Best Historic Hotel: No contest. The Ritz-Carlton Montréal, 1228 rue Sherbrooke ouest (tel. 800/363-0366 or 514/842-4212), has been around since 1913, giving it a half-century lead on the closest competition.
Best for Business Travelers: A closer call, with several worthy candidates, but Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, 900 bd. René-Lévesque ouest (tel. 800/441-1414 or 514/861-3511), gets the nod for its central location atop the railroad station, concierge floors, fully equipped health club, and excellent bus connections to the airport.
Best New Luxury Hotel Downtown: The nearby Omni, Ritz, and Vogue are challenged by the first Canadian branch of a pervasive chain, the Sofitel, 1155 rue Sherbrooke ouest (tel. 877/285-9001 or 514/285-9000), which matches its rivals in every detail.
Best for a Romantic Getaway: With ancient cut-stone walls, swags of velvet and brocade, and tilting floors that Benjamin Franklin once trod upon, as well as a baronial dining room and a breakfast nook under a peaked glass roof, La Maison Pierre du Calvet, 405 rue Bonsecours (tel. 866/544-1725 or 514/282-1725), provokes memories of lovers' hotels by the Seine.
Best Old Boutique Hotel: Not really that old, Hôtel Le Germain, 2050 rue Mansfield (tel. 877/333-2050 or 514/849-2050), brought a needed jolt of panache to the too-often-stodgy corps of downtown business hotels, and helped inspire a boom in small, stylish hotels in Vieux-Montréal.
Best New Boutique Hotels (Posh Category): In Old Montréal, the Hôtel Le St-James, 355 rue St-Jacques (tel. 866/841-3111 or 514/841-3111), raises the bar to an almost impossibly high level, with a superbly Sybaritic spa and gorgeous grand hall, but the Hôtel Nelligan, 106 rue St-Paul ouest (tel. 877/788-2040 or 514/788-2040), counters with a great full-service restaurant and rooftop terrace.
Best New Boutique Hotels (Minimalist Category): Also in Old Montréal, Hôtel St-Paul, 355 rue McGill (tel. 866/380-2202 or 514/380-2222), softens its austere lines with fur throws, while the eagerly anticipated Hôtel Gault, at 449 rue Ste-Hélène (tel. 866/904-1616 or 514/904-1616), leaves its raw concrete walls uncovered and uses furniture that was startlingly modern in the 1950s.
Best Lobby for Pretending That You're Rich: A tie -- the woody, hushed Ritz-Carlton Montréal exudes old money, while the new Hôtel Le St-James caters to the cellphone and international bespoke tailored set.
Best for Families: The Delta Montréal, 475 av. du President-Kennedy (tel. 877/286-1986 or 514/286-1986), keeps the kids blissfully waterlogged with two pools -- one inside, one outside. The young ones can also be placed under watchful eyes in the play center, giving their parents a break.
Best Moderately Priced Hotel: While it can't measure up to the dash of the many nearby boutique hotels of Old Montréal, most expected services are at hand and the cheapest rooms dip into the budget category (as low as C$96/US$77 for suites) at the SpringHill Suites, 445 rue St-Jean-Baptiste (tel. 866/875-4333 or 514/875-4333).
Best B&B: Located in a 1723 house in Vieux-Montréal, Auberge Les Passants du Sans Soucy, 171 rue St-Paul ouest (tel. 514/842-2634), is more upscale and stylish than most of its peers, and it's located near the top restaurants and clubs in the old town.
Best Service: It's tough to choose among the troops at the Hôtel Le St-James, the Ritz-Carlton Montréal, and the Hôtel Inter-Continental Montréal, 360 rue St-Antoine ouest (tel. 800/361-3600 or 514/987-9900). All three teams display an almost equal amount of grace and care when it comes to tending to their guests.
Best Location: Airport buses leave regularly from the front door of Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth. The main railroad station is just a couple of levels down in the hotel elevator, and most of the major corporate buildings are accessible through the corridors of the underground city.
Best Hotel Health Club: Hôtel Omni Mont-Royal, 1050 rue Sherbrooke ouest (tel. 514/284-1110), lays on aerobics classes with instructors, free weights and weight machines, and Exercycles, as well as saunas, a steam room, whirlpools, and massages to recover from the workout. Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, is a close second.
Best Views: With 32 stories, the Hôtel Omni Mont-Royal has the loftiest rooms, with some of the most panoramic views, in town.
For a complete listing of Frommer's-reviewed accommodations, visit our online hotels index.
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