10 Experiential Hotels for a First Visit to Montreal
Montreal is a slice of Paris in North America. At the northern tip of New England (the English settlement area) lies the great Canadian city which was once the heart of French settlement in North America, along the Saint Lawrence River. Today's Montreal is a fantastic travel destination and the place to escape the American-Canadian routine into a slightly different cultural space. The center of Montreal is filled with urban hotels rated three, four, and five stars, from all the major American and Canadian chains. These are urban skyscraper hotels at their core, offering not only all the hotel comforts but also a stunning view of the city's center.
So before you rush to book a flight to Montreal, do you want to get to know the large city of French-speaking Canada a bit?
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Luxury Hotels in the Heart of Montreal
The Ritz-Carlton, Montreal
The Ritz-Carlton in Montreal is one of the grand and prominent institutions in the Golden Square Mile, two blocks from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The hotel is located on the luxurious Sherbrooke Street. It's a lavish five-star hotel, offering all the luxuries. The hotel boasts spacious and well-equipped rooms, a large lobby, excellent culinary level, a fun indoor pool, and spa and treatment facilities. The hotel isn't cheap, but you can find great deals and enjoy Montreal at the highest level.
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Hôtel Birks Montréal
The Birks is one of the oldest and most luxurious hotel institutions in Montreal. Located on Phillips Square in the heart of downtown, adjacent to the main shopping hub of Saint Catherine West Street. It's a classic luxury hotel of the past, with a very formal character. The hotel features large, well-equipped rooms, very high service levels, a high culinary standard at its restaurant and lobby, and a variety of indulgences.
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Excellent 4-star hotels in the heart of Montreal
Hôtel Uville Montréal
A 4-star hotel that's young, modern, and cool in the oldest part of Montreal. The hotel is adjacent to the city's Museum of History and Archeology and just a short walk from Saint Paul Street. It features thoughtfully designed spacious rooms, fun public spaces, an excellent breakfast, and a unique atmosphere. This is one of the popular hotels in Montreal, enjoying a good location along with high service standards.
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David Hotel
David Hotel is a four-star urban apartment hotel in an excellent location in Old Montreal, just a 5-minute walk from Notre Dame Cathedral. It's a charming hotel with a boutique vibe and meticulous modern design, the main advantage being its large, well-equipped rooms, including a convenient kitchenette. It's very suitable for large families, with most of the stay focused on them.
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Hôtel Le Germain Montréal
Hotel Le Germain Montreal is a cool boutique hotel with a four-star rating, located in the heart of Ville Marie, right next to Dorchester Square and the city’s cathedral. The hotel is situated in one of the city's coolest towers, painted with pastel colors outside. It’s a sleek and narrow tower housing the hotel's many rooms. The rooms aren't large, but they're very comfortable and boast modern design. The hotel offers high-quality dining, a lobby and bar for mingling, and very friendly service.
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AC Hotel Montreal Downtown
The sparkling tower of the Marriott AC Hotel is situated right in the heart of Montreal's tourist district. The hotel is located at the intersection of Chinatown, Old Montreal, and the beginning of the Ville-Marie, within a short walking distance of every central site in the heart of the city. It's an urban hotel with very modern design, large rooms featuring a giant window view, and fun public spaces. The hotel has a good restaurant, a lobby with a big bar for mingling, and everything you'd expect from the mighty American chain hotel.
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Excellent 3-Star Hotels in Montreal
Le Petit Hotel St Paul by Gray Collection
The little hotel on Saint Paul is a great lodging solution right in the heart of old Montreal. The three-star hotel is one of the best deals in town in terms of cost and what you get in return. It's located on Saint Paul Street, the main shopping and dining strip of Old Montreal, just a two-minute walk from Notre Dame Cathedral. The hotel has relatively large and equipped rooms, a small lobby, and a breakfast restaurant that's not grandiose but really tasty.
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Le Relais Lyonnais
Le Relais Lyonnais is a fantastic three-star hotel in the southern part of the trendy Plateau district, on the central Saint Denis Street. It's a basic and efficient hotel with small yet clean and comfortable rooms, a good breakfast restaurant, a small lobby, and that's it. Around the hotel, there are lots of shops and restaurants and a metro not too far (the old port and Old Montreal are a short walk away).
