bello

yes there was alcohol which I did consume and was not charged .
not sure about the Quebec law thing- maybe that's the "official" response (suggest you wait until you arrive and find out discreetly)
also not sure what you consider the difference between Jr and executive suite I find many properties are not clear in distinction between the two.Tourelle Suite has a large round room with a "wrap around" (quite cool)view with bedroom separated by a door on one side and open on the other- so you get the "feel" of two separate rooms
I have also been in another suite here with two completely separate rooms - that's what you may consider an "executive " suite

Nikita

thank you Bello.

boar

I am currently staying at the hotel and can definitely
confirm that the free mini bar includes alcohol.
I am in a suite with 2 separate rooms.
I have found all the staff to be extremely friendly
and professional.
I also like the free daily international newspaper of
choice which I was also offered in Toronto.

DoubleJ

Having just completed a stay at this property, I can definitely confirm that the minibar contains alcoholic drinks (besides the wine and beer) in the form of a couple dozen assorted minibottles. I can also confirm (multiday stay) that the minibar is replenished daily.

As for the Quebec non-alcohol law, there might be something to it, as the club lounge does not and will not serve "hard" alcohol (beer and wine can be had of course).

Tourelle Suites are differentiated from Executive Suites, at least according to a pricing board located next to the front desk. Tourelle Suites go for (rack rate) C$600+ and Executive Suites (rack rate) C$900+ if memory serves.

sletohdarnoc

Hello everyone... Just returned from a two night reward stay at the IC Montreal and didn't see anything about it on FT so I figured I'd write a review about it.

---

The hotel just completed a $14 million renovation with a couple parts of the hotel still being finished. All rooms are completed and they did a nice job. When I checked in, I inquired about paying for club level access. She said it was $20pp (it was only me). I took her up on that offer. But after adjusting my rate, she then explained how the club lounge is not finished being renovated yet. She gave me coupons for breakfast each morning (a $26 value) and a free drink in the bar each night ($10 value). Obviously a great deal. She also gave me a nice upgrade to a corner room.

Rooms: Like previously stated, all have been renovated. Safe, minibar, Kuerig coffee maker, the works. Huge flat screen TV. Bathroom was all marble and had separate bathtub and shower. Elemis amenities. Also had turndown service every night. Wake up calls are done personally-- haven't seen that in a while.

Staff: All staff were pleasant and efficient. However, when checking out, I was not asked how my stay was. This always annoys me-- but especially because I had a problem with room service. Other than that, service was good.

Health Club: While small, the gym was adequate with new machines w/ TV's in them. One small rack of free weights. A bunch of cardio stuff. The pool was an indoor lap pool with an outside terrace and garden. The locker rooms need improvement and renovation-- very old and smelled like mildew.

Food: Breakfast was great. Typical American and European fare. The fancier restaurant and bar is still being renovated so Chez Plume is their 'bistro' as of right now. Evening food was OK... a somewhat limited menu. Room service was a disaster. Food was overpriced-- but hey, it's an IC. When I first called to order, it took 20 rings for someone to answer. Then they said they would call back in 1 minute. 15 minutes later, still nobody had called. I called back and he took my order. He said it would be 15 minutes but it took 30. When I got the food, the order was wrong. I was hungry and it was late so I didn't say anything about it. I know all hotels have their hiccups, but I was a little irked about this.

Other than that, this is a fine hotel and will be even better when the main restaurant is done being renovated. I wouldn't hesitate to stay here again. It's in a good location half a block from Square Victoria. If you have specific questions, don't hesitate to ask!

hub and spoke

I am currently at the IC in Montreal. The restaurant and bar are opened and very nice with good menus and great wines. The lounge is also open and on the lobby level. It serves a hot breakfast of scrambled eggs, smoked slamon and other delights. One can order other stuff. Plenty of good wine choices and hard liquor available in the evenings.

I'm in an updated King corner room and it has been done over very nicely. construction is now complete I'm told.

This loacation is fantastic for summer visits to Old Montreal and one can rent bicycles nearby or jog/walk along the banks of the old Lachine canal for up to 15KMS.

Nice hotel and great location.

djjaguar64

We are planning to revisit this hotel, any recent experiences. As an AMB what room should I book I forget what they gave us a few years ago.

useless

Stayed there 3 weeks ago. As RA booked club room received Turret Suite ( I forget the real name). Free mini bar and movie.
Hotel is a little worn but room was updated and fine. Location downtown near rail station and waterfront. Easy walking distance to Ste. Catherine.
Only real complaint was the 1 and a half hour wait for the room.

oldpenny16

Stayed there in June. The WiFi would not work in my room in a wireless mode. Spent hours and hours trying to sort it out on the telephone and in person with the hotel staff.

The executive club breakfast offered on the lobby floor was not good at all. The hot food was never hot and the selections were not replenished. I was there for several days so it was not a 'one of' situation.

Overall I came away disappointed and haven't even gotten my points in my account as yet.

