Whoa Nelligan! A Four Star Porch to Vieux Montreal.
Some hotels are meant to be sanctuaries from the world outside. The Hotel Nelligan takes a different approach. After spending one busy Saturday night in August with my ten year old son, I have concluded that the Hotel Nelligan serves as the front porch to the incredibly vibrant neighborhood of Vieux Montreal (Old Montreal). The hotel takes the best of the area’s shopping, dining, art and social scene and welcomes it inside.
It’s hard to talk about the Hotel Nelligan without talking about Vieux Montreal. We arrived at 8:30 pm on Saturday night which turned out to be the most impossibly chaotic time to be driving a car down the cobblestone streets of Rue Saint-Paul. There were people everywhere. The gridlock reached a climax at the Place Jacques-Cartier where two major pedestrian thoroughfares intersect in a hubbub of street performers, perhaps the continent’s most concentrated contingent of caricature artists, and tourists and locals alike. I hail from Los Angeles and I equate it to having two Third Street Promenades crashing into each other. The resulting social melting pot was positively exhilarating.
The Hotel Nelligan was a microcosm of this. The hotel takes over several abandoned warehouse buildings and connects them with dramatic spaces, preserving the soaring atriums and a lot of the brickwork that give the place its contemporary yet comfortable character. The entrance along the Rue St. Paul is full of storefronts, with the hotel’s Verses Restaurant on one side of the front door and a trendy retail store on the other. Both contribute to the hotel’s liveliness. It’s also a plus that the hotel has a two-block buffer between it and the Place Jacques-Cartier, so even though there’s a lot of traffic and people around, it’s not stifling. Activity inside the hotel was bustling throughout our stay, not in a W-esque, clubby, bump-bump-bumping kind of way. The Hotel Nelligan drew a more sophisticated eclectic crowd. Instead of conceiving the public space as a bar, the Hotel Nelligan conceived it as a living room and parlor.
As a hotel guest, the proof is in the pudding of the rooms. For the most part, the rooms at the Hotel Nelligan delivered. There were a lot of things that I liked:
• The rooms are equipped with an excellent flat screen TV, a souped-up clock radio with I-pod docking station, and a separate stereo system with fairly decent speakers. To cap it off, they even had a list of audio CD’s which I could check out. While the TV should’ve been mounted on the wall so that it could give me a little more precious space on the built-in long desk, all in all the place is wired to the max.
• The pièce de résistance is the bathroom, and specifically the shower. I’m a sucker for rain shower heads with separate hand washers. The shower experience here is awe inspiring. One of the few misses in the room, however, are some of the bathroom finishes. The wall tile is a poor vinyl selection which looks cheap and is installed poorly. I also had trouble finding wall hooks for my towels but did manage to discover several cleverly placed rods.
• Under the category of “I’ve never seen this in a hotel room before”, the bathrooms came stocked with an Oxia personal oxygen dispenser which looked a lot like a wide-body shaving cream can. For $16.95 (or a lot more if you take the entire canister) I could get an unblemished oxygen whiff. I’ll admit I was tempted but didn’t inhale.
• There was attractive, original, geometric, painted artwork above the headboard, or at least artwork which worked hard to avoid looking mass-produced. In addition, a very comfortable fuzzy throw blanket hangs diagonally over the corner of the bed - a gracious extra which was cleverly presented.
• An ATM machine in a corridor off the lobby is particularly convenient for American travelers since there aren’t a lot of banks immediately nearby.
What didn’t work for me? For one, my first impression when walking into my standard king room was “Oh, this is a little small. Cool, but small. New York or London small.” An extra foot or two would really make the room a lot more livable, since as it was, there was less than a meter to get around in places. The high ceilings were a saving grace, though, opening up the room quite a bit. Also, I found the rooms way too dark. The poor lighting was exacerbated by one small window and the dark furniture and slate gray/blue/black color scheme – I really had to work hard when I checked out to make sure I didn’t leave something on the floor. Having a dimmer switch would’ve been welcomed (I admit that I might’ve come away with an entirely different reaction to the mood lighting if I was taking my wife on a romantic urban getaway instead of taking my son to tour Montreal). The lighting problem was even more compounded in the bathroom where the light above the sink just didn’t get bright enough (my wife, had she been there, would’ve run to the store and installed her own bulbs). The disconnect was particularly confusing for me since the lobby areas were generally lighter with warmer and a little less ruthlessly modern with organic colors, softer leather finishes and a more eclectic décor. My only other comment would be that I found the mattress to be rather hard like a futon – maybe it’s personal preference, though the pillows and comforter were delightful.
I thought the hotel’s service level was outstanding. When I couldn’t find a parking space in front of the hotel to check in, the valet offered to retrieve my car a few blocks away and repark it. When we checked out and wanted to walk around, they put our bags directly into our car. The free glass of wine for each guest when they check in is a nice touch and it certainly helps to get people into to bar area. Oh, and the complimentary breakfast was also well done, though beneath the elegant presentation, it was a fairly conventional continental breakfast, but the omelet bar for $6 was indeed an added bonus. Having a ten-year old boy with me, I didn’t test out the fine dining restaurant, spa, roof deck or other hotel services (my son did regret not having a pool, but he loved being close to the waterfront). The front desk staff was charming, friendly and helpful.
