Review: Hotel Monville, Montreal

On a recent weekend getaway to Montreal, I had the pleasure of staying at Hôtel Monville, a Preferred Hotels & Resorts property within easy walking distance of Old Montreal, though not quite in the heart of it.

The property’s compact lobby, which opens up to the first-floor restaurant and bar, is sleek and contemporary, with self check-in and check-out stations front and center (though a traditional check-in desk is tucked to one side). After handing over my keys to the valet, I checked in within minutes and headed to my 11^th-floor standard guestroom.

While on the smaller side, the hotel’s standard guestrooms make the most out of the space they do have, dedicating the exterior wall entirely to a large window. The wet bar (which offered the only sink in the room) was amply stocked with plenty of glassware and a Nespresso espresso maker. A rain shower takes up most of the compact bathroom.

However, while this set-up was comfortable and the ample natural light and views of the city from the wall-to-wall window were appreciated during the daytime and at night, that big window was less than desirable at 6 a.m., when it took the full brunt of the morning sun, casting the guestroom in an amount of light the thin curtains and shade could do little to block.

Were the nighttime views worth the early wake-up call? The jury’s still out.

Regardless, one place the views were inarguably great was on the hotel’s rooftop terrace. There, plenty of seating arrangements face 360-degree views of the area, making the terrace a popular hangout spot all throughout the day. The only thing that could’ve made it better? A bar (though it did appear there was space on the terrace for a bar, so perhaps it just wasn’t yet open for the season during my early May visit).

Possibly most surprisingly, though, the hotel’s buffet breakfast was a step above what you’d get at most. With a wide array of fresh foods, from smoked salmon for your fresh bagel to French-style scrambled eggs, and not a single vat of clumpy oatmeal or boiled eggs in sight, it was just as good a breakfast experience as what you might get if you walked from the hotel to a nearby neighborhood breakfast spot.

Hôtel Monville is located at 1041 rue de Bleury, Montreal, Québec.