MONTREAL ,QUEBEC – To me, a great lobby is a huge part of the hotel experience. If I go away for a few days, or even a night, I want to walk into a place that makes me feel special.
Of course, you don’t get that at a chain hotel with Belgian waffle makers at the free breakfast buffet. Often, you don’t even get it a lot of fancy, four-star properties.
But, in my experience as a full-time travel writer for nearly 20 years, great hotel always seems to have something different and out of the ordinary that makes you think, “This is definitely not home. This is cool.”
The Sofitel Golden Mile in Montreal is definitely in the latter category, a memorable and supremely stylish spot in the heart of the city with a million little details that added up to a fantastic stay on a recent night in September.
The front desk at the Sofitel Golden Mile hotel in Montreal, Quebec. Sofitel Golden Mile Photo
Located in an attractive but fairly nondescript tower on a regal stretch of Sherbrooke Street near McGill University, the hotel welcomes visitors with an airy, bright and colourful lobby. There’s an enormous table with a small forest of flowers (something you find at all Sofitel hotels, I was told) directly in front of you as you walk in; pinks and whites and soft blues on our visit.
The elevators are straight ahead. The bar, NINI, is directly to your right and partly shaded by a cool, curving partial wall. The Michelin recommended restaurant, RENOIR, is just past the bar.
The expansive lobby, which is filled with rounded shapes and arches and a sea of colours, is a few feet off to your left. A free-form, wavy carpet that reminds one of the colours of the St. Lawrence leads you to the front desk.
The Sofitel, which was turned from an office building to a hotel in 2002, was given a top-to-bottom renovation over the past few years, with things wrapping up this past spring. The lobby has tons more light than it did before, I was told.
Flowers in the lobby at the Sofitel Golden Mile in Montreal. The Nini bar is behind the flowers on the right. Jim Byers Photo
LOOK AND FEEL
The decor is modern and bright, but not cold and icy. There are super comfy seating areas in the lobby for carrying on a conversation or planning your day, and fabulous, round coffee tables stacked on top of each other like colourful pancakes. There are also art books and local art scattered about, with QR codes in case you’d like to buy something that catches your eye.
The building sits on what was a private home at one time (the Van Horne Mansion, torn down for an office building in 1973), and part of the fireplace can be found across from the front desk.
It’s a lobby unlike any I’ve seen, and I stay in a lot of hotels in a lot of places. Montreal is a supremely style-forward city, and this is a hotel that matches that personality.
“To me, it’s a little bit French and a little bit Montreal,” the engaging GM, Marc Pichot, told me.
The lobby at the Sofitel Golden Mile hotel in Montreal. Jim Byers Photo
Pichot also waxed poetic about the lobby design.
“In some hotels, it feels like you walk and you don’t know where you are. Where’s the reception desk? Where are the elevators? Here, it’s all in front of you.
“We want to make things simple for our guests so they can relax,” Pichot said. “They don’t want hassles. They want a sense of peace and a place to forget about the troubles outside.”
THE ROOMS
The hotel has 256 and 17 suites. Our Signature room was decorated in shades of cool green and deep teal, with bronze accents and a jazzy, dark, patterned carpet. There was a super comfy king bed, a settee, a half-circle table/business desk and two chairs.
The room also had a very large TV, a Nespresso maker and a bathroom with a nice shower, a full-sized tub (my wife thanks you) and Balmain bath products. The minibar was stocked, and there was a nice selection of local snacks on hand.
A Signature Room at the Sofitel Golden Mile hotel in Montreal. Sofitel Golden Mile Photo
All the spacious suites (they’re lovely) have separate living and sleeping areas, and some have sofa beds. Adjoining rooms also are available.
FOOD AND DRINK
RENOIR is a beautiful dining spot with a classic dining area, a more relaxed, sunny spot and a chef’s table, where you can see all the action up close. There’s also a shady, green terrace for good weather. RENOIR carries a Michelin guide recommendation and has earned two toques from Gault&Millau.
The idea, Pichot told me, is to marry classic French gastronomy with Quebec authenticity and local ingredients. The chef, Olivier Perret, hails from the Burgundy region of France. Top menu items include local duck breast, scallops, pate en croute, filet mignon, Arctic Char, and more.
We had made plans to dine in Old Montreal the night of our visit to the Sofitel, but seeing the restaurant made us change our minds. We were served a lovely amuse bouche with lamb, black garlic and foie gras (hey, you’re in Quebec), and enjoyed a spectacular start of agnolittle with ricotta, green peas, chanterelle mushrooms and a prosciutto foam. My wife had an excellent sea bream, while I enjoyed a very good and sizeable duck breast. For dessert (we opted for a single table d’hote menu and an extra main course) we had a divine, light lemon verbena with blueberry on a crunchy base.
RENOIR is a Michelin-recommended restaurant at the Sofitel Golden Mile hotel in Montreal. Sofitel Golden Mile Photo
Our server, Martine, was tons of fun.
The hotel opened in 2002, and we asked how long she’s been working here.
“Twenty four years,” she replied without missing a beat. “I was here before the floors.”
At breakfast the next morning we enjoyed very good avocado toast, wonderful sourdough and strong coffee.
