With interregional travel being discouraged by the Quebec gvoernment and the Canadian government advising against non-essential travel from the country, Montrealers are left to wonder: Are hotels open in Montreal? Can we plan a staycation if we have to stay in our region while the red alert status is in effect? If you want to stay at and be pampered by the best hotels in Montreal or clock in some quick getaway time with the best cheap hotels in Montreal, it's possible; just follow this guide and you'll be relaxing in no time.
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Yes, they're open!
While the Quebec government has established that Montreal is under a red alert status, hotels are one of the few businesses that can remain open in our region. That permission extends to hotels big and small, and while most are open, not all hotels have opted to remain open throughout this time.
It's best to check before you book.
First and foremost, you can relax in a clean room. That's the basic (and enjoyable!) pleasure of staying at a hotel, be it for a romantic staycation or just taking five from life.
Beyond that?
If your hotel has it, spa and beauty treatments are still able to operate at this time, but features like pools, gyms, bars and restaurants are not available. You can, alternatively, have room service bring booze and food to your room—or you can grab takeout with a bottle from a dépanneur, the SAQ or a restaurant's cellar—and enjoy luxuriating that way.
Hotels, right now, have been infamously underbooked since the beginning of the pandemic in March. While there may have been visitors from out of province and within the province, hotels are dealing with super high occupancy rates, meaning that you can enjoy picking whatever room you want at little to no extra cost.
It's worth noting that stays with low rates tend to come with no-cancellation fees, while high rates—say at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, which can stack up to $300 a night, or the Ritz-Carlton which goes for more than $450 a night—have deals like getting the second night free of charge. Call and ask about promotions, and you'll be surprised with what you find.
This is a tricky question.
The thing is that at most hotels Time Out Montreal has reached out to, the most that reception may do upon entering is check everyone's temperature and make sure they are aware of the rules of being indoors. While the Quebec government states that indoor gatherings are not permitted in red alert regions like Montreal, hotels are generally not policing their halls and calling the cops on anyone who has friends or family over. Some may be more vigilant than this—asking if you have a room key, ask for personal details to verify you belong there—so be warned if you choose to do so. This is likely easier to pull off at larger hotels than at smaller ones where guest lists are easier to keep track of.
Here at Time Out, we just want you to stay safe and avoid getting fined as much as $1,500 per person. That's our opinion. Take that as you may.
Given the heightened requirements around sanitization required of all businesses in Montreal, hotels and their cleaning crews make staying at hotels perfectly safe. If you're concerned about air circulation, stay somewhere that has been recently renovated; if you're concerned about hygiene, ask a concierge to fill you in on what precautions their hotel is taking.
Hotels—from large corporate entities to small bed and breakfasts—all need love right now, just like any business. If this is the kind of "trip" that interests you, we say: Go for it.
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