“Nice place to stay ... but don't expect to use the pool!!”
My wife and I decided to visit Montréal this summer with our children. I have always stayed downtown at other business hotels, but
this time I was looking for something with a bit more “character” that the children might appreciate.
I did a fair bit of research on the internet and decided on l’Hôtel de la Montagne. Definitely one of the most attractive features of the
hotel was the rooftop pool, which is a must when travelling with children. It seems now that I didn't do enough research, based on our experience this past week.
The hotel is nicely situated in the best part of downtown Montreal and the hotel is very comfortable and their staff was very friendly and well mannered. The facilities are very well appointed and our standard room was quite large - this is one of the very few downtown hotels that offer queen-sized beds.
But I certainly had quite a bit of concern with their swimming pool.
Their website provides an image of a quiet and relaxed pool setting that describes the scene as a “hidden oasis high above the city … a dream spot in the heart of downtown for sunbathing around the pool, having a drink and a light meal.” Their video reinforces this concept with a woman diving into a calm, clear pool as a few other guests serenely watch from the terrace.
In reality, we found a much different scene when we arrived at the pool at 2:30 P.M., after a sun-filled morning of touring the city and looking for some quiet relaxation and cool down. What we found was quite simply shocking. The pool deck was crowded almost beyond capacity, and not a single chair was available to us. The vast majority of this “clientele” were quite obviously not guests of the hotel. Most were early twenty-somethings wearing skimpy bathing suits and covered in tattoos. It was as if we had walked into a scene
from a spring break party at Fort Lauderdale! We were not alone in our reaction – another young family with a baby arrived shortly after
us with a look that showed that they were even more taken aback than we were. From the brief conversation we had with them we learned that
they were under the same false impression as we had about the access and use of the pool – that being for hotel guests only. It is definitely not. Anyone who buys a drink is welcome, and seems to have priority over hotel guests.
The crowd was quite obviously uninterested in using the pool for swimming. Apart from the full deck, there was an equally large number
of people seated around and/or standing in the water around the edge the edge of the pool. Practically everyone had a beer or cocktail glass (definitely a safety issue around a pool, I might add!), and a fair number were smoking cigarettes, some even while they were in the pool. For a young family, this was quite shocking and quite unacceptable.
It was quite obvious that this “clientele” were not guests of the hotel. I counted only five (5) people on the pool deck that I could assume were guests, given that they had hotel towels with them (since
none were being provided to guests - despite the contrary statement on their website). We were not the only guests obviously frustrated by the experience. One poor man was trying to do laps, but was having
a very difficult time “navigating” amongst the partiers and gave up after only a few ends. Another woman was trying to find some sun and a place to read her book, but after being bumped and crawled-over by the crowd one-too-many times, she too gave up and left.
For our part, my two daughters (aged 6) wanted to cool off a bit, so we “coaxed” an opening onto the shallow end wall to allow them access
to the pool. Being children, they splashed a bit as they tried to swim in the open area of the shallow end. This was obviously not appreciated by the people standing around the edge of the pool who were trying to maintain their hair, makeup and bikinis in pristine condition as well as find the chance to pickup a date for the evening. After a few minutes, we also simply gave up and left the pool area completely, quite disappointed and frustrated.
This would be a great hotel for singles and young marrieds without kids who don't mind serious crowds and want the "eye-candy" but certainly not a place for the rest of us.
A definite disappointment for us and we will not be returning anytime
soon.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
probably not
I recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, Girlfriend getaway, Great pool scene
I do not recommend this hotel for:
People with disabilities, Older travelers, Families with young children, Families with teenagers
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Museums / Cultural / Historical sites, Outdoor / Adventure