For the price of this hotel, it should have been a great deal better than it was.

djjaguar64

We booked the Irressistible room with breakfast, will report back on the trip, using my CERT for Sunday.

joannacdhanaraj

honestly I stayed there back in aug last year, and was fairly impressed. I was only a regular ambassador back then, and I even got an upgrade to a very nice king exec room from cheapest. I also found the absynth bar very cool and the staff was friendly. Maybe bc I know french... i don't know. I'm american however, and it's very obvious, as I walked in the an army tshirt on. And the walk was about 5-10 mins to the party area of the city as far as I can remember. Overall, the hotel itself is the second nicest I've stayed in for IC's anyways.

djjaguar64

We were somewhat apprehensive about staying at this hotel as our previous stay in 2007 was not up to expectations but we thought it was only fair to give them a second chance.
We checked in (9/4/2010) and were surprised to see no priority line and only one check in agent. After a few minutes of waiting another agent arrived to assist.
Ms. D checked us in and I presented my Ambassador card. At no point did she address me by name or welcome us to the hotel. She proceeded to assign me a room and I asked about being assigned a different room from the one that was listed on the check in form. We were advised that since the initial room (2220) was not cleaned yet we were given 1820.

1)On Saturday (9/5/2010) we called for the welcome letter and gift and Dulce advised us that the gift was sent to room 2220 instead and will send it to 1820 later in the day.

2) We left the room at 11am (took off the Do Not Disturb sign) and returned at 2pm. The room was not done. Called and spoke with (Guest Services Manager) Mr. O and he said that the room will be cleaned while we were in the hotels gym. And he also advised us that they tried to send the welcome gift but we had the DND sign on.

He mentioned that the delay in getting our room cleaned was because the cleaning lady was busy cleaning rooms that people had checked out from. But I asked why rooms of guests who were already in the hotel not be cleaned as well but I did not get a satisfactory answer once again. We went to the gym from 2:30-3:30pm.

3) We returned to our room at 3:30 and the room was still not cleaned at 3:30pm. Once again I called again and spoke with Mr. O and advised him that room was not yet cleaned. But since we had to go out for dinner with friends we needed to nap and advised if they could clean at 5:30 and he agreed. He said that the room will be ready by the time we came back from dinner.
At this time which is 3:30pm there was no DND sign on our door.
I then called at 5:30pm to advise the front desk staff to please clean room at 5:30 as we left for dinner.

4) After our nap we noticed that the hotel staff added a Do Not Disturb sign on our door without our knowledge. We had our original sign in our room.

5) At 10pm the room was still not cleaned and this time there was no DND sign on the door.

6) Called and spoke with (Guest Services Manager) Mr. A at 10pm and repeated myself yet again. The welcome gift and water without the letter were left in the room but the room itself was not cleaned. He said he will send staff to clean the room or do it himself.

7) The cleaner arrived in the room to make the room. When Mr A arrived in the room with towels, I went over the whole scenario with him but instead he came up with excuses and argued with me rather than providing possible solutions to our dilemma.

Timeline:

Sep 5, 2010: 11am to 3:30pm No DND sign (room not cleaned)
Sep 5, 2010: 3:30-5:30 Nap (DND sign put on by hotel staff) We had our initial sign in the room. Room not cleaned after specific request.
Sep 5 5:30-10pm No DND sign (Room not cleaned after 3rd specific request) Alex takes the extra sign from inside the room away at 10:30 pm with him after he made our bed. We were made to watch them make our bed and leave the towels in the bathroom without cleaning the washroom or leaving us a tissue and the amenity kit.

Lessons Learned

1. If IHG offers a Preferred Guest program this hotel should have services in place to cater to this program. i.e Dedicated Priority Check and Personalized Recognition of preferred guests.
2. This experience shows that there seems to be a communication issue and a lack of setting expectations with customers when and how their issues will be resolved to their satisfaction. Management seems to be focussed on offering excuses and explanations rather than solving the guests needs and creating a memorable experience.
3) I was disappointed by the fact that the Concierge button and the Immediate Service button on the room phone did not function.
I do hope that you do not provide a generic response like you have done previously on the Tripadvisor website. You must be able to come out with a concrete action plan to rectify issues at your hotel. Our friend who was next door at the Westin had a wonderful customer experience completely opposite to that of ours. I await your response.

djjaguar64

The breakfast staff was very good, we never had a problem there. I liked the renovation that was carried out by the hotel also. But the overall attitude of the staff is confrontational rather than to work with the guest to get the issue resolved. Please go and read the Tripadvisor reviews, yes I read them with a grain of salt but this is the second time I had a bad experience with this hotel. Yes it was a long weekend, but there are long weekends almost every month here in Canada, a 5 star hotel learns and accomodates these types of weekends so that guests are not inconvenienced.

djjaguar64

IHG gives points as an apology but have not heard back from hotel. Hotel initially responded that they are investigating.

The hotel has accepted their shortcomings and taken steps to rectify the issues. The hotel has offered us a One Free Night voucher.

