Trip Report: Hotel Le St. James, Montreal (a dogs perspective)
My name is Daisy. I sometimes travel with Ericka and Mr. Ericka on short trips when there is no plane involved. This is my first trip report.
We drove into Canada from Vermont, crossing the border with ease. I had all of my vaccination paperwork ready and even some photo identification but the agents weren’t very concerned with it. The border crossing proved to be a non-event.
The Hotel Le St. James is located in a 1870s bank building with a rich history. We arrived there a little after 1pm. The bellman greeted me with a smile and informed me where I could powder my nose…a little park just behind the hotel. Our room wasn’t ready, but we were told it would be available in about an hour. This was not an issue as I really wanted to hit the pavement and explore Old Montreal. The hotel stored our bags and Ericka received some very helpful information and a local map from the concierge. We had a great afternoon, spending several hours walking the cobblestone streets, shopping, eating a local favorite snack called poutine and stopping at an outdoor café for crepes. Several friendly people stopped to speak to me in French, and while I didn’t understand all of what they were saying, I found that a tail wag is universal.
Once back at the hotel, we began checking in. Ericka reserved our room through DavidO to take advantage of the Virtuoso amenities. She had booked a junior suite a few weeks in advance and was delighted at the time of the reservation to learn that we had been upgraded to a deluxe junior suite. But this information somehow escaped the front desk and Ericka was surprised to find that no upgrade had occurred. It’s one thing to not get upgraded. It’s another thing to be upgraded and then have it taken away without a word of notification from the hotel.
Because we were out most of the day, it was nearly supper time when we were shown to our room. As we opened the door to enter, we realized it was still being cleaned. Ericka was truly disappointed. We were asked to wait in the library and after Ericka had a few words with the front desk, Ericka and Mr. Ericka were offered complimentary drinks. I was offered water, but politely declined as I had brought my own.
Despite the rough start, I know that Ericka was especially taken with the hotel itself. The decorators really embraced the history of the place with the dark woods, rich fabrics and dim lighting. The red-tasseled room keys were displayed behind the front desk in an old fashioned key cabinet. The overall effect felt very French.
Each room at the Hotel Le St. James is unique. Our junior suite was immaculate with great attention to detail. It was decorated with toile fabric wall-covering and the large bathroom featured floor to ceiling white marble, a powerful spray walk-in shower, a deep soaking tub, polished chrome faucets, impossibly plush towels and Molton Brown toiletries. There were stainless steel dog bowls ready for me and though my dog bed wasn’t due to be delivered until turn-down, I asked for it sooner. The staff were concerned that it was a little small, which it was, but I was able to fluff it a bit and turn a few circles until I found myself suitably curled up enough for napping.
We enjoyed room service so that I would not be left alone in the room. Each order was served in the designated time and perfectly executed…fine silver, Frette linens, etc. Nothing was mistaken or forgotten. I especially enjoyed the steak frites.
In the morning, on the advice of the concierge, we walked to a local bakery and bought some fresh baked breads and cheeses. We enjoyed some time at the Frederick Law Olmstead-designed Mont Royal Park with pretty views of the Montreal skyline. There were many local dogs and children there to play with.
Overall, we had a lovely stay. Service was very friendly. The staff knew me by name and always greeted me on the way in or out of the building. “Bonsoir Daisy”. But I know Ericka experienced some missteps, especially as they related to the Virtuoso package. Besides the “downgrade”, Ericka had to remind the staff what was included. There was a bottle of wine she had to ask for more than once. And the allotted $75 CAD food and beverage credit was not reflected on the final bill until she asked for it.