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Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites – Montreal Centre-ville Ouest, an IHG Hotel
The Montreal branch of the giant IHG brand is one of the most standard lodging options in the city (assuming standard is a positive thing – no surprises). The hotel is located in a tall tower in the southern part of the downtown area, not far from Dorchester Square and the Underground City. It's a basic yet highly efficient hotel, with relatively large rooms, a fairly spacious lobby, an excellent restaurant all day long, a small indoor pool, and more.
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Hyatt Centric Montreal
The Hyatt Hotel in Old Montreal is one of the most popular and best accommodations in Montreal, balancing cost and what you get in return. It's truly an excellent hotel, conveniently located near the entertainment district of the Old Port. The hotel features fairly large rooms, a reasonably large lobby, a pretty good restaurant, and most notably, a completely cool rooftop pool. The hotel combines a fun urban stay in an almost perfect location with the atmosphere of a large hotel.
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5 tips from Guy for a perfect stay in Montreal
The city of Montreal is like a jump to Paris during a trip in North America. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second largest in Canada, and the second largest in the Western world where residents speak French. The French character of the city is an integral part of its identity, giving it a very special character, both in appearance and in its unique atmosphere.
Montreal is nestled at the foot of Mount Royal, the prominent hill at the heart of the island on the Saint Lawrence River. Its center is divided into Old Montreal, the historical core of the city, and Centre Ville, the modern downtown brimming with shimmering towers and malls. Surrounding the city are many highly popular tourist attractions like the Olympic Park and the islands of Saint Helen and Notre Dame.
- The character of Montreal hotels – Montreal is a highly developed city with a high standard of living and a Canadian character that is distinctly different from English-speaking cities. Being a large city, the nature of accommodation in its center is very urban, mainly in hotels located in tall and modern (more or less) buildings.
- Hotels in Montreal's Downtown – The urban hotels of Downtown Montreal are a fantastic choice for your stay in the city. Right in the downtown area, you'll find three and four-star hotels from all the big American chains, as well as many Canadian brands and boutique hotels. These are intrinsically urban hotels and are generally quite nice. There are also luxury hotels on the Golden Square Mile near the McGill University campus. Downtown Montreal is a vibrant area throughout the day and evening.
- Hotels in Old Montreal – Staying in Old Montreal near the Vieux-Port (the old, charming port of the city) is somewhat similar. There are also plenty of three and four-star hotels from international and Canadian hotel chains. This area is less crowded with high-rises and more open, yet it offers plenty to do during the day and evening hours.
- Hotels in the Le Plateau District – The vibrant and young district of Montreal offers a less expensive accommodation option compared to staying downtown. This area has hotels that can even be defined as motels, with two or three stars, providing very convenient access to the city center and a relatively quiet area. Be careful when choosing lodging here because there are some really bad hotels, and it's definitely recommended to read reviews on Booking or TripAdvisor beforehand. This area is undergoing renewal, so there are also quite a few really good hotels in new buildings.
- The Season– Montreal is a city with four distinctly separate and unique seasons. The weather's most notable feature is the undeniably freezing and snowy winter, with average temperatures from December to February well below zero. Anyone visiting Montreal in the winter must understand that they will face intense cold and heavy snowfall, as the city becomes heavily blanketed. However, surprisingly, Montreal remains very lively even in winter, mainly due to its extensive underground network beneath the Gare Centrale.
Where to Stay in Montreal?
- Old Montreal or Vieux-Montréal is the city's historic part. It is a charming area along the Saint Lawrence River and the old port (Vieux-Port), full of beautiful streets, historic buildings, quality museums, and plenty to see and do.
- Centre-ville de Montréal is the classic downtown of Montreal. Downtown Montreal is the cultural, academic, and most importantly, the bustling shopping heart of Quebec's large city. It is a hub of shopping streets and dozens of giant malls, including the metro's tunnel network that has become a vast shopping center known as the Underground City.
- On the outskirts of Old Montreal and Centre-ville, there are plenty of major attractions that are integral to a city tour. The Olympic Park, north of the city center, is a must-visit, including the botanical gardens. On the southern slopes of Mount Royal Park, offering a stunning view of the city, lies the vibrant Plateau neighborhood. The Sainte-Helene and Notre-Dame Islands in the Saint Lawrence River are also popular destinations, featuring Parc Jean-Drapeau and the Canadian Grand Prix track.
Map of Recommended Accommodation Areas in Montreal