Bjmcisaac

My wife and I stayed there the same weekend as djjaguar so I thought I'd provide our perspective. We were there for an anniversary trip - 3 nights (Friday, September 3 to Monday, September 6) then off to a different part of the city. I am a platinum ambassador who had not stayed at this hotel before (I stay regularly at the two Intercontinentals in Toronto).

I booked our stay using a reward night the first night, and an (old version) ambassador certificate for the second and third nights. The first night (reward night) I booked a "Deluxe Irresistible 1 King Bed" Room and was upgraded to an "Inspiring" Corner room on the 23rd floor with a panoramic view of old Montreal and the St. Lawrence river. Check-in was very smooth and the young blonde woman who checked us in provided very good service. They brought the welcome gift which was six truffles (three white chocolate and three dark chocolate) and a bottle of water during turndown service.

As I am sometimes weary of poor upgrades when combining reward nights with other nights (in particular BOGO nights), we decided to check out and check back in for the next two nights. For the second and third nights we booked a "For Foodies Package" which was supposed to include a "Deluxe Irresistible 1 King Bed" Room, a full buffet breakfast for both of us each day at Osco (the hotel restaurant), free internet, two free cocktails at the hotel bar (Absinthe) and a "foodies package restaurant coupon booklet" which included (as you may have guessed) restaurant discounts and 4 metro bus or subway tickets.

We left our bags with the bellman/valet and wandered the city. When we came back at 4 p.m. to check-in there was a wedding party entering the hotel (Alouette football player's wedding) and a huge crowd of pre-teen girls waiting outside (who we later found out were waiting for the Jonas Brothers, who were staying at the hotel). It all made for a very crowded entryway and lobby reception.

As mentioned, the lobby was very crowded and the line for check-in quite long. When I finally made it to the reception desk (we didn't see an ambassador check-in area at all during the weekend) the young man informed me that we had been upgraded to a "tourelle suite" (corner suite on the turret side of the hotel, facing the city) but that the room wasn't ready (which it was supposed to be) and he asked me to come back in 45 minutes. We went and had a coffee in the attached "Java" coffee house and came back up 50 minutes later. When I made it back to reception, I was informed that my room still wasn't ready. He offered me another "Inspiring" corner room on a club floor but, as we already had breakfast and a couple drinks inclded with our package and wanted a suite, we declined and offered to wait until the tourelle suite was ready. He called housekeeping and they told him it would be ready in half an hour.

We decided to grab a drink in the bar (Absinthe). We both really liked the bar atmosphere and the servers were great. My wife really liked the absinthe cocktails (we came back for a couple more drinks during our stay). 45 minutes later, I wandered back out to the reception desk - by this time there was a huge crowd of people in the lobby waiting for their rooms to be ready.

I got a young, dark-haired lady this time and she apologized but said the room still wasn't ready. She too called up to housekeeping, and was told they were in the room cleaning and would be done in 20 minutes. She apologized again, and gave me a couple of free drinks at the bar, which we enjoyed.

When I came back, the room was finally ready. However, I was not offered the drink tickets, breakfast vouchers or any of the other things included in my package. I asked for them and she seemed perplexed so I pulled out my blackberry and showed her the reservation and the things included. She did not seem to have heard of the package before, but quickly gave me two drink tickets, and four breakfast vouchers. She had no idea what the coupon booklet was and had no metro passes, so we decided to head up to our room without them as all of the hotel staff were presently occupied.

My gift once again arrived during turndown service (this time with three dark chocolate and three white chocolate/coconut truffles). The room was great, large bedroom with door, very large sitting area with a couch, desk and two armchairs with ottomans and coffee table, and a great view of the city.

We enjoyed our two buffet breakfasts at Osco - the food selection was quite good and they had an omelet/scrambled egg station that provided made-to-order goodness. Service in the restaurant was good, but they were very busy on the Monday and seemed understaffed as the two waiters couldn't clean the tables fast enough to prevent a large line from growing even though there were many empty tables.

On the last day we decided to wander around some more and take advantage of our 4 p.m. checkout. When we arrived back to the room at 2, our keycards did not work so we went down to reception. They had been deactivated as it was past normal checkout (but not, of course, ambassador late-checkout). He reactivated one card so we could get back in the room to get our belongings (he originally offered to take us up without giving us a card, which I declined). I had not been given a copy of my bill to this point (at all of the other Intercontinental's I had stayed at, one had always been slid under the door before I got up the last day) so I asked for one and we went up to the room.

I noticed that we had been charged for internet each day (included in our package) and for local calls. When I checked out I mentioned this and they were promptly removed, with apologies.

Other notes - I did not receive my paper on any of the days, even though I was asked if I wanted one. They did provide them on each floor next to the elevators, so I grabbed one from there each day. I also never received my coupon book or metro tickets.

Despite a few snafus, we honestly did enjoy our stay and the hotel. In particular, the upgrades, provision of ambassador benefits on a reward night, the bar and the breakfast at Osco were all great. We also were impressed with the young, female concierge, who provided impeccible service.

However, we were disappointed with check-in the second day, being "locked" out of our room, and the incorrect charges to our bill.

All in all, we would stay here again.