To the point
In these times of travel to discover the province, here is a getaway in the Eastern Townships that will take you out of the usual Laurentians, Capitale-Nationale and Montérégie.
First, the Delta Hotels Sherbrooke Conference Centre is the only Marriott hotel available in the Eastern Townships. And second of all, it’s a sweet spot right now. Here’s why 🙂
Several members of the milesopedia community have been trying out Marriott Bonvoy hotels in Quebec throughout the summer. And many of them did not miss staying at the Delta Hotels Sherbrooke Conference Centre.
It’s my case, just like Jean-Francois and Emmanuelle on the forum. Our three reviews will allow you to make up your own mind about this hotel, which is still being renovated.
Booking at Delta Hotels Sherbrooke Conference center
The Delta Hotels Sherbrooke Conference Centre is a Marriott Bonvoy Category 2 hotel that was built in the 1980s. For a few decades it was Sherbrooke’s HOTEL of choice, said Emmanuelle, one of the milesopedia members on the forum, who stayed at the hotel in February.
But as time went by, the ’80s style was no longer popular. Two modern hotels were recently built: the Grand Times Hotel and the OTL Gouverneur Sherbrooke. The Delta has always had the advantage of being a convention centre as well, business customers fill the hotel and room prices have always been quite high despite a clear need for renovation. At the time of booking, for December 25 and 31, the regular rooms with king size bed were priced at over $200.
Emmanuelle
Like Emmanuelle, I paid for my stay with points. We could have paid for the stay in money. However, the points-based stay was more advantageous, thanks to the category 2 of this hotel.
For this 3-night stay, we benefited from the lowest category 2 rate of 37,500 points (12,500 points/night). With a usual valuation of $0.7 per Marriott Bonvoy point and a price per night of $178, we made good use of our points.
However, with a cash payment, the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express® Card remains the best way to get 5 points for every dollar spent at Marriott Hotels.
Having recently undergone a complete renovation (not yet 100% complete as of August 2020), this Delta Hotel will surely not stay in category 2 for very long and will probably change during the annual update of the Marriott Bonvoy categories.
Benefiting from a Platinum Elite status, I was thus able to upgrade to a superior room, i.e. a Suite with a king bed and a sofa (by making the request through the chat, 24 hours prior to arrival). Note that suites at the Delta Sherbrooke do not have a sofa-bed; however, an extra bed can be requested (usually at a cost of $15/night but free for Elite members).
Location of Delta Hotels Sherbrooke Conference center
The Delta Hotels Sherbrooke Conference Centre is ideally located in Sherbrooke’s city centre, in the heart of Sherbrooke. It’s quite simple: you’re right next to King Street with a view of the Magog River. If you get a room on the upper floors, you will get a superb view of the city.
The hotel has a very large parking lot and moreover, it’s free of charge!
Around the Delta Hotels Sherbrooke Conference center
Unlike a stay in Quebec City where you have the opportunity to discover a historic city, Sherbrooke is ideally located to take advantage of the many outdoor activities available in the Eastern Townships.
As mentioned previously, the hotel is very well located, right in the heart of the city of Sherbrooke. Close to the hotel are some restaurants. Moreover Emmanuelle strongly recommends the Westley located a few minutes walk from the hotel.
However, Sherbrooke is a city where urban sprawl is easily noticeable and you will need your car to move around.
Arrival at the Delta Hotels Sherbrooke Conference Centre lobby
When you arrive close to the hotel, you are suddenly in doubt… You made your booking, you saw the photos on the Marriott page of the hotel. And you also looked at the reviews and photos like the ones available on TripAdvisor.
The hotel seems frozen in another time outside! The parking lot and the front of the hotel have not (yet?) been renovated. And once you walk into the hotel lobby, that feeling follows you.
Indeed, as mentioned at the beginning of this review, the hotel is just coming out of major renovations and everything is not yet complete. This is what the lobby will look like when it is finished:
(source)
On the ground floor there are therefore two zones, each on either side of the entrance door:
- a lobby space still under construction,
- a restaurant area, where we will have breakfast during this stay. It should be noted that the restaurant does not seem to be completely finished either:
In the current context of COVID, the hotel was a little empty when we arrived (on a Friday). Nevertheless, the next day, the latter hosted a meeting/conference (surprising in COVID times) which gave it an almost abnormal character with the current context.
When we arrived at the lobby desk, both counters had Plexiglas plates. Having taken care to communicate through the hotel’s chat function (available 24 hours before arrival), we had obtained an upgrade to suite room #1010, “the most beautiful room in the hotel” according to one of the employees 😉
After using the elevator, on the 10th floor, make a right in the hallway, we reach our room. Indeed, one immediately notices the renovations that have taken place and the striking discrepancy between the exterior and interior of the hotel.
Our Suite
The room had been prepared for our arrival, a nice note was waiting for us there as well as a bottle of Eska sparkling water and 2 containers of Pop-Corn Bad Monkey!
The renovations are indeed superb, modern and up to date.
The room is equipped with a king bed, a sofa and a beautiful bathroom; we are not disappointed and neither are the children!
The suite is located on the side overlooking the Magog River, with a beautiful luminosity. It is spacious and comfortable for 2 adults and 2 children.
The furniture is new and we like the contrast of wood colours and grey tones.
On the equipment side, no kitchenette but a small coffee machine and a microwave. In our opinion, the renovations have not been completed on the equipment side either, as it is not in line with the rest of the newly renovated room.
The bathroom
We enter the bathroom on the left. We can notice the very beautiful work done with this renovation.
A large shower with a sliding glass door, a beautiful cabinet and a large mirror.
Nothing wrong with that!
The health policy currently in place will limit cleaning and towel changes for this stay. However, we can easily get them from room staff.
Services at the Delta Hotels Sherbrooke Conference Centre
Breakfast
Because of COVID, the rules are changing! No breakfast buffet is offered, but table service is available in the room next to the entrance of the hotel. A menu is proposed and you can choose a plate of your choice, accompanied by a coffee and a glass of orange juice.
Although the menu offers choices that seem more “worked out” than the standard 2x eggs and bacon, we were not impressed by the meals. However, since we’re aware of the current context, we understand that the hotel has surely had to make choices in order to limit the kitchen activity.
Other services
Being a conference-oriented hotel (and still being renovated), we did not notice any other services during our stay.
So there’s no pool, no gym, and no play room for the kids—too bad.
Our overall impression of the Delta Hotels Sherbrooke Conference Centre
Although the renovations are not yet complete, we sincerely recommend the Delta Hotels Sherbrooke Conference Centre for your next stay in the Eastern Townships. It is a very good choice, since it’s close to everything and perfect for an outdoor getaway in the region.
If you have a Marriott status, it is quite easy to get a suite upgrade at this hotel. And honestly, for the number of points required per night, we can only recommend it: 12,500 points/night is simply unbeatable!
The Delta Hotels Sherbrooke Conference Centre is still in category 2 and we have no doubt that it will be different once the renovations are completed.
Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