Auguste Renoir’s muse was named Nini, so that’s the name of the bar that adjoins the restaurant at Sofitel Golden Mile. While some hotels are dark and slightly mysterious (which I love in winter), this one is bright and shiny and has large windows looking out to the terrace/patio and Sherbrooke Street.
A fantastic agnolotti pasta dish at RENOIR restaurant at the Sofitel Golden Mile. Jim Byers Photo
Knowing they didn’t have bourbon for an old-fashioned, I thought maybe rye would do the trick. I asked for a Sazerac, but they were out of absinthe. I changed my request to a Manhattan but they were out of cherries (!) . I moved to a Manhattan, which didn’t have a cherry but was delicious nonetheless.
OTHER HOTEL FACTS
Sofitel Golden Mile has excellent environmental credentials, including 5 Green Key certification and “Elite” status in the ICI on recycle + program from the Government of Quebec. It also has certification from Accor (the parent hotel company). They don’t hand out bottles of water, but you can use the carafe. There’s no plastic used at the hotel, and the keys are made of wood.
The hotel has six meeting rooms, including four that can be turned into a larger room with seating for 250 people. Don’t miss the stained glass mosaic on the main meeting room floor, which displays the history of the city.
The Sofitel has a pillow menu with a variety of firmness options to choose from. The linens are soft and comfy and are all made exclusively for the Sofitel brand, as are the pillows. The sweet dreams are up to you.
A lovely stained glass mosaic at the Sofitel Golden Mile hotel in Montreal, Quebec. Jim Byers Photo
The expansive fitness centre (the hotel took out two guest rooms to make the centre larger) has tons of light, local art, and modern machines, as well as a dry sauna. They have a yoga studio with a sliding door for privacy, as it seems some people don’t like how they look in Lulu lemon gear. The hotel can set up a spa treatment or an in-room massage.
The Sofitel brand, part of the Accor hotel group (which includes Fairmont), celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2024.
They expect to open 32 new hotels around the world in the next few years, Sofitel Porto in Portugal, Sofitel Jaipur in India, Sofitel Genoa Waterfront in Italy, Sofitel Sapa in Vietnam and many more. For now, Sofitel Golden Mile is the only Sofitel in Canada. There also are Sofitels in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Paris, Dubai, Sydney, Londo, Singapore, Rome Cartagena, and many other cities.
TORONTO PEARSON AIRPORT: SURVEY SAYS ….
Everyone on social media (there’s a lesson here) seems to hate Toronto Pearson airport. Mind you, many Canadians seem to hate Toronto, so perhaps the opinion of YYZ isn’t surprising. I’m a huge critic of their baggage delivery, but I’ve always found the rest of the experience (minus the not-so-good, overly expensive sandwiches) to be pretty decent.
A new survey finds passenger satisfaction at Toronto Pearson continues to climb, as does public support for investments that will help modernize Canada’s largest airport and strengthen the country’s economic competitiveness.
Passenger information board at Toronto Pearson Airport. JIM BYERS PHOTO
A recent survey by Abacus Data finds that 91%of passengers who expressed a view were satisfied with their most recent trip through Toronto Pearson, with satisfaction levels continuing to trend upward. When asked to rate key aspects of their airport experience, passengers gave the highest ratings to the terminal’s overall look and feel (87%), cleanliness (86%), and ease of getting around the airport (84%), while also reporting positive experiences with staff helpfulness and the airport’s shops, restaurants and services.
NIAGARA FALLS NEEDS MORE ATTRACTIONS?
I’ve been reading a lot lately about how public officials in Ontario are once again calling for major new developments at Niagara Falls. I’m not surprised that Premier Doug Ford is among them, as the man is completely obsessed (like Trump) with building mega-projects; glitzy baubles that seem to me to be more for his developer friends (hello, Ontario Place spa) than for the people he claims to represent.
Apparently the province and local officials have backed away from plans for a new Skywheel, after the owners of the current one promised major upgrades. That’s probably a good thing. But there’s also talk of more casinos and making Niagara into “Vegas North.”
That is exactly what Niagara Falls does NOT need. The downtown needs sprucing up, for sure, as once you get away from the hotels and Clifton Hill it can be pretty spotty.
But more casinos? Really? Isn’t our gambling problem in this country (and the world) big enough already?
A zipline in Niagara Falls, Ontario, with the U.S. side of the falls in the background. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Given the great wines and produce from Niagara, and the many wealthy visitors who come every day from all over southern Ontario (and upstate New York), how about a food/wine facility with multiple restaurants showcasing local cuisine, as well as wine-tasting bars and tasting rooms? Think of it as a giant food-wine hall. It would be great for local food producers and would boost the fabulous Niagara region.
I see a lot of chain restaurants (The Keg, Margaritaville, etc..) in Niagara Falls, but not nearly enough fine or interesting dining options outside the hotels. Helping bring those to town surely would help. I don’t know what politicians can do, but a few more affordable hotels also wouldn’t hurt, and maybe an entertainment complex for concerts and shows that’s not tied to a casino.
The Niagara Parks Commission does a truly tremendous job with things like the Niagara Takes Flight experience, the Butterfly Conservatory, The Journey Behind the Falls and the Niagara Power Station. And there are excellent hotels.
A few km’s down the road, Niagara-on-the-Lake, does a terrific job drawing visitors.
Niagara Falls proper needs some tweaking. But surely there are better options than more casinos.
