escape4

Introduction Embassy Suites Montreal Airport opened earlier this year. I am often staying at Sheraton YUL but for a change I wanted to try Embassy Suites. This hotel is a good addition to Hilton choices close to Montreal Airport airport. Room I booked a king 2-room suite and I do not think they have bigger rooms at this hotel so I could not get a Diamond upgrade and I cannot comment on how generous they are with Diamond members who book the entry level room (non-suite). They left a fruit plate in the mini-fridge so it’s probably the Diamond perk I received. This being a new property, the room looks very crisp and is by far the strong point of this hotel. All rooms have hardwood floors and shiny ceramic tiles which I much prefer to carpets. The bathroom has a stand-alone shower which I also prefer compared to aging hotels who have a shower in the bathtub. The room has a mini-fridge and microwave available which are convenient. The suite is not particularly large (457 sq ft) and clearly the room was a far cry from the giant corner suite upgrade I received at ES Montreal Downtown a few months ago, that one was at least double the size of my room last weekend in YUL. However for guests who only stay overnight, extra space might not be that much of an issue because sometimes you just want a bed, sleep, and check-out so the basic room at ES YUL (240 sq ft) might be just fine. In the suite, the living room is separated from the bedroom with French doors and it has a sofa-bed so you can sleep 4 in the room. The main weakness of the room is its windows. We could hear a bit of noise from the nearby highway and in the morning the windows were full of condensation with water leaking on the floor, which tells me that windows do not provide great insulation from cold winters and subpar sound proofing. This is not what I would expect from a brand new hotel and I wonder in what shape the windows will be in a few years. Hopefully they clean the windows thoroughly on a regular basis otherwise a mold issue could develop. Dining Breakfast is offered in the restaurant and I was pleased to find the space quite expansive. There was a quiet room in the back of the restaurant that other guests seemed to ignore so it was fairly peaceful, in total contrast from the chaotic breakfast at Embassy Suites in downtown Montreal; for sure the environment is much better at ES near the airport. Food was so-so, nothing great nothing bad, just a standard North American breakfast. I liked the made to order omelets which were better than average. In the evening we got coupons for happy hour 5-7pm. You can get two drinks per registered guest, which includes some mixed drinks such as gin & tonic; I was glad to see drinks were not limited to only beer and one choice of wine. Beers are 20oz so quite generous. Food offered was veggies, cold cuts, cheese, and crackers; nothing to write home about, but better than most hotels where you get nothing at all for happy hour. Location I drove to the hotel so I did not use the airport shuttle but I would note that the hotel is not that close to the airport. Close enough to have a shuttle I guess, but it cannot be compared with Sheraton/Aloft where you can almost walk to the airport from there. ES is over 10km from the airport which would be more than a 15-minute drive without significant traffic. Overall Overall my stay was ok and I will most likely return in the future, but I would note that there are lots of alternatives near YUL airport. The ES hotel is a decent fit for guests without status at any hotel chain because perks there are mostly not related to status (breakfast, happy hour). One of the reasons I like the Sheraton is not only the proximity to the airport, but also I get free access to the lounge and I have a decent success rate on suite upgrades, but if I did not have Platinum-Ambassador status at Marriott/Starwood then I might feel like I am getting more bang for the buck at Embassy Suites, with or without Hilton Diamond. ES’s evening reception is not a full replacement to a lounge, but it’s a decent substitute and it’s great if you do not have status.The ES hotel would be best for guests who like having a new hoteI in good shape and who do not mind the extra drive from the airport. Regarding other Hilton options, I have stayed at HGI YUL before and I am very unlikely to ever stay there again, and there is a brand new DoubleTree which opened in 2018 as well and it’s almost as close to the airport as the Sheraton. For those who care more about proximity to the airport than the ES breakfast and happy hour, DT might be a good alternative and I will probably try it at some point next year.