Hotel Charles-Alexandre - Par Aneyro

I stayed twice, in October 2024 and Aug 2025. The first visit was great, with a receptionist, breakfast, a good location, and clean rooms. I love the hotel and where it is, but I hate the mentally taxing fully virtual model they've adopted, and I doubt I'd return unless that changes. I have no problem with technology, but staff still need to be on site. It makes a difference. Now there's new management and NO STAFF at all. Everything is handled by phone, and the keys are digital. Getting in and out was confusing, with no one there to guide us. We needed help locking one of our doors and waited 30 mins for someone to come show us. There weren't other problems, but calling about everything, check-in, parking, housekeeping, checkout, was irritating. I fail to understand why they chose a completely virtual experience. What happens if guests need medical help, or there are unruly people in the hotel or nearby? How can you be in hospitality and provide service virtually? People in Canada need jobs, so why not hire someone?

The access code arrived only two hours before we got there, despite an earlier message saying instructions would come about 48 hours ahead. Once it came, it was easy to use. I didn't see a digital key, and didn't use my phone to get into the room. The same code opened both the room and front door. We booked three nights, four days in mid-October and got a top-floor room right by the stairs. It looked clean enough at first, but there were problems. A strong chemical smell, perhaps from a laundry facility on that floor, was overwhelming. Within about an hour I had a migraine, and my partner's throat felt scratchy. Neither of us is especially scent-sensitive; we both wear perfume and cologne. The location felt very safe, right by almost the end of the plains of A. But getting there from Gare du Palais was a hike. We walked for a good 45 minutes up lots of steep stairs, and a car might be better. The tourist area was also about a 30-minute walk each way. The old heritage building had almost no soundproofing, and the squeaky stairs were especially noticeable from a room beside them. If you're bringing a pet, I'd ask for a room away from the stairs. There was dust beside the radiator, lipstick on one of the glasses, and a spider crawled across the ceiling while I was in bed. The next morning I found another spider in my show and saw a centipede-looking bug cross the floor. The room had no kettle, and to get water or make tea we had to go down two flights to the communal kitchen. The tap water didn't taste right, so I couldn't drink it straight. The door didn't latch unless you pushed or pulled it very hard. On the first day, a random man barged in, said a quick "pardon," gave no explanation, and left. After that I was paranoid about the door locking. The wall-mounted hairdryer was also a problem. Its metal mesh, usually at the back, was literally scotch-taped to the nozzle and fell off when moved. Having plastic tape beside what might be the hottest part of the dryer seemed risky, and hair could easily get sucked in if the mesh came off. I stopped using it after one try. I should have known better and paid $100 per night extra for a more proper hotel.

WORST HOTEL EVER. If I could give negative stars, I would. I travel a lot and have stayed in plenty of hotels, and this was the worst by far. There's no receptionist, and the front door stays locked. They hadn't emailed us the access code, so we called and waited a long time to get it. The room door code was confusing too, with no instructions. We went out, came back at 9:30pm, and the front door code didn't work. We called again. The guy said someone might have accidentally locked it from inside and that he'd come in 10min. Other guests were stuck outside too. When he arrived, he couldn't open it either. We waited another 5min while he somehow snuck inside to let us in. The stairs up were narrow but okay. Going down felt like a gamble: the carpet made the steps look flat, and they were narrow, steep, and turned. The rooms were horrible, and the whole digital-key idea without anyone at the desk to help with tech problems is horrible. It's an awful hotel concept. DO NOT RECOMMEND if you want a peaceful stay.

The room didn't look like the photo, and I wasn't impressed. The floorboards and bed creaked, the shower was tepid, there was no staff on site, and the stairs to the second floor were steep. Breakfast was at an offsite cafe. Still, it's within walking distance of Old Quebec, with plenty of restaurants nearby.