All in all, I really appreciated the hotel’s concerted effort to reevaluate everything I typically see when I spend the night away from home. There were clever hits and a few misses, but when I go out, I’m looking for a transformative experience. For one glorious night in Vieux Montreal, I got that experience and more from the Hotel Nelligan.
This review on TripAdvisor - click here
Monday, August 11, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
Millennium Bostonian
World’s Best View (if you don’t mind hammering at 6:30 AM)
It’s almost unfair to be writing a review of a hotel in the middle of construction, but insofar as the Millennium Bostonian is in the game of renting their rooms out to the publicf, I suppose that my experience counts.
Here’s what I can say about the Millennium Bostonian. For the leisure traveler who wants to be in the heart of Boston, I can’t think of a better hotel to be in. After seeing all of the lousy economic news and knowing that it meant that hoteliers would start discounting like crazy, I waited until the last minute to book a midweek room. When my 50% off rate at the Westin Waterfront still ended up being $225, I went for the Millennium, knowing from the Tripadvisor reviews that it was under construction. My $200 rate would be discounted to $150 if I made my reservation non-refundable, which I was willing to gamble on. However, I did splurge and spend an extra $30 to be on the better side of the building, and I sent a little note asking if I could get a good view of Fanueil Hall. All of this for what I presumed would be a $400/night room once the renovation was complete, and I was again willing to take a chance on the noise.
That extra $30 was the best money that I spent during my trip to Boston. The room was absolutely outstanding. I was in a corner room on the 6th floor with a balcony (which was equipped with a lovely flower box) overlooking Fanueil Hall and Quincy Market, and we could see the Custom House and the Old State House as well. For my 10 year old, this couldn’t have been better. Now the noise which didn’t bother me was the music, drum circles and general hubbub from the streets below, and that pretty much died out by 10 pm. The location was ideal in another way because you are so centrally located to everything in Boston, particularly because you can walk to any of three different subway lines.
We were also in one of the newly renovated rooms which were very nice. I would describe them as boutique hotel contemporary. Not way out there, but tasteful and refined. What I liked were the bigger-than-it-had-to-be-but-I’m-not-complaining flat screen TV, the comfortable bed and sheets and the seating furniture in general. The clock radio had an i-pod hook-up as well. One disappointment was the $9.95 that they wanted for wi-fi access. The highlight of the room, however, was the bathroom. I give the shower an A+; it’s one of the nicest I’ve used anywhere. My son who rarely takes showers actually took two in eight hours. The limestone tile and oversized shower area gave it a luxe feel, but the kicker was the Grohe hardware – a combination raintree showerhead with a separate hand washer. It took a little while for the water to heat up, but that’s probably because of the low occupancy. Other than the shower, the bathroom was a bit small, and they could’ve actually claimed some room where they have a closet so that there would be a place to put my toiletries down. As it stood, the sink was the width of the room so my bag went onto the floor. Another amusing part of the room was the toilet which had a suction so violently strong that it could probably take off a limb. Finally, they had these frosted glass sliding doors separating the bathroom from the bedroom, probably to make the bathroom seem bigger, but they’re tough to keep clean so you see all the spots.
I didn’t mind the lack of a lobby or the fourth floor check-in. The areas which are being redone certainly needed it to get rid of the last vestiges of the motor lodge/rounded-high gloss-dorm room wood aesthetic. We didn’t try the restaurant since there were so many better options around. I didn’t really ask much of the hotel since that’s not why I was in Boston, but the service level seemed serviceable enough.
Which takes me to the noise. I knew there would be noise, I’m someone who prefers a fan when they sleep because the noise puts me to sleep, but I have to say that I know of many other hotels that tell their contractors to not start until 8 AM when many guests could be sleeping, particularly those from the west coast who can’t fall asleep until 2 AM. I wouldn’t complain if the contractors worked until 8 or 9 PM because most people are out enjoying the city, but starting the hammering at 6:30 AM seems pretty ridiculous. So I was awakened by this huge vibration vaguely reminiscent of the 5.4 earthquake that we just had in Los Angeles, followed by incessant hammering, and not the loud whacks that my next door neighbor’s contractor back home uses at 7 AM to frame their McMansion. No, this was more of a “tap tap tap tap tap tap” with a 10 second to 2 minute delay, then more of the same, ad nauseum. Then housingkeeping came by at 8:13 AM, by which time the hammering was perfectly acceptable, in my book, other than the fact that my son was still asleep, but fortunately the paper thin doors tipped me off and I opened the door just before the housekeeper knocked. What kind of housekeeping person comes by that early? In any event, it allowed me to see that the contractor had ripped open the ceiling a few feet outside our room. I said “Good Morning” to the tapper, and he tapped right back at me.
