Renaissance Montréal Downtown Hotel

"Start us off with an overview.You can't get more central than this glass hotel tower, which is located at one of the busiest crossroads in downtown Montreal. The business of the street pales as soon as you enter the multicolored, multi-nook lobby, though, where staff is waiting to make you feel welcome and relaxed. It's like walking into a house party where the host is particularly gracious. Speaking of which: On party nights, there's a DJ booth that seems to float above the lobby. So who's at this house party?Locals having after-work drinks at the bar, plus out-of-town families. How are the rooms?The artsy vibe continues from the lobby into the rooms, which have hand-painted faces on the walls and ceiling and furniture, and light fixtures designed by Montrealers. Pops of color punctuate a basic palette of gray, black, and white, beds are next-level comfortable, and the space remains quiet, no matter what festivities happen to be taking place in the common spaces down below. Are there any additional details that add to your stay?Turn-down service includes a little maple-sugar candy—nice local touch—and the TV includes Netflix. What about the food options?The Renaissance has limited dining options: EAST serves pan-Asian dishes (dim sum, Thai beef salad, Indonesian curry), and a rooftop bar has a great menu of bistro snacks (lobster grilled cheese, Montreal smoked meat sandwich, classic beef tartare). But the hotel also offers delivery from local restaurants—a fun, apartment-like touch. You're right in the thick of it, so you can order anything from pizza and Lebanese to sushi and Korean barbecue—right to your room. Did you have a favorite corner of the hotel?The rooftop plunge pool is perfect on a hot summer night; especially with a drink from AIR, the bar, in hand. Okay, so give us the final take: What's so good about the Renaissance?A tall tower on a busy downtown corner, the Renaissance has an open-concept lobby with local art and a sky-high DJ booth. Any night of the week, it’s an atmospheric place to hang out and enjoy a pint of a glass of bubbly; you can also ride the elevator up to AIR, the rooftop terrace with a full bar, a bistro kitchen, a plunge pool, and sweeping views of Downtown." - Isa Tousignant