Hyatt Centric Montreal Review
Montreal is a wonderful Canadian city, offering European charms in the close proximity of the US. Just 45 minutes from the Vermont border, Montreal is quite easy to access by land – as well as having a large international airport (YUL). Montreal, in the Canadian province of Quebec, has deep routes in French culture. Travelers wanting to experience a taste of European culture without the long flight can consider Montreal. There are two (soon to be three) Hyatt properties in Montreal, the Hyatt Centric and the Hyatt Place Montreal. The Hyatt Centric Montreal is my favorite Hyatt location in Montreal. In this quick review we share why this property could be perfect for your next trip to Montreal.
Location
Montreal itself is one large island. Situation in the historic old port, the Hyatt Centric has convenient access to walk amongst the sites of old town. You can find yourself stumbling to french cafes, admiring the cobblestone streets, and the lit up Ferris Wheel. This location is well situated for first time visitors of Montreal hoping to soak up some French charm and explore the rich beauty of the city's historic roots.
Hyatt Centric Montreal Review: Booking
The Hyatt Centric Montreal is a Category 3 Property with 177 rooms, meaning a standard room costs:
- 9,000 (off-peak),
- 12,000 (standard), or
- 15,000 (peak) Hyatt points per night.
Interestingly, the Hyatt Centric website mentions it has King suites available – but upon searching their website I could not find a single date of availability. I decided to call them and find out what is up with that. The front desk agent explained that they do indeed have 6 King Suites, but they are not bookable online. Instead, you can book into them by booking online into a standard room and then calling to pay a $150 CAD upgrade per room per night. I asked if you were not able to use suite upgrade awards, since the inventory is not online and the agent confirmed they do not participate in the SUA program. Lastly, according to the agent they do upgrade globalists to suites, if available, at check in. During my 3 stays at this property I have never scored a suite, however.
Hyatt Centric Montreal: The Rooms
Because suites were not available during any of my stays, the hotel did put me in a corner King room. The corner King room provided a more spacious experience, as well as views of two directions – since we faced the port and the city scape. Our friends were situated in a regular king room, and you could truly tell the difference in space – the extra room of the corner room did make a difference. Overall, the rooms had a very modern and warm feel. Seeing as the property only opened its doors in 2022, the modern feel shouldn't be all too surprising.
The bathroom in particular was adding to the modern feel of the room, with tile everywhere you look.
The corner King room had both the view above of the old port, and the view below of the city scape. These two views explain well the intsect between the rich heritage of old Montreal and the lively happenings of new Montreal.
Montreal Hotel Facilities
The Hyatt Centric has two main facilities to mention. Firstly, the rooftop pool and secondly the in house gym. The gym was nothing special, so I will focus on the other facility. The real star of the show here is the rooftop pool. With more beautiful views of all that Montreal has to offer, this is a great place to hang out. The rooftop pool was heated to a very pleasant 100 degrees – so much so that it felt rather more like a hot tub, than a heated pool. It was a crisp 35 degrees during my stay – so this was an awesome touch. I will add that the rooftop pool closed rather early at 10PM much to our dismay, and we were kicked out promptly at 10PM.
Hyatt Centric Montreal Review: Elite Status Recognition
As I mentioned before, during all of my stays as a Globalist I have managed an upgrade to a corner king room. While the front desk claims suite upgrades are given to Globalists, since there are only 6 of these rooms I would not count on it. We did receive complimentary valet parking, as well as 4PM late check out which were both honored.
Hyatt offers free breakfast for Globalists which was of course offered here – we were able to order anything, within reason, off of the menu at the lobby restaurant – Cartier Arms. The food here was really good, however I will note that the restaurant was a bit chaotic. There was a long wait to get sat as many guests understandably wanted to have breakfast around the same time. Then, the wait to get food was equally as long. It's possible that this is temporary as the property works out staffing issues. I will give them a pass on this minor issue.
Another nice touch was that we were offered complimentary happy hour drinks in the same bar. Each room received two drink tickets to be used between 5-6PM. It was unclear if this was a benefit of Globalist status or offered to all guests. Service was not an issue during this experience, as the bar was much less busy.
Montreal Travel Highlights
As I mentioned, I have fallen in love with Montreal over the years. Living in Vermont and being in such close proximity, it is an easy trip. Having been over 20 times, I can share a few of my ToP things to do.
- Visit one of the many food / bar scene eateries. Montreal has over 4,600 eateries to try out, there is no shortage of delicious food. The bar scene also goes into the wee hours of the morning