HadesNL

As the The-Aviator has done so much work in writing his review, i was thinking of just skipping my additions.
Cannot compete with quality
But on the other hand, the hotel will get a refurbishment so i might be wise to throw all my photos on FT so that we can keep these save for eternity.

So i'll give you a lazy chair tour off the hotel's public areas.
Note this was autumn 2023 at the advent of global warming so it could all look different by the year 2355

The hotel itself occupies a high rise tower of 26 floors shaped like an U in a semi modernist French chateau style.
The first 10 floors are part of the offices of the World Trade Center

I advise you to spring for a room on a high floor,
the scenery is breathtaking towards the St. Lawrence river and towards Mount Royal
.......
and one feels very private in watching TV in the nude with the curtains wide open...
Can you spot the happy couple below?

A very nice clean and leafy park opposite the hotel's main entrance,
to the left is Montreal's convetion centre.
to the right the World Trade Centre and Metro Square Place Victoria

This photo was taken from Avril:
a biological supermarket catering to your self aware food needs https://www.avril.ca/fr/avril-montreal


And a look from back of the hotel

Seen from behind the hotel:
actually diagonal from the hotel's 2nd entrance at the back at Nordheimer conference center :
you can see the hotel'sfirst 10 floors are dedicated to offices and the following 16 are all rooms & suites



The hotel has two entrances,

The secondary entrance is the Nordheimer conference centre at Rue Saint Jacques, this entrance is closed after 20.00 H evening
It can also be reached as part of the underground city complex via Metro Square / Place Victoria via the World Trade Center building.
(I'll show you the second entrace at the end)


The Metro map just to get your bearings


IC Montréal is directly linked to stop Square/ Place Victoria




Below is the official entrance at
360 Rue Saint-Antoine O, Montréal, QC H2Y 3X4, Canada


Watch out for cyclist coming both ways .... feels like home in Amsterdam
A taxi rink is to the right and also Metro Place Victoria
with the infamous
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/paris-metro-sign

My sister was flabbergasted when i sent her a photo of me in front of it via whatsapp.
Responding back:
" you don't love me anymore, you came to Paris and are not even making an appearence at my home, gravely insulted!"
She actually was dumbstruck when my twin brother (currenly digital nomading in Paris but crashing at her place)
noted that Paris Metro RATP has no Square Place Victoria stop and it had to be a phoney or cardboard cover or a copy from somewhere
....
so you may be happy to know i am back on the Christmas card list for 2023


So let's enter the hotel

This is the lower lobby,
You can wait here sheltered for your transport / valet

The upper lobby where reception / concierge / restaurant / bar / club lounge / liftsto guestrooms / skywalkway to Nordheimer conference center are located is reachable via the escalator
But next to the doormen / bell desk is an elevator for those impaired




This is also the place where you can store your luggage if your room is not ready
or if you have to check out and wish to explore the city and need to dump your stuff instead of hauling it with you the whole day




And now let's go to the upper lobby on level RC : Rez de Chaussee

The escalators connecting the lower lobby to the upper lobby, to the left the doorway to the Club Intercontinental lounge


Turn right at the escalator

Reception





Travelling with the Louis Vouitton handbag, this hotel must be doing well in clientele !
But i'll take a glass of infused water instead


And left of reception :


If you need any help, ask for Melissa the concierge
She is a member of the Golden Keys network
https://www.lesclefsdor.org
https://www.lcdusa.org

as Admiral Ackbar has mentioned and as Melissa has reconfirmed,
2 very nice places to lunch & dine and enjoy Quebecois cuisine are (within walkable distance)

restaurant Holder
https://restaurantholder.com/en/

restaurant Monarque
https://restaurantmonarque.ca/en/





Left of the concierge desk you will find:






In real life you can hear them shouting in their mobile earpieces
and you wonder why people even bother working as cashier at the supermarket.
Just rent yourself out as industrial spy and position yourself in the lobby reading a book or holding a voice memo
and learn about new ventures, capital raising, positions vacant
and the new top secret formular to nuclear tasty melt in your mouth finger licking hood fried chicken recipe.....

