I particularly like the Residence Inn hotels of the Marriott Bonvoy Group for the following reasons:
This is notably the case with the Residence Inn Montreal Downtown.
We visited this hotel in July 2020 in the COVID-19 context.
Editorial note: The hotel Residence Inn Montreal Downtown invited milesopedia to discover the installation. We didn’t get paid to write this review. The opinions expressed remain my own and have not been influenced in any way.
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The Residence Inn is ideally located in the heart of downtown Montreal.
It is close to the business district, many of Montreal’s renowned restaurants, major sports and cultural attractions and spas, for a restful relaxation.
Located on the axis that separates the river from the mountain, the Residence Inn Downtown hotel is, as its name indicates, very central.
It offers a wide range of activities in the surrounding area. Thus you will be able to enjoy the lively life in the many shopping streets. Cinemas, concert halls (e.g. Bourgie Hall, Montreal Comedy Club or the Maison Symphonique), cafés and restaurants are everywhere.
In addition, you can visit museums such as the Museum of Fine Arts or the McCord Museum. For a breath of fresh air, go to the Mount Royal viewpoint!
The hotel has a dedicated outdoor parking space at the back.
The cost is $25 + taxes per 24 hours and this includes unlimited access (unlimited entries and exits). Entrance to the hotel is possible either with the room card or via an intercom connected to the lobby.
The lobby is relatively clear and bright.
Employees are protected by plexiglass (COVID-19 context). As we had already done the mobile check-in, the procedure is relatively simple and fast. Simply show identification and provide a credit card for additional expenses.
At the lobby level, there is a small, glassed-in and welcoming lounge.
There is also the “Market” in the lobby. This is the brand name of the Residence Inn to identify the mini convenience store located at the front desk. We usually find something to satisfy a small hunger. These are mainly non-alcoholic beverages and snacks.
The hotel is also a member of the “Vélo Québec” circuit, therefore it is an interesting rest stop for those who travel around Quebec by bike.
It is worth mentioning that 2 restaurants, including a Pizza N900, are located right next to the main entrance of the hotel.
The hotel has rooms arranged on 24 floors.
Our room was a one-bedroom Deluxe Suite:
We stayed in room 2308 located on the 23rd floor. This suite upgrade was achieved through our Platinum status.
Access to the suite is via a small passageway bordered by a wardrobe at the entrance. We arrive on the side of the kitchenette area, in front of the large living room.
Very modern, the kitchenette includes:
I also liked that there was a small kitchen table. This definitely makes eating a lot more enjoyable. Sometimes hotels with a kitchenette do not plan for table, so you have to eat on the bed or on the work table ☹.
The living room is large and spacious.
The couch is a sofa bed. In addition, the side tables are well thought out: since they are supported on one side only, the leg can slide under the couch, allowing the table to be positioned above the couch to serve as a support for a drink and snacks, for example when watching TV.
The desk is perfect.
It is not too deep to avoid taking up too much space in the living room. It is long which makes it possible to put your work gear on it. On the other hand, there are only electrical outlets and no USB plugs (this is the case everywhere in the room) while many hotels now include this attention for quick charging of mobile devices.
As with most suites, the bedroom is separated from the living room by a closing door. So if one of the two partners wishes to work while the other prefers to rest, it is quite possible to do so while respecting everyone’s intimacy.
Our room had a King bed with a rather soft mattress. It was between two bedside tables and had individual reading lights. A large 50-inch television (same size as the one in the living room) is placed in front of the bed.
It’s a Smart TV, so it allows access to Netflix, which we really appreciate (in fact you just need to log in to your personal account).
In this regard, I usually disconnect my account from the hotel’s Smart TV when I leave. Maybe there’s an automatic reset, but I’m not taking any chances?
There is a wardrobe in the room (without any robe) as well as 3 pieces of furniture with drawers. Two smaller ones serve as bedside tables, while the larger one also serves as a support table for the TV set.
A similar piece of furniture with a drawer can be found in the living room, again with the double utility of serving as a support for the television set.
Note that both the bedroom and the living room are very bright, the windows are almost full-length (from floor to ceiling) and occupy the full width of each room.
Of course we are downtown: the view overlooks Montreal’s skyscrapers.
The bathroom is accessible through the bedroom. There is a standard toilet, a mirror washbasin and a very large shower. Two people could shower there together!
The Residence Inn Montreal Downtown follows an ecological approach when it comes to beauty product containers (shampoo, conditioner, liquid body soap) and reusable formats are installed in the shower rather than small single-use containers. Reusable formats are locked in the shower (several hotels reported that guests were stealing the larger containers).
Last point, for those who appreciate a bath, let us point out that there is none.
The suite seems to have been freshly renovated. The materials are slick, modern and the general condition is excellent. There is certainly a refinement in the choice of materials and the overall look is very trendy.
Because of the COVID-19 context, the buffet usually offered in the dining room on the mezzanine level was closed and all the chairs were placed in reverse on the tables, as required by public health.
However, we were offered breakfast in a brown paper bag. We could also help ourselves to orange juice, water, coffee, tea, herbal tea…
We decided to go back up to our room to consume eat our breakfast.
The weekend breakfast (we were at the hotel on Saturday night) consisted of two soft-boiled eggs without shells, an apple, a bag of Fruit Loops brand cereal, a brownies cake, cherry yogurt.
Of course, the gym has been adapted in the context of COVID-19.
Thus the cardio machines were moved to create space between them, the weights were removed and the towels were protected (individually wrapped) from each other to limit any form of contamination.
At the time of our visit, there were few guests in the hotel and therefore it was relatively easy to treat oneself to a cardio session in a calm and quiet space.
The hotel is equipped with a laundry room, which can be very useful for longer stays. All products required for laundry are sold at the reception desk. It is also possible to use your own products.
The hotel also has a meeting room for work or training sessions. In fact, we rented this room in June 2018 during our milesopedia training meeting!
Being a Platinum Member, we were able to take advantage of the Late Check-out option (4pm) and a little stroll downtown.
The Check-Outprocess is also very simple with Bonvoy via the application. Just confirm the Check-Out… and it’s done. We also had the option of getting a copy of the invoice by email.
It was a pleasant and relaxing stay. The suite is of a beautiful size, the finish is modern and we took full advantage of it.
Savings are here:
