Vogue Hotel Montreal Downtown, Curio Collection by Hilton

My wife and I spent 3 nights at the Vogue Hotel Montreal in mid June at the end of a 2 week road trip around Maritime Canada & Quebec. We had a King Deluxe on the 5th floor, which was big and comfortable. However, the check in experience was so bizarre and disappointing that when we got to our room, I had a look at other recent Tripadvisor reviews of the hotel on Tripadvisor and saw that many others have had similar experiences - hence the sprinkling of one, two and three star reviews. What we liked: Location - the hotel is in the heart of Downtown, close to everything you need and several Metro stations. So location couldn't be better. Bedroom - was huge with a very comfortable bed which would be hard to beat. And my wife thought the bathroom - tons of marble, jacuzzi bath and separate shower - was once of the nicest we have had in a hotel room anywhere. Renovations - it was clear that following fairly recent renovations the hotel was looking great and very upscale, notwithstanding several niggles (below). Front of house staff - as others have said, front of house staff were generally good, especially in the restaurant (one part of the hotel which seemed to be effectively managed). What we did not like; The check in - Greg P below described his check in as 'frosty'. That suggests his experience was warmer than ours... Our check in clerk gave a vary good impression of not wanting to work there any more. Although we were checking in close to 3pm, our room was not ready. If you were trying to persuade a new guest to leave the hotel and find a room somewhere else, the manner of this exchange was almost tailor made to have that effect. When I checked to see if there was an alternative room, I was told that check in was at 4pm and we would have to pay a surcharge to get access earlier. I have travelled to many many countries around the world. I don't believe I have ever come across a check in a late as 4pm - and certainly not with a surcharge to get in earlier than that. If the hotel does not employ enough cleaners, it should not be a problem for its guests. And those on the front desk should be showing the hotel in it's best light. Oh and by the way, I have been Hilton Honors Gold or Diamond for at least 30 years - makes no difference at all to the Vogue check in staff... And no 'have a free welcome drink on us while you wait'. Hotel facilities - No information at all about the hotel facilities on check in (as others have commented below) - and none that I could see in the room. Quite bizarre. Lift noise - We were close to the lifts, though not right next to them. We had a constant 'whoosh' coming through our in-room air conditioning every time the lift moved - throughout our stay. Not what one expects from a hotel of the quality of the Vogue. Street noise - We had this at several times - early morning drilling (before 7am), late night party goers, on their way home from the sounds of it. Room shortfalls - Although the room is huge, has a wonderful & super comfortable bed and a great bathroom, it is frustratingly imperfect. No central switch for the lights - so you are always running around turning them on and off. And as many others have said, not enough lights/too dim. Good luck if you want to read or work! Only 4 hangers in the wardrobe and no available shelves there. Only 2 available drawers in the bedroom. So travel light if you are going to stay here! A bit of 'management by walking around' would help to flush out these issues. Upkeep - Things don't always work as they should. One of the two lifts was out of action on our first day. As were the downstairs/lobby level toilets. The coffee shop/restaurant was out of decaffeinated coffee by our second day. And the WiFi was a little slow. I concluded it was better to use my phone as a hotspot. Stuff happens, but not necessarily what you expect from a hotel of this calibre. Breakfast - No information provided on check in on in room about breakfast - or when we made our booking via Hilton.com. I double checked on Hilton.com after we checked in and saw that as a Curio Collection by Hilton hotel, we (as Hilton Honors status holders) should have a complimentary continental breakfast. When we got to breakfast on our first morning, there was no buffet option available, just a menu with prices. I asked our waitress how it worked for Hilton Honors members. She did not know. So I went to ask at the front desk. Just as well I did as otherwise we might have had a nasty surprise on check out. The response at the front desk (from a different member of staff to our check in) was again less than frosty. As the Vogue Hotel does not do a buffet breakfast/continental option (who knew?), we were entitled to an allowance of CAD24 each per day. This was not flagged to me on booking, on check in or in the bedroom. I had specifically checked in on Hilton.com. Nowhere does it say that we have a daily allowance. Instead, Hilton.com says we are entitled to a complimentary continental breakfast. At best, this is a non-communication on the part of the Vogue Hotel. At worst, it is sharp practice - and an excellent technique for losing Hilton Honors clients with status (which I thought the Vogue might have wanted to encourage to return?). Conclusion - This is a really well located hotel, with lovely rooms, mattresses, bathrooms. It has a few maintenance niggles which you would not necessarily expect in a hotel of this class - particularly when it has been fairly recently refurbished. It has very odd policies - an extremely late check in and a surcharge to check in earlier than that. And it has some staff who don't seem to enjoy working there - and don't make any effort to hide that from guests. This is the most frustrating aspect of staying here - which somehow permeates your stay. As others have commented below, it encouraged us to spend our money outside the hotel rather than in it. I suspect that there is real value walking out the door on a regular basis because of that poor vibe some of the staff are giving. Quite unusual in my experience! Given that there are so many recent reviews here saying similar things, I don't think our experience was an isolated one. If Vogue's management look through these reviews, there are lots of good suggestions as to how they could - relatively easily - move the hotel's service levels to where they should be to match the built environment. Interestingly, it seems that the Vogue management used to comment on these reviews. That appears to have stopped last October. We had been looking forward to ending our trip to Canada with our stay at the Vogue Hotel Montreal. Sadly, it did not deliver. Would we stay here again? If things stay as they are, probably not given the other options in the Montreal area. But Vogue Hotel Montreal Downtown could be turned around fairly quickly, relatively easily and change its game.

I don’t even know where to begin. What was supposed to be a relaxing stay turned into some of the most exhausting nights of my life, and I wasn’t even the one partying. I understand that a GP weekend can be hectic but a hotel is meant to be a place of rest, after a long day’s antics. We were originally placed on the 2nd floor, directly above what I can only describe as a concert venue. The noise was absolutely unbearable. Thumping bass, muffled lyrics, vibrations so intense the bed frame was practically shaking. Sleep was completely out of the question. After a lengthy and honestly exhausting back-and-forth with the front desk, whom never made any effort to compensate us for the troubles, we were moved to the 8th floor. You’d think that would be enough distance. It wasn’t. We could still feel the vibrations through the walls and hear the music clearly all the way until 2am. We paid far too much money to sleep in a hotel room, not to lie awake counting bass drops until the early hours of the morning. No refunds, not even partial. Do yourself a favour. Book somewhere else if you want some rest after a long day after the tracks.

As a hotel marketed as luxury and on the same block as the four seasons, I expected a bit more. Having stayed at 10+ hiltons ranging from your regular work trip to the Waldorf Astoria, this one didn’t exactly hit the mark. The TV and technology in the room were close to useless (outside of a Bluetooth speaker), you had to stand up and wave the remote to get anything to change, and there’s casting. To be honest, the system feels like it’s from the early 2000s. Most run of the mill Hampton inns have casting and working TVs, so this was a disappointment in a “luxury” category hotel. The room was very nice, stayed in a king superior, but was across from the gym and didn’t have the dark black marble bathroom as the pictures showed for that room class. Large jetted tub was great, but zero amenities provided to use it the tub. Staff interaction was limited but they were friendly. If the rate was $100 or so less I’d recommend it here, but it didn’t seem to hit the mark of its cost.

We booked this hotel through our Amex card. We had a 6 hr ride to the hotel and decided just to use the valet instead of finding a parking spot when we arrived. Valet service was efficient and friendly. My husband checked us in and the hotel provided us with a list of our Amex benefits. I booked a basic king room and we were upgraded to the 8th floor. The hallways have an aroma therapy smell to them which was nice. The room was very clean and I loved the bathroom. The jetted tub after exploring the city was fantastic. You can hear some road noise (honking horns) but other than that the room was quiet. We requested towels and they were brought to our room within a few minutes. We ate breakfast at Yama twice and dinner once. The service was great. This hotel is in walking distance to so many places to eat and close to the art museum. The hotel even notified us of the parade happening Sunday afternoon and recommended checking out by 12pm due to traffic and road closures. Check out was fast and the valet brought our car out right away. All the staff are very friendly and helpful. The small cafe inside the hotel is great for a coffee to go or even a light lunch. We found the value of this hotel reasonable and would return if we visit Montreal again.

We stayed across the road at the wonderful 4 seasons hotel however we had to move hotels on our last night as the 4 seasons was fully booked. We booked the Vogue and proceeded to check in at midday. We were advised at check in the room was ready however to my shock the arrogant middle-aged woman at the front desk advised us that we would need to pay an additional $50 to access the room early. Now I have travelled significantly to 30+ countries and have stayed in the best of the best hotels including Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, Waldorf Astoria, Sofitel just to name a few. In my 50 years I have NEVER had a hotel request additional payment to access the room early when it is available! Who else is going to use the room? What a joke. Vogue hotel if you want to really be in Vogue then suggest you stop trying to EXTORT your customers!!!!