My memory is recalling, that the desk clerk was complaining, they had little cash!
I pointed out the HOTEL was full to the roof for the Holiday and couldn't believe they didn't have Canadian Money!

Would you try running a large international popular hotel without any cash being available?
Thankfully, we have other choices at the Hyatt and the Hilton.

Roadrunner, you would be very lucky to find a hotel that has as good an exchange rate as a bank or your own credit card. My experience is that it's invariably more expensive to exchange money at a hotel - any hotel- and I try to avoid it unless I absolutely have to... and then I figure I'm paying for the convenience. I doubt that Hyatt or Hilton are any different from Marriott in this regard. You can also be sure Marriott ( or any other hotel) never meant the check cashing perk as a way to avoid exchange commissions, since the hotel itself would still have to pay it.

Paying the hotel bill in local currency with your credit card, however, is another story. Generally, you will get a good exchange rate, although you now will usually have to pay a small commission/fee as well.

Roadrunner, I don't see the problem here. If you were looking to cash a check then of course you'd write them a check for ~$140 USD and they'd give you $200CDN. Yes, the exchange rate is bad, but just as bad as if you gave them $140USD in cash. In either case, you're paying (via the exchange rate) for the convenience. And just try taking your US check virtually any other place in Montreal!

On the other hand, it sounds like you wanted to put the $200CDN on your charge card. Why on earth should the hotel do this? They get dinged a couple percent on each charge transaction (i.e., Visa only pays them ~98% of the transaction amount). So by giving you $200CDN they would get reimbursed $196...you'd have to be a very good customer for them to see that as worthwhile.

Of course, they lose the same percentage when you pay for your stay with plastic, but at least there's a profit margin in their rates to cover that. On check cashing, there's no profit at all.

And if want a better exchange rate than the hotel offers, just use your ATM card at any bank. Less convenient, perhaps, but you'll get the best possible rate.