david LeBlanc
Google
My evening at a grand dinner was ruined by being horrifically surprised by the hotel staff early afternoon on my first day. A deeply disappointing stay at a hotel that failed its mission of hospitality
I’ve stayed at the ITHQ Hotel in Montreal several times over the years, and have enjoyed dining in their restaurant. But this visit was an emotionally distressing and unforgettable disappointment, made worse by the very institution that’s supposed to represent the best in hospitality education.
From the moment I arrived, I was met with cold, rigid, and robotic treatment from the junior front desk staff (students in training). When a minor mistake occurred—my partner smoked a single cigarette on our suite’s balcony before we noticed the “no smoking” sign the following morning—I was hit with an automatic $580 penalty. When I tried to explain, I was shut down with dogmatic replies like “it’s the law,” with zero empathy, flexibility, or willingness to listen. The so-called “hospitality professionals” in training treated me like an offender, not a guest.
For three days, no manager was available to speak with me. I waited patiently, explained my distress in writing, and made it clear that I felt unwelcome and might leave early. No one followed up. Instead, mid-level supervisors deflected, refused to escalate the issue, and blamed their policies—or Expedia—for their refusal to offer any compassion.
As a result, I left the hotel a day early, on my birthday, emotionally depleted from the constant stress and total lack of human connection. The staff had made me feel so unwelcome, I couldn’t bring myself to stay another night. And still—they charged me for the unused final night, citing Expedia’s 72-hour cancellation policy. They took no responsibility for their own three-day failure to respond, and hid behind the booking platform’s policy instead of owning their part in pushing a longtime guest away.
Only after I escalated my concerns to senior management did I receive a personal and heartfelt call from the hotel’s Director of Accommodation, Senior Director of Business Development and Communications - Directrice de l’Hébergement, Direction principale du développement des affaires et des communications. She listened, apologized profusely, and generously waived the $580 smoking fine. I appreciated her sincerity—but the final insult came when the hotel still refused to refund the last night, even though I left because of their own mishandling of the situation.
This hotel brands itself as a teaching institution of hospitality. That makes the experience all the more unacceptable. If this is how their students are being trained to deal with guests in distress—with inflexible policies, cold indifference, and no emotional intelligence—then I worry about the future of hospitality in Quebec.
A lovely building and a good restaurant cannot compensate for a complete failure of human kindness. I urge future guests to think twice, especially if booking through third-party platforms. If something goes wrong, you may find yourself at the mercy of a policy—and a team unwilling to rise above it.
I’ve stayed here for years. After this experience, I won’t be back. I will miss the restaurant, sadly.
