to experience that. And I went to Caribana when I came here last time, which was also like a really insane experience. There’s so much to do here, and I just never got to experience any of it when I was a kid.

What’s the longest that you have stayed in a hotel for?

Three and a half months, while filming.

How do you make a hotel feel like home and make the space comfortable for three and a half months?

It’s a really great question, because you obviously can’t do things like put up artwork or light a candle in your hotel room. So it really is team dependent. I think the longest stay I’ve had was in Budapest with W and their team really made me feel at home, and it was through little things, like embroidering my pillow cases with my name, or having my favorite spaghetti ready even an hour after room service ended, because they knew that I would order the same thing again and again. It was little things like that that really made the place feel like home. And home is really the people you’re with. I’ve always believed that.

Do you have any rituals or must-dos when you’re traveling?

I usually go to the pharmacy in whatever place I’m in, because I always think the pharmacy has really fun and interesting things to offer, whether it be like a face mask or a sunscreen. And so I always do that. And then I have a really great assortment laid out on my hotel counter, so that when I come back home from work, there’s like a nice little display of self-care to try.

Is there anything you’re excited to see at TIFF?

I have a lot of friends’ movies playing here, and I wish I was here longer to support, but TIFF always has such an incredible roster of films, and I always make it a point to see what the top movies are that they’re playing and make it a point to see them at my local theaters, wherever I am at.

Were there any films this year that you really loved?

Oh my gosh, The Invite. The Invite was so good. I was peeing myself with laughter in that theater. I went four times. I just thought the movie was so simple and tight and smart and funny and also like, heartbreaking. It was just so much fun, and I went with a different group of friends each time, and every time it was fun to be like, ‘Which character are you? Which character am I?’

I’m sorry to hear that Not Suitable From Work was recently canceled by Hulu, but you’ll be in the upcoming season of American Horror Story. What can you tell us about that?

Yes, I have American Horror Story coming out, which I’m very, very excited about. It’s intimidating for sure, but I love doing anything that is a little scary.

What can you tease about your character?

I mean, I can’t really tease much, and so I would say, I think the fans are really insightful and are really good at piecing together clues. Most of the instincts that I’ve seen the fans have, have been right.

Bringing it all back, what’s your favorite place that you’ve traveled to? And where is somewhere you would like to travel to soon?

My favorite place that I’ve ever been to is Barcelona. It just gets colorful and the city has the perfect balance of nightlife, but also daytime culture and still having like a restful vibe about it. And the people there are so, so nice.

And a place that I would love to go to? I would really love to spend time in Vietnam or Cambodia.

(W Hotels publicist interrupts to say, “Stayed tuned: there might be something coming…”)

THR: Wow, you didn’t even plan that.

Avantika: I didn’t even plan that.