Montreal's Hotel Le Germain: Equal Measures Style, Substance And Service

On my recent trip to Montreal, I stayed at Hotel Le Germain, a boutique hotel in downtown Montreal that is part of a small family-owned chain of hotels called Groupe Germain. Having stayed in a number of boutique hotels in my frequent travels, I’ve unfortunately come to equate the term with style over substance. I’ve stayed at too many of these undertakings where it seems the entire budget has been poured into the hip decor and little thought or effort has been invested in properly staffing the hotel let alone training that staff. Le Germain has thankfully avoided this pitfall.

Hotel Le Germain, Montreal, Canada. Photo exclusive property of The Luxe Chronicles. All rights reserved.

Unlike many boutique hotels which clearly place style and ambiance over service, Le Germain makes a sincere effort in this department and it shows. The staff is friendly and eager to please (a rarity in many of the more stylish hotels I’ve stayed at where it would seem haughtiness is routinely confused with sophistication). For instance, my flight was delayed and so by the time I checked in, the hotel's restaurant had closed and I had narrowly missed the cut off time for room service. The lovely gentleman who brought me my bags promptly arranged for the restaurant staff to call me to take my order. Roughly 20 minutes later, I was enjoying one of the best club sandwiches I’ve had in a very long time (made with succulent grilled chicken breast on sour doe bread) complete with perfectly crisp frites and a nice glass of chilled sauvignon blanc. Mmmmmm. Lovely! The decor is sleek but not overdone and they haven’t skimped on comfort – the beds are comfortable, the linens soft and the pillows just the right firmness. All rooms have WiFi and provide a small but adequate work space. The bathroom is very spacious and well stocked with extra towels, fluffy bathrobes and an array of Aveda grooming products.

The hotel also boasts an excellent restaurant where chef Laurie Raphael whips up delicious concoctions with local produce. While the specialty of the house is fish and seafood, I sampled an excellent Angus steak prepared with finesse and ended my meal with Mourir de chocolat, a sampler of dark chocolate delicacies guaranteed to satisfy even the most exacting of chocolate fiends. I still salivate at the mere memory. The wine list is excellent and well rounded and once again, the service is warm and unpretentious. Judging by the number of locals who frequent the restaurant, my delicious meal was no fluke.

Alas, while on the whole Le Germain succeeds where many boutique hotels fail, they come up short on a few small details that unfortunately do matter especially for extended stays. The room lighting while soft and relaxing is clearly lacking in the place that matters most – the bathroom. Mood lighting is great for a relaxing soak in the tub but not exactly practical for applying eyeliner. Also, the showerhead was completely and totally ineffective spraying what amounted to little more than a soft spring shower. Again, a pleasant sensation unless you’re looking to rinse out shampoo and conditioner. Finally, I was a little surprised when I couldn’t find an adaptor in my room for my U.K. appliances. I called down to the front desk and was informed that I could buy one for $10.00 CAD. We live in an age where one rarely leaves home without a laptop, mobile phone and digital camera whether travelling for business or for pleasure. Is it unreasonable to expect a hotel that features WiFi in all its rooms would also provide a standard adaptor? I think part of the problem is that for a boutique hotel, Le Germain gets so many things right that the few little things they get wrong tend to disappoint more than they should.

These few little disappointments aside however, I would definitely recommend the hotel and would chose to stay there again. I believe one of the marks of any well run business is that they're willing to listen to their clients. When I politely commented on the lighting and the shower head during check out, they actually noted my comments. For more information on Le Germain and the other hotels operated by Groupe Germain, I recommend you check out their website. Bon sejour!

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Comments

[Miguel Angel López García]

This hotel has what you are looking for the guests, beautiful and spacious room for the needs, good food, good wine and relax with a nice view of the rooms in which it passes. Congratulations on your idea.