Montreal Hotels Update

Montreal is a fascinating city – a multicultural medley of European ambiance and North American style. Situated on an island in the middle of the majestic St. Lawrence River, Montreal is a beautiful blend of postmodern skyscrapers, historic buildings, tree-lined boulevards and cobblestone streets.

The Hilton Montreal Bonaventure

The Hilton Montréal Bonaventure has been a mainstay of the Montréal hotel scene since the sixties when the hotel was built around the time of the Montréal Expo.

The Hilton is a strange sort of building constructed in gray concrete and can almost be missed, as its entrance is tucked away behind the Montreal train station. To reach the lobby one has to ride an elevator up to get to the reception area. Once there, the hotel gives a completely different feeling. Arriving at the Hilton feels almost like arriving at a resort hotel, but located in the center of a big city. The lobby lets out onto a pool area which adds to the resort-like atmosphere.

Under the capable hands of Louis-Robert Handfield, manager, the hotel is undergoing major refurbishments which will take it to another dimension.

Mainly a meetings hotel, the Montréal Hilton will offer new amenities to the tired traveler by creating a spa in its numerous Zen garden areas. The gardens are an attraction in themselves. "It is such a pleasure to stay in a hotel where you can actually open the windows looking out on greenery and hear the birds," a guest commented upon checking out.

The Hotel has one of the best-equipped single level convention complexes in Canada. Inside you will find the layout to be ideal for large and small groups with 23 multi-purposed meeting rooms all accessible by escalator, one floor below the main lobby.

Whether it is for business or pleasure the Montreal Hilton has once again reinvented itself. www.hilton.com

The Loews Vogue

With a totally different feeling from the Hilton and a flair for the intimate, Loews Vogue Hotel, located in downtown Montreal, just off St. Catherine Street, (Montreal's premier shopping street), is Montreal's first "boutique" hotel. The word boutique has become synonymous with trendy and has, because of over usage, lost some of its cachet when describing small hotels. Nevertheless the word boutique is the proper way to classify Loews Vogue. Not only was Loews Vogue the first boutique property to enter the scene in Montreal, it has retained its elite and intimate status over the years.

Loews Vogue is the mainstay of the elite business and leisure traveler seeking peace and quiet in intimate yet luxurious surroundings. When entering the lobby, the feeling is like entering your own living room. If you are lucky enough to stay at the Loews Vogue in winter there will be a roaring fire glowing in the lobby.

The hotel has not changed much during the years I have been using it as my home away from home. Like a good wine, it gets better with age.

Under the expert hands of Nathalie Lalonde, the hotel has been improving on service and is also undergoing cosmetic refurbishment.

Its strengths are location, location and quiet, not easily found in downtown Montreal.

Loews Vogue also boasts one of the must successful rendezvous bars in the downtown area as well as Cellini, its first class Italian restaurant under Chef Johnny. Make a rendezvous with Lowes Vogue in Montreal. www.loewshotels.com