Just right of reception you will find the hotel's bar:
https://montreal.intercontinental.co...-absinthe-bar/

Busy in the evening with a good vibe with all conference goers in the hotel.... or could it be because of the Absinth special ?



Note: Sarah Bernard's bar serves a food menu,
this is the same menu as roomservice and restaurant Osco!'s lunch menu


A look during daytime, it opens at 16.00 H afternoon
Your diamond welcome drink voucher is valid here
(however sans pourboire / tip non inclus)






And a quick peek at the vibe in the evening




Between reception and the bar, one can find the public loos
No photos as we do not want to cause an international scandal but i can report this is the only place that i encountered the brand standard of Byredo Bal d'Afrique



Also on level RC is the hotel's restaurant Osco!
Located next to the bar and the elevator bank.
This serves as the place for breakfast, lunch and dinner
https://montreal.intercontinental.com/osco-restaurant/
You can have a bit of the view on the park in front of the hotel at Rue Saint Antoine Ouest


Restaurant's wine display





Display of items for purchase





Restaurant seating






Restaurant seating





Restaurant seating





Elevated View from restaurant on Rue Saint Antoine Ouest
The coloured thing is the building of the Montréal convention center



So for breakfast i refer back or pingback to my previous post :
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/35697115-post96.html

With the menu:


for breakfast



Due to circumstances of an obssesive nature concerning timing & protein intake,
we had a quick lunch at the hotel.
It was quite interesting to see the restaurant's lunch menu being the same as room service.
The taste was fine, nothing to wow but actually decent comfort food that suffices if you are caught in a bind for a meal.
Dinner had a lot of people because of the conferences


Menu for lunch = similair to room service menu
Also the same as the menu for the bar





Calmars frits, chili broye et oignons verts
Fried Calamari with Crushed Chili and Green Onions
CAD22

Actually quite tasty comfort food : wish it was a bigger portion




Filet de boeuf grillé & sauce Gremolata

Grilled Beef Tenderloin & Gremolata Sauce

CAD 44

- S/O mentions it was perfectly fine to suit for his time schedule bodybuilding diet & food intake





Club Sandwich au poulet | servi avec frites & salade du marché
Chicken Club Sandwich | with French Fries and Green Salad
CAD 28

- nothing wrong with this either : fries were freshly from the friture



And below find the dinner menu


The set menu for dinner


Next to the restaurant are the three elevators leading to the guestfloors



And to give you peace of mind, the guest elevators are operated with your room keycard




-----------

And as promised,
Now i am going to show you the hotel's second (back )entrance


This is at Rue Saint Jacques just opposite of restaurant Monarque
It is part of the Nordheimer conference centre
And an easy shortcut if you want to visit the Old Town / Vieux Montréal part of the city








It seems that in the summer they also operate a roof top terrace with drinjs




The Nordheimer building is part of the Intercontinental hotel
https://montreal.intercontinental.com/meetings/

With quite a different look and feeling
https://www.vieux.montreal.qc.ca/inv...p?sec=o&num=42










With a direct elevator to the parking garage





And what do we see here:

Authentic vintage spelling with a blast from the past

Inter ~ Continental
instead of
Intercontinental


And the back entrance of the hotel at Nordheimer building connects directly to the hotel at level RC with the sky walkway and goes through a building atrium that is part of the World Trade Center https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_...entre_Montreal
https://www.mtl.org/en/what-to-do/he...entre-montreal







And indeed you see an interesting history relic

https://artpublicmontreal.ca/en/oeuv...-wall-segment/






The atrium of the World Trade Center connects to the Metro at Square Place Victoria


Pretty safe and nice environment,
I believe the Christmas extravaganza and New Years party are held here if i remember from a quick glance at the festive season brochure


And part of the ground floor of the World Trade Center has some shops such as hairdresser, bakery , luncheon foodcourt, ready to pick up sushi, clothing, laundryette/dry cleaning



And a mini market conveniance store for any last minute needs


and let me end with


Some memories might become extinct, rare, vintage or even forgotten when the hotel renovations and refurbishment starts .....

