Destination Stays Montreal Downtown

Don't stay here. I booked through hotels.com, where it was advertised at $52 per night, but only noticed after paying that the total was $150 because of fees and taxes. As soon as I realized, I called and emailed both the hotel and hotels.com to ask to cancel and get a refund. I wouldn't have booked if I'd known it was $150 instead of $50. It felt shady. Hotels.com was willing to refund me if the hotel approved, but despite many emails back and forth, the hotel wouldn't approve it. The place looked nothing like the photos and was so run down I wouldn't call it a hotel. It was cold in the room, around 10-15 deg C, even with the thermostat at maximum, and the portable heater didn't work. I couldn't sleep there. A room with inadequate winter heating should be illegal. It was clear the place doesn't get regular maintenance. There were about 3-4 coded door locks to pass through, but only 1-2 were needed because the others were broken and those doors were unlocked. It didn't feel secure. Customer service was almost nonexistent, and neither hotels.com nor I could reach the property after calling several times. M Montreal hostel is a better choice at $30, with much better service, amenities, cleanliness, and comfort. Do yourself and me a favor, don't stay here.

The heating wouldn't adjust, so the room was extremely hot, and there were bad smells. It was dirty, with dirty floors and boogers on the wall. The Wi-Fi didn't work, there was no garbage bin, the front door was always unlocked, and the doorways weren't accessible. I couldn't spend a second night. When I tried contacting the “team,” they were dismissive, sent generic replies, and were ultimately useless. The rooms weren't as advertised. This is a one-star hostel at best. Stay away, save your money, and book somewhere else.

That part of downtown is great, with a popular train line nearby and plenty of good food within walking distance. The apartment itself was run down, though, and the staff repeatedly ignored us. When you’re arriving in a new country, you want your room to feel comfortable, and this was incredibly frustrating, especially when several of the problems were important. The keypad locks rarely worked, and strong smells from the Vietnamese restaurant repeatedly filled the apartment. The shower was tiny with almost no water pressure, and there was mold and old dirt on the floor. The walls were stained and marked by previous tenants, which was disgusting to sleep beside. We also had a broken bathroom door, no bedside outlets, no full-length mirror, and no bath mat. We were given just two towels and two flat pillows. When I asked for more and for help, I was ignored and told someone would come, but nobody did. We ran out of toilet paper and had no more soap, and despite reaching out several times, all we got were mediocre replies and no action. Unless you’re only staying one night or barely spending time in the room, I wouldn’t stay here. If you can spend a little more, choose a cleaner place in another part of downtown or somewhere in this same area. It’s a great location, but the customer service is unresponsive and the rooms are dirty. Very disappointing. BOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE if you want attentive people and clean rooms!

There’s a bed, a roof, and a bathroom, so if this is your only option, it’s a bit better than the street. But don’t come expecting comfort, or anything like a proper hotel. If there’s a problem, there’s no employee on site, and plenty can go wrong. The thing that made me leave for another hotel, which cost $30 more a night but was a huge improvement, was the window. It couldn’t be locked. A metal pin stuck in the gypsum only held it partly shut, and pressure such as wind could slowly push it open. It faced onto an alley staircase that went down one floor, so someone could get in without forcing anything. The window and stairs were easy to see from the alley, and the reflection even showed that the window was slightly open. It’s one of the best-lit alleys in the city, and Montreal isn’t dangerous, but it still could happen. Inside, the rooms are small and bare, with cold ceramic floors and thick, oily-looking white paint full of cracks. The sheets had lots of white hairs on them. I couldn’t tell if they were human, but they looked like my dog’s. The shower pressure was barely a drip, and there was no warm water. The room smelled as if someone had just smoked in it, the lighting felt like a hospital, and it was freezing even in warm November. I wouldn’t go in winter. If you need a place to sleep and have nowhere else to go, it’ll do that much.