In the end, tapping or no tapping, I would definitely stay at the Millennium again because the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. What I will say is that that I wouldn’t take my wife during construction because I know she would be furious based on how she feels when the contractor next door gets a little over eager at 6:53. Also, I wonder what happens to the Millennium when the new Ames hotel which I can also see from my window opens up (Ames, of the Hudson/NY, Mondrian/LA uber-swank fame). But for me to be in the heart of Boston with everything at my fingertips, the Millennium is near perfect.
This review on TripAdvisor - click here
It’s almost unfair to be writing a review of a hotel in the middle of construction, but insofar as the Millennium Bostonian is in the game of renting their rooms out to the publicf, I suppose that my experience counts.
Here’s what I can say about the Millennium Bostonian. For the leisure traveler who wants to be in the heart of Boston, I can’t think of a better hotel to be in. After seeing all of the lousy economic news and knowing that it meant that hoteliers would start discounting like crazy, I waited until the last minute to book a midweek room. When my 50% off rate at the Westin Waterfront still ended up being $225, I went for the Millennium, knowing from the Tripadvisor reviews that it was under construction. My $200 rate would be discounted to $150 if I made my reservation non-refundable, which I was willing to gamble on. However, I did splurge and spend an extra $30 to be on the better side of the building, and I sent a little note asking if I could get a good view of Fanueil Hall. All of this for what I presumed would be a $400/night room once the renovation was complete, and I was again willing to take a chance on the noise.
That extra $30 was the best money that I spent during my trip to Boston. The room was absolutely outstanding. I was in a corner room on the 6th floor with a balcony (which was equipped with a lovely flower box) overlooking Fanueil Hall and Quincy Market, and we could see the Custom House and the Old State House as well. For my 10 year old, this couldn’t have been better. Now the noise which didn’t bother me was the music, drum circles and general hubbub from the streets below, and that pretty much died out by 10 pm. The location was ideal in another way because you are so centrally located to everything in Boston, particularly because you can walk to any of three different subway lines.
We were also in one of the newly renovated rooms which were very nice. I would describe them as boutique hotel contemporary. Not way out there, but tasteful and refined. What I liked were the bigger-than-it-had-to-be-but-I’m-not-complaining flat screen TV, the comfortable bed and sheets and the seating furniture in general. The clock radio had an i-pod hook-up as well. One disappointment was the $9.95 that they wanted for wi-fi access. The highlight of the room, however, was the bathroom. I give the shower an A+; it’s one of the nicest I’ve used anywhere. My son who rarely takes showers actually took two in eight hours. The limestone tile and oversized shower area gave it a luxe feel, but the kicker was the Grohe hardware – a combination raintree showerhead with a separate hand washer. It took a little while for the water to heat up, but that’s probably because of the low occupancy. Other than the shower, the bathroom was a bit small, and they could’ve actually claimed some room where they have a closet so that there would be a place to put my toiletries down. As it stood, the sink was the width of the room so my bag went onto the floor. Another amusing part of the room was the toilet which had a suction so violently strong that it could probably take off a limb. Finally, they had these frosted glass sliding doors separating the bathroom from the bedroom, probably to make the bathroom seem bigger, but they’re tough to keep clean so you see all the spots.
I didn’t mind the lack of a lobby or the fourth floor check-in. The areas which are being redone certainly needed it to get rid of the last vestiges of the motor lodge/rounded-high gloss-dorm room wood aesthetic. We didn’t try the restaurant since there were so many better options around. I didn’t really ask much of the hotel since that’s not why I was in Boston, but the service level seemed serviceable enough.
Which takes me to the noise. I knew there would be noise, I’m someone who prefers a fan when they sleep because the noise puts me to sleep, but I have to say that I know of many other hotels that tell their contractors to not start until 8 AM when many guests could be sleeping, particularly those from the west coast who can’t fall asleep until 2 AM. I wouldn’t complain if the contractors worked until 8 or 9 PM because most people are out enjoying the city, but starting the hammering at 6:30 AM seems pretty ridiculous. So I was awakened by this huge vibration vaguely reminiscent of the 5.4 earthquake that we just had in Los Angeles, followed by incessant hammering, and not the loud whacks that my next door neighbor’s contractor back home uses at 7 AM to frame their McMansion. No, this was more of a “tap tap tap tap tap tap” with a 10 second to 2 minute delay, then more of the same, ad nauseum. Then housingkeeping came by at 8:13 AM, by which time the hammering was perfectly acceptable, in my book, other than the fact that my son was still asleep, but fortunately the paper thin doors tipped me off and I opened the door just before the housekeeper knocked. What kind of housekeeping person comes by that early? In any event, it allowed me to see that the contractor had ripped open the ceiling a few feet outside our room. I said “Good Morning” to the tapper, and he tapped right back at me.
In the end, tapping or no tapping, I would definitely stay at the Millennium again because the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. What I will say is that that I wouldn’t take my wife during construction because I know she would be furious based on how she feels when the contractor next door gets a little over eager at 6:53. Also, I wonder what happens to the Millennium when the new Ames hotel which I can also see from my window opens up (Ames, of the Hudson/NY, Mondrian/LA uber-swank fame). But for me to be in the heart of Boston with everything at my fingertips, the Millennium is near perfect.
This review on TripAdvisor - click here
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