And now we have gained some insights into why this hotel hasn't been eager or motivated properly to renovate ASAP.
As you can see, it gains a lot of traffic from being so close to all kinds of meeting venues which generate a steady constant flow of guests.
Topped off with Austrian Airlines flight crews, tourists visiting Vieux Montréal, those doing a easy pre/post cruise stay,
occupancy has healthy levels in volume even though the room quality & price per night is much lesser than the local competition of
https://www.fairmont.com/queen-elizabeth-montreal/
https://www.sofitel-montreal.com/en/
https://www.fourseasons.com/montreal/
https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotel...real/overview/
https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotel...real/overview/

There are ofcourse Embassy suites, Springhill suites, the HI, the Sonder hotel group and boutique hotels even closer to the core of Vieux Montrëal but i think the IC has indeed the best location where everything can be reached walkable, is connected via the underground city + Metro and has a decent club lounge offering.

Hope this sheds some light on the psyche of the off the beaten track Intercontinental Momtréal ....
Pretty interesting this hotel has still many vintage elenents and it is together with IC Toronto, the only 2 IC left in the whole of Canada

The-Aviator

Great pics HadesNL and thank you for the kind words! Have learned how to review from the best here, including yourself.

HadesNL

To give you an idea about the layout of the hotel tower shaped like an U and which side has what view behold the floorplan for level 26

The map follows exectly

top : east : St Lawrence river
left : north : Vieux Montréal
bottom : west : Mont Royal & McGill University
right : south : Downtown


I believe Tim O'Brien 's favorite domicile is located on this floor ..... there are a couple of double door suites on this floor indicating this is the celestial realm of something good



And whynot... also floorplan of level 25



You can see clearly the tower floorplan has a shape of an U
I'll show you it more clearly in the next post so you can get an idea what rooms to avoid (south facing side)

HadesNL

On level 10 you can find the health club and the first floor of the hotel's guest rooms.



The hotel tower floorplan for level 10 / the right rectlangle is the pool




The heath club details




Advertisement for massages - pricing in CAD
https://montreal.intercontinental.com/spa/services-spa/

Swedish
60 minutes : $140
90 minutes : $185

Deep tissue
60 minutes : $145
90 minutes : $195

Hot stonel
90 minutes : $235

Face care
Price of the treatment : $155




Entrance to health club,
there is a person on duty during opening hours




Gym 1



Gym 2



Gym 3 : i couldn't snap more pictures because there were people working out not unlike centerfolds ....
Some persons were not born for spandex while on others it is similair to the green goddess Diana Moran
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_...BC%20in%201984.



Waterstation + gender lockerrooms are available




And behind the gym is the passageway to the pool




Some steps upward to the pool




The pool is heated and has an outdoor terrace




Where one can bask in the sun coming from the south / west side looking onto the Montréal downtown area





This is not a place to go au naturel topless,
you will create a cardiac arrest at the office building on the opposite side of the street





A different angle from the pool's outdoor terrace




It possible to phone downstairs to get some F&B delivered here




Or go modern with the QR




The outdoor terrace looks a bit bare chilly in October but i bet during high summer it is actually quite nice




Also make sure you don't expose yourself to much on the terrace as you are in the first line of view of rooms looking south


Looking straight upwards
And as you can see, the hotel tower has U shaped lay out,
This is the part that looks south towards downtown

And to refer about what i said about some rooms to be avoided on the south side of the building where the open end of the U is
As some are exactly positioned opposite each other and there could be a stare down across the gap with curtains open

HadesNL

And as we end our review with a look at the room, let me first give a word of thanks to Tim O'Brien and Admiral Ackbar
Thank you very much for your lovely invitation for Montréal, indeed it should be on everyone's list to come visit. I really enjoyed to practice my French.
i do am apologetic that i was unable to meet or do a DO, travelling with S/O whom has his winter training schedule kick in, causes havoc in meal times and protein intakes.
His exercise routine on the Seabourn Quest cruise ship for 10 days was gruesome as elements were basic, the space limited and the crowds friendly chatty but distracting him off his concentration. So in order to keep our marriage sane, i told him he could set the pace in Montréal. If he is not fed in his regular set time, it is like thunderclouds....how do i manage to cope? By eating his dessert

I took Tim's advice on the RA-thread to heart, to try to aim for the highest floor possible at IC Montréal as those offer magnificient views,
Upthread i explained that we took the possibility to upsell to the vice presidential suite, this option was offered about a week before arrival via a link in the welcome email


Our room was #2500 on the 25th floor facing south, west and north.
We had spectaculair views in sunrise, sunset, rain, mist of the downtown, Mont Royal and its cross memorial,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Royal_Cross
the slopes towards McGill University, Vieux Montréal and St. Lawrence river and Cruise Terminal. Fully recommended to make a timelapse, windows were clean enough for a clear view.

