Review: Hyatt Regency Montreal

Below is a brief review of my recent stay at the Hyatt Regency in Montreal. Its brevity can be explained: about the only thing I did at the hotel was sleep.

I arrived in Montreal on an early morning United Airlines flight and after being roughed up at immigration and taking a 45-minute bus ride into town (airport express bus #747), checked into the hotel around 11am.

A very bubbly lady checked me in and did not bat an eye at the early hour. There were a few people in line in front of me who also were checking in early. After thanking me for my Hyatt Platinum Status and reminding me that internet would be free in my room, I was given a key card to a standard room on the seventh floor.

The room was clean and the bed was comfortable. The bathroom was small, but functional. The view wasn’t much to write home about, but I didn’t choose the Hyatt for the view.

It was cold and dreary outside and that made me tired, especially after a sleepless redeye from SFO to IAD on UA. My plan was to spend the entire afternoon and evening exploring Montreal, but I promptly (and I mean instantly) fell asleep on the bed and dozed for the next five hours. I travel frequently across North America and rarely suffer from fatigue problems, even after a redeye. I blame the rain and the über-comfortable bed.

I finally dragged myself out of bed and walked around the neighborhood for a few hours (many shops and restaurants nearby + a highly efficient metro system), but got sick of walking around in the pouring rain (and lost combing my way through Montreal’s vast underground shopping network) and returned to the hotel to use the fitness center.

Sync your iPhone with your computer as often as possible. I took some nice pictures of the fitness center and pool, but lost them when I updated my iPhone to OS 4.0 and neglected to transfer my pictures before I wiped the phone out. Consequently, my verbal descriptions will have to suffice.

The fitness center was located on the basement level and included a wide-variety of cardiovascular and resistance equipment. Five treadmills, a few elliptical machines and exercise bikes, a basic set of about eight upper and lower body resistance machines, and the obligatory set of dumbbells filled up a large rectangular room, with the CBC blaring on a flat screen TV affixed to one of the walls.

The large indoor pool was adjacent to the fitness center and contained at least two-dozen lounge chairs. The pool was closed by the time I got down to fitness center at 9pm and I was the only person in the fitness center, save for an employee who ducked in to catch up on World Cup scores.

Back in the room, I showered and fell asleep quickly—again, the bed was extremely comfortable. I  awoke early the next morning and checked out of the hotel on my TV, rushing downstairs and down a block to René Lévesque to catch the bus back the airport. In my haste to get out, I left my bus ticket in the room and had to wait in line at the front desk to get another key issued. The man behind the desk didn’t appear amused that I left something in the room, but quickly produced a new key card for me after checking my ID.

Overall, I was very satisfied with my quick stay at the Hyatt Regency in Montreal. My only (minor) complaint was that it took five minutes to get to the street from my room. The hotel is undergoing some kind of construction, but I don’t think that will change the fact that you have to go up one elevator once you enter from the street, walk across the lobby, then go up another elevator to get to your room. It was not too big of a hassle, but annoying nonetheless.

Though the room and service was not particularly memorable, I obviously was quite comfortable, based on my ~10 hours of sleep in the room. I apologize I can’t shed any info on the hotel restaurant or the Regency Lounge, but now you know that the Montreal Hyatt is at least a clean and comfortable spot to lay your head.

I’ve got to go back to Montreal when the weather is nice (and stay more than one day)…