Best Western Plus Hotel Montreal
June 2021
The Best Western Plus Hotel Montreal is located east of downtown Montreal, in the Quartier des Spectacles district (Festival District). The hotel is near the Red-Light district. The neighborhood is not very interesting, populated by a lot of homeless installed in the street, in front of the hotel, who are very loud and who shout at the hotel guests.
I made my reservation for two nights at 80$ per night, in low season during the Covid, directly on the Best Western web site. This rate is very affordable for a downtown establishment.
The property
This hotel is not very large and has five floors. The hall includes a small sitting area where a coffee machine is available. A restaurant is located next door to the hotel but, during my stay, it was not open (Covid?). There is a breakfast room and a small exercise room, both closed because of Covid related restrictions. This property looks like a fairly new construction.
There is no parking directly accessible to the hotel clients. A valet service is available. This service is quick and I had to wait a maximum of five minutes each time I wanted to get my car back. The parking cost is not included in the room rate and is 25$ per day.
The corridor in the room floor is dark, configured in a loop.
The room
My room is small, clean, with a carpet and fairly well equipped. There is not really much space to walk around. A coffee machine for Keurig capsule is available. There is also an iron, with its ironing board, disinfectant products, a small fridge and a small safe. There is no microwave. The room is well furnished, with a work desk and a comfortable chair on casters, an armchair and foot rest. The furniture is in good shape, with no major wear signs.
There is a small window, which doesn’t provide much light, giving a view to the building across the street. Even if the room is located on the third floor, I can clearly hear the noises from the street, for example the homeless people yelling at each other and shouting.
There is no way to connect a mobile device or a computer to the television. The air conditioning system is efficient and quiet.
The bed is comfortable.
The bathroom
The bath room is spacious, with available storage room. There is a shower and no bath. The shower only has a hand shower head which makes it complicated to control the shower spray. The area around the sink is sufficient.
Services
There is a breakfast included with the room fare. There is not much choice and the taste is middling. Because of sanitary constraints, imposed by Covid, it is not possible to have the meal in the breakfast room. A bag is provided to bring the breakfast to the room. The staff is helpful but cold and not very friendly.
Wireless internet access (Wi-Fi) is free and excellent.
Design
As mentioned, the room is dark. This is mainly because the walls have dark colors. Besides, everywhere in the hotel, the colors are dark and their matching unlikely. I have even seen a red wall with an Asian style piece of furniture, even if this style is not a theme in the hotel. The hall has rather a modern style. There is no cohesion effort in the room decoration.
My two cents
Staying in a good quality hotel, right downtown, at an affordable price is a huge advantage. But personally, being threatened by homeless, mentally challenged, or intoxicated people right out the hotel front door is a big turnoff. For the same value for the money, I would definitely stay somewhere else. If you don’t mind this type of neighborhood, then this hotel is a good choice for a trip in Montreal.
The devil is in the details:
- No lampshade on the bathroom ceiling light.
Pros
- Value for money (to validate in high season).
- Large bathroom.
Cons
- Inhospitable and loud neighbourhood.
- Hand shower head only.
- Poor breakfast.
