The main restaurant breakfast selection was very good, with a secluded buffet area away from the main seating area. The service, as throughout the rest of the hotel, was not wholly professional and was delivered by a rather mixed bunch of people that looked rather out of place and out of their depth. Most strange.

















In-room dining was sampled on two evenings, and was perfectly adequate.





The swimming pool was viewed, but not sampled due to lack of time. It looked very similar to the IC Toronto’s lap pool.



In summary, this was a disappointing hotel experience. Having stayed in many InterContinental properties, I can safely say this was not up to standard. The complete lack of Ambassador recognition was unforgiveable. I have contacted Priority Club regarding the issues I’ve raised here, and am awaiting their reply. I would not return to this hotel if back in Montreal, and might look to the Sofitel as an alternative.

Montreal

Our first full day in the city found us exploring the old town area of the city, which felt very French indeed! The historic buildings enabled plenty of good architectural photos, and it was interesting to see the French Canadian crossover at every turn. This area certainly felt far apart from much of the rest of Canada we’d experienced. Into the afternoon, we wandered through Chinatown to downtown, where the contrasts were as great as in Toronto. Walking as far north as the McGill university campus at the foot of Mount Royal, we discovered the nearby museums and upscale shopping district.













On that evening we ate at Restaurant Gandhi in the old town a few blocks from our hotel, recommended to us by our concierge. Despite not being particularly busy, the atmosphere was still pretty good. The interior design was not what you might expect from an Indian, in that it was rather modern and European, but I liked it. The service was efficient and the cuisine beautifully balanced. Both the vegetable and chicken balti were perfectly made, with good quality, tender chicken used in the meat dish. Our tarka dhal side dish was perfectly seasoned. The only disappointment was our waiter reminding us to tip at the end of the service, which I didn’t particularly appreciate. All the same, I would certainly recommend Restaurant Gandhi based on the setting and quality of the cuisine.