My family has stayed at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth many times over the years, and despite a few bumps during this visit, it remains our preferred hotel in Montreal.
The location is outstanding. Being connected to Central Station and the Underground City makes it incredibly convenient, and many of Montreal's attractions are within walking distance. It's hard to find a better home base for exploring the city.
Check-in was mostly smooth. We had reserved two connecting rooms—a suite and a connecting king room—but initially discovered they had been assigned as non-connecting rooms. The front desk corrected that within about 10 minutes. Since we arrived around 2:30 p.m., only the king room was ready, which was understandable given the 4:00 p.m. check-in time. The suite became available right at 4:00.
Unfortunately, we then ran into a frustrating issue with the key cards for the shared connecting door between the two rooms. This should have been a simple fix, but it turned into nearly an hour of being sent back and forth between the front desk, guest services, maintenance, and ultimately security before someone finally resolved the problem. Everyone we dealt with was polite, but there seemed to be very little communication between departments, and a relatively minor issue ended up taking far more time than it should have. At a hotel of this caliber, I expected a smoother resolution.
Once that was behind us, however, the rest of the stay was excellent. The rooms were very clean, comfortable, and well maintained, and housekeeping was consistently friendly and thorough throughout our visit. I particularly liked the mattress on the king size bed, I thought it was one of the more comfortable hotel beds I've ever stayed in.
We dined at Rosélys several times, which I've reviewed separately. We also ordered room service one evening. While the desserts were excellent, the Caesar salad had an off flavor and the chicken was rubbery, making the meal disappointing for the price.
The pool was warm and clean, and the locker rooms were spotless and well stocked. The hotel was quite busy during our stay, so the elevators could be crowded and occasionally required a wait, but that's understandable for a popular downtown hotel.
Overall, this continues to be our favorite place to stay in Montreal. The hotel offers an unbeatable location, comfortable accommodations, and a welcoming atmosphere. While there are still some inconsistencies in service and communication that keep it from feeling like a true five-star experience, we had an enjoyable stay and will happily return on future visits.
