‘Located near the renowned Village, one of Montréal’s most diverse and colourful neighbourhoods’, as the hotel’s website proudly states as its main selling point, the Hyatt Place Montréal-Downtown is a highly-rated hotel with contemporary interiors.
Whilst the Village used to be the poor, working-class area of town, the area has been gentrified in recent years and the local tourism board is actively promoting the LGBTQIA+ scene in the district as a key attraction of the city. Recently renovated, the hotel is right in the beating heart of this area.
Hotel
The 30-storey building is hard to miss in an area dominated by low-rise Victorian-era apartment buildings. The brutalist exterior is stereotypical of the many buildings constructed in Montréal during the boom years. With a $25 million renovation in recent times, the interior by contrast is all modernity and sleekness.
Living walls and cosy couches dominate the reception space, which is both airy and bright. It’s designed to feel like a welcoming living room space, yet the colours tend to be on the muted spectrum, so it successfully appeals to both the leisure and the corporate clientele. They do have a business centre and 10 meeting rooms that cater for all types of events.
The hotel is connected to the largest metro station in Montréal, Station Berri-UQAM ensuring you will reach all parts of the city in double quick time.
Room
They might have 354 spacious rooms, making it one of the more accommodating hotels in Montréal, but it was still all booked up at the recent Canadian Grand Prix. The world-famous Hyatt luxury pillowtop mattress will ensure a peaceful night’s sleep, whilst all the rooms have a cosy corner with a sofa-sleeper for you to put your feet up after a long day of sightseeing.
Their high-floor rooms are the ones to book with scintillating views of the Montréal skyline in a spacious 309 square feet of modern luxury. They offer a 55” flat-screen HDTV with StayCastTM streaming and a wireless mobile phone charging station. If you want to splash out, their executive suite is a voluminous 958 square feet and comes with a kitchenette with a refrigerator, dishwasher, hot plate, and microwave.
Food and drink
Currently, the hotel is mainly offering quick bites, breakfast and coffee, but there are rumours of potential restaurant openings in the future. You can’t go wrong with starting the day with a cup of Starbucks and they have one in-house, which is a rarity in the city. Their breakfast bar is in a bright, airy dining space and is designed to give a homely feel as if you were foraging for breakfast in someone’s kitchen.
They also have The Market which offers grab-and-go items, which is particularly handy if you are returning late from a night of frivolity in the Village and feeling peckish.
Spa
The hotel’s indoor heated pool is the star attraction at the hotel. With sturdy marble columns, relaxing cabanas and floor-to-ceiling windows of the park at Place Émilie-Gamelin, this is where you can delightfully relax for hours on end.
The commodious sauna is also highly recommended. Normally saunas are very tight and claustrophobic spaces, this is the polar opposite, it is roomy, and it has window views of downtown. Their fitness centre is similarly welcoming and is open 24/7 so there is no excuse to not burn off those excess calories.
To do
Montréal is a city filled with quirky museums and most are within walking distance from the hotel. Écomusée du fier monde is one to consider. It is housed in a former Généreux bath and explores the grassroots history of the local area and how gentrification is turning it into the Shoreditch of Montréal. Another to consider is the Satosphere, which is an immersive film dome showing cutting-edge digital projections.
It’s not a surprise the recent UN Biodiversity conference was held in Montréal if you visit the Biodôme de Montréal. It recreates five ecosystems of the Americas where animals and plants can be observed and are one of the most spectacular experiences you will encounter. Their umbrella organisation also runs the insectarium where you can see an unforgettable display of butterflies amongst other insects. And also the Biosphère which helps to promote a greater understanding of the nature around us.
Their work is more than just about running a museum or an attraction but leading the conversation on globally important topics. They’ve been promoting edible-insect gastronomy, which is a more sustainable source of protein. They’ve launched an EntomoMiam sampling box, which is available for purchase on their website.
In a nutshell
If you want to see the gentrified, diverse side of Montréal, Hyatt Place Montréal-Downtown is just the place for you being located right next to the Village.
Factbox
Hyatt Place Montréal-Downtown offers rooms from £107 per night.
Address: 1415, rue Saint-Hubert, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H2L 3Y9
Phone: +1 514 842 4881
Website: hyatt.com
