Arrival/Check-In: While the snow continued to fall at a steady clip, my taxi pulled up outside Hôtel Bonaventure Montréal. A quick departure from my cab and a few steps later, I was taken in by the distinctive style of the entrance corridor. A quick elevator ride to the lobby is necessary because Hôtel Bonaventure Montréal sits on the top two floors of a 17-story business and professional complex. Located in the heart of downtown Montréal, it even connects to the city’s underground concourse.

I arrived for my check-in early thanks to my flight’s early arrival. Hotel staff took my name, verified my reservation and informed me my room would not be ready for a little more than an hour. I was offered the convenience of checking my luggage and heading to the Executive Lounge, where I was treated to coffee while getting some work done. The genuine care and attentiveness the hotel staff appears to pay to guests was excellent, exemplified when the lounge attendant brought me a bottle of water without my request. The time before my room was available flew; and before I knew it, I was making my way to my accommodations.

Guest Quarters: Hôtel Bonaventure is a penthouse hotel located on top of several stories of businesses and offices. As a result, all 397 guestrooms have views, either of Montréal or the hotel’s garden. The simple floor plan, with two floors of guestrooms running the entire perimeter of the building, makes getting lost an impossibility.

The rooms themselves feel slightly dated. The accommodations are comfortable and suitable, but when compared with the rest of the hotel, which recently went through a massive renovation, the rooms do feel a bit left behind. According to hotel management, the guestrooms are next up on a continuing list of planned renovations. Aside from having an aesthetic that feels a tad dated, the rooms are cozy and welcoming. I slept well both nights and was pleased with the consistent water pressure and temperature. In addition, hotel staff placed several complimentary water bottles in my room throughout my stay, making sure I always had something to drink.

The room’s workspace also met my expectations and created an excellent place for me to get writing done in my downtime between appointments. Although I spent a little less than 48 hours at the hotel, the room quickly began to feel like home.

Services/Amenities: One thing that stood out to me during my time at Bonaventure was the wide array of amenities, services and just plain conveniences present. The hotel features a heated rooftop pool accessible from indoors and outdoors. To access the pool from the inside, guests can swim through a connected channel to get to the pool proper.

Another great feature I noticed was the hotel’s connection to the Interior City. Also called the Montréal Underground City, this infrastructure of more than 20 miles of connected pathways lets guests travel to dining and shopping without ever actually stepping outside. The Underground City connects most of downtown Montréal, including the Bell Center, the home of the Montréal Canadiens.

Otherwise, Hôtel Bonaventure features a number of standard amenities, like complimentary WiFi, access to a fitness center and the executive lounge for select guests. The hotel’s conference and meeting facilities were renovated and redone in summer 2018; the result is more than 50,000 square feet of accommodating meeting space suitable for everything from small team meetings to grand expositions.

TOP TAKEAWAYS:
◆ The connection to the Interior City is a huge bonus for guests visiting in the extremes of Montréal summers and winters.
◆ The heated rooftop pool creates an alluring escape for anyone who wants to relax and go for a dip. A new and bigger hot tub is set to be completed in spring of 2019.
◆ The dedicated convention floor, a short escalator ride from the hotel’s main floor, gives groups and organizations an excellent place to do business and hold expositions.
◆ A single elevator provides access to the hotel, creating a safe environment for guests as it allows hotel staff to keep tabs on who is coming and going.

HÔTEL BONAVENTURE MONTRÉAL

900 De La Gauchetiere W.
Montréal, Québec
H5A 1E4, Canada
tel 514 878 2332
hotelbonaventure.com