Our suite had only 1 door, so no double door grand entrance but the suite's enigmatic name was "Lisabel"
A quick google reveals the artist Lisabel Filiatrault
https://lisabel.ca/en/artistic-approach/
https://www.saatchiart.com/lisabel
https://www.mjwfinearts.com/artist/lisabel/

Whose enigmatic pieces decorated our suite but were also found amongst public areas at the hotel.
Anyway, to big to carry home, but the style kinda grows on you in time ...

So onwards to the room from the elevator lobby on level 25


Retro design in the common hallways,
to the left is the door to room #2500 :
although our room was next to the elevator shaft, we did not hear any noise






Floorplan of level 25, our room is in the lower left corner
Note the lay out is not totally accurate : our room did not have a connecting door ....
or maybe hidden behind the wallpaper?




Entry vestibule in the room,
you could walk a complete circle / loop in the room




Looking back at the room's front door



So let us take the right passage,
you see the closet and the hot beverage dispenser




Here, You'll find storage closet ,
next to it, the hot beverage dispenser




What you see provided in the suite,
is a Keurig machine that does coffee and tea capsules only,
there is no seperate kettle.
Housekeeping was very generous with keeping stocks replenished




Opposite of the closet is a second toilet, still orginal design





And fortunately the soapbar is still to be found here





This is looking back at the end of the passage way,
we are now in the living room,
to the left Lisabel's art looks remarkable like Grace Jones
and yes i'm just glued to the court room channel with judge Matthis and his team





A look from the living room into the bedroom,
because the living room is round you have a lot of windows which grants many different views of Montréal





This is the view from the window you saw in the previous photo,
it looks out to the west on Mont Royal and towards McGill university





And these are the other windows ......
. from window left to right 2/3 i'll show you the views
......
. and yes the elephant in the room is the white couch
....
words
... to much of it ...
.. thoughts...... [censored] :
to keep it simple in a constructive explaination,
my experience, very low to the ground, ought to be moved to face the views





Window 2 towards the north west





Window 3 towards the north





And to complete the view with window number 4





Window 4 looking to the east at the St.Lawrence river and Vieux Montréal





And with a view on the Cruise Terminal and the Seabourn Quest cruise ship:
https://www.seabourn.com/en/us
you could walk from the hotel .... but with 3 trunks it is easy in 20 minutes but not when it is raining ....





Television recognises my status,
always good to get an ego boost before watching the court room channel





And with that complete circle, we move on to the bedroom





Bedroom





Daily water was replenished




The view from the bedroom is towards the south at downtown






And the view straight down




The bedroom has an extra Keurig machine, the safe and the minibar,
which as you can see is empty and easy to stock for your personal needs





You can have the minibar stocked ..... more on this later in a seperate post hindsight....
It was the cause of a French Farce....



You can turn the TV to face the bed




And a look towards the second corridor leading back to the room's entrance
: see the white window blinds ...
more on that later





Seen from the other side:
The second corridor leading from the room's front door towards the bedroom





Extra closet






Laundry pricing list





Bathroom :
you can see this has a different design than the extra toilet ,
seems this was refurbished





Amenities,
no brand standard of Byredo here (only in the pulic loo) ,
just an interesting mix of brands





As said before by others,
water pressure is similair to Niagara falls and would satisfy those in need for hot hotter and hotest ...
the dial takes some adjustment but does do cold water too







Toilet and large bath: everything was clean so no complaints!





And the white windows blinds ..
. i can see/hear/smell right through from bathroom to bedroom ....
so you know to keep the blinds closed if you are sensitive
(and no...those are not the yellow speedos of Dries Roelvink)





The hotel offers free press reader
I spent happy a moment downloading a complete new liberary of titles ...
now i know what nicolas75 means about the ease of pressreader
...
we had a transborder flight out of YUL , besides the q for US clearence, the AC lounge was at capacity, the sad F&B choices in the terminal, i spent my time by catching up on Hola! Hello! People Magazine, DNA, Fortean Times, Retro Gamer, Rock&Gem, Astronomy, RailHobby, Tatler and easy digestibles




QR codes as there is no paper hotel directory

And that concludes my review of the room,
It is well upkept, clean, spacious but some design elements (sofa) are really a relic from the ancients ....
The views are pretty amazing, internet is strong, the bed was actually much better than the bed on the Seabourn Quest cruise ship, pretty good matras that was not lumpy or saggy

However if this is the luxury suite i can imagine tha standard rooms need
TLC : Tender Loving Care needed ASAP!

Let's hope the renovations start and make IC Montréal ready for the next 50 years


To end with a positive outlook,
This hotel still provides

Welcome amenity: hearty plate + San Pelligrino delivered to the room

rmontelbon

Can echo the above sentiments.

Having restricted myself to boutiques, I was surprised at how enjoyable my stay was.

Yes it's "dated" but in far, far better condition than much newer properties I've stayed in, and immaculately clean. Really hard pressed to find any signs of wear. The decor is so old it's cool.

Breakfast has been hit or miss in Montreal and Quebec since the pandemic and again, they shine here. Arriving as a Diamond, all 5 of us in a Suite and room were given breakfast.

The $37(CAD) valet parking was a joy because you get in and out privileges. 10 minutes notice and the car was available. Parking is going to cost a minimum of $25(CAD) a day in the city so this valet service option was a bargain and spared me from a few Uber rides. (incidentally, Uber is remarkably cheap in Montreal, perhaps 1/3 of NYC rates for similar trips).

Points / Days were all credited correctly. Ambassador renewal was in local currency, $250 (CAD) so slightly cheaper at $180(USD). 15,000 point bonus and free weekend night cert applied.

King suite upgraded to King corner high floor suite. King standard room upgraded to King corner premium. Both rooms got the plate of nibbles and San Pellegrino. Stunning views as described above from both. Late checkout of 4PM for both rooms given without issue.

Location is truly ideal for a pleasure trip to Montreal. I know the city well and never felt so centrally situated to areas of interest.

Overall a very pleasant surprise, and especially given the low price point, a credit to IHG in my opinion.

One essential here is to recheck reservations as you get closer. Ambassador reward night and points nights did not become available until within 10 days of the stay, and prices dropped significantly as well.

schriste

Just checked in for The Eclipse. I stayed here way, way, way back when it was almost new. Was a bit concerned by photos and comments, but my room was ready today at 10:30. I think I got one of the smallest ones, but I have something of a view and the room is in good condition. To be honest I like it more than a recently renovated Marriott property with nothing but fake tan wood, beige and maybe a pop of gray for color (or if I’m really lucky a purple splotch on the wall).

HadesNL

Enjoy the eclipse !
Do find time to post a photo here, i
believe it is an interesting elemental occurance that has to be shared

schriste

So far the sun is out today, not a cloud in the sky… but forecast shows them forming just as the eclipse starts… so fingers crossed.


(My room view)

plan to go down to the science center (10 min walk) soon. They have festivities.

Update: Glad I came to see the total eclipse. It might be the single most amazing thing I have ever seen.

schriste

it is a bit off topic, but since you asked:


this was just as the sun started to reappear



Totality in Montreal Old Town

HadesNL

Wow!
Thank you for posting, glad you got a good view for an amazing experience ...
Especially proof the world is not ending right away and we stil have till 2925

Bokeem

Stay at IC Montreal was booked with Ambassador free weekend night. Got upgrade to high floor king room. Welcome amenity was choice of drink voucher, charcuterie plate or 600 points. Buffet breakfast for $35 was underwhelming, no omelette station.

Indoor pool is narrow and warm temperature but closes early on Sundays. Sauna and steam room available 24 hours but the steam is temperamental. Gloomy hallways. 4 pm late check out was honoured.

I tried nearby Restaurant Holder thanks to a recommendation earlier in this thread and would go back there again for mussels.