Montreal in mid-Jan.
 

My husband and I will be going to Montreal for the first time in Jan. for 4nts. and I am looking into one of the smaller, luxury hotels near the Old Town or wherever may be convenient for that time of year(near the underground walkways?) What are the most fun and interesting things to do in the winter there? I definitely want to shop and eat and probably see some museums and maybe even check out McGill U. for my son but I'd love to hear from you as to what you recommend for January travel. Thanks

If you like small boutique hotels with excellent service and a lot of charm, I would recommend Hotel Nelligen in Old Montreal or its sister properties.

For chains, I like Hyatt Regency Montreal near Place des Art and their club lounge withe a full breakfast buffet and evening cocktails with honour bar. It is almost enough for dinner some nights...

When I was over for the World Swimming Championships in August, that was Speedo's base of operations. A couple of the U.S. families stayed there, too (but not me...pricelined elsewhere). You couldn't ask for a better location for Old Town, as we walked to restaurants from there, to the waterfront, to Notre Dame, or onto the Metro across from Notre Dame. Very nice lobby with comfortable seating, too. All the families I talked to were quite happy with the hotel.

August and January are 2 very different months in Old Port Area, its virtually deserted in January with most shops closed and ice covered narrow cobble streets make walking difficult. I go with Snoopyo, use your Hyatt Status and stay in The Underground city.

Hi just bumping this thread.
I'll be in Montreal the week before Christmas and have read that the area around the Hyatt Place Hotel is full of vagrants. Is it better in that regard during the winter due to the chilly weather with the homeless perhaps seeking shelter. Is it a safe area? Also, I read the old town in mid summer is different to winter in Montreal with lots of places closed up, so staying in Old Town isn't really as nice as staying in summer-making the Hyatt Place not too bad a choice?

. Yes, it is. The stretch of Ste-Catherine between St-Laurent and Berri is not the most savory, but it is not unsafe. There will be vagrants, and I find that they are more visible in winter as they seek shelter during the day in warm places such as passageways, metro stops, mall entrances etc. However, I have never been as much as accosted by a homeless person, and don't feel threatened by them.

The Old Town will definitely be a lot less busy than at the peak of summer. The area around the Hyatt Place will have the Village and the Quartier Latin with restaurants etc. , and the shopping stretch of Ste-Catherine is not far. Berri is also very convenient as major metro interchange, giving you quick access everywhere.

I personally recommend staying in the Plateau. It's a great neighborhood - lots of great shopping, restaurants, and bars, along with beautiful architecture and easy Metro access. Plus it's an easy walk to Parc Mont-Royal and even downtown. You won't find international hotel chains there, but there are plenty of small, boutique properties. I personally recommend this place - it's sort of on the edge of the Plateau, but it's comfortable and quiet, the staff is lovely, you're right by the Metro, and it's a two-block walk to St.-Denis. I've stayed there many times:

https://www.hotel-chateau-argoat.com/en/

I personally would avoid the area around Ste.-Catherine in the Village. It's not unsafe, but it does have a lot of homeless/bum/druggie activity. They generally won't bother you, but they do make it less of a pleasant neighborhood to walk around in.

Montreal is one of my favorite cities, so please feel free to ask if you'd like detailed recommendations!

Thank you to both of you. Unfortunately or fortunately I have Hyatt points to burn and would rather not have to pay for a hotel as the Aussie $ isn't as strong as it once was. (If I had to I probably would have booked Le Sheraton for the amazing club room deal on currently!) Instead, I have chosen Hyatt Place as it includes breakfast by default, has some shops attached and is super close to transport. The Centric looked nice but as you say Old Town will not be lively in winter nor as convenient public transport wise in the cold snowy weather for this Aussie snow novice :)

Just curious does Montreal have a homeless / mental health crisis like Vancouver's downtown east side? I haven't seen anything nasty in my past visits but maybe I didn't venture onto the right street luckily to see anything.

I haven't been back since covid, but it was never *that* bad, and whatever unpleasantness there was was generally concentrated around those brutalist plazas around Ste.-Catherine between UQAM and the Gay Village.

Pretty much all major and even small Canadian cities/towns have varying degrees of homeless/drug issues right now. Montreal is one of the better ones among the larger cities IMO but things are deteriorating fast unfortunately. I personally avoid the area around Metro Berri-UQAM and the area east of it. Though be prepared to experience people smoking who knows what in indoor spaces and even on the metro!

Sounding more and more that downtown is the go to place for a Montreal winter hotel. UQAM is seedy, Old Town is dead in winter, so a downtown hotel attached to an underground city is the way to go. I've narrowed it down to Fairmont as I'm an Accor member and it seems a nice hotel directly attached to underground city or Le Sheraton not attached or close to transport or underground but is excellent value and in heart of downtown and a few min walk away from most things.

Fairmont is my go to hotel in Montreal, I stay there a few times every year. Very solid property especially on the Gold floors. The location is unbeatable as it’s right above the train station, right next to the airport bus stop, and it’s connected to both the orange and green metro line via Underground. Only downside is the price has skyrocketed since Covid.

Marriott Château Champlain and Hotel Bonaventure are two other hotels that are directly connected to the Underground. There are a few others hotels not directly connected but right next to the entrance to Underground.

please delete

I don't disagree, and the underground is a handy thing on cold winter days. But since you asked, I'd just like to point out that on those cold winter days, you will find vagrants and homeless people.... in the passageways of the underground city, trying to keep warm like the rest of us. Again, I have never witnessed any aggression etc. and never felt uneasy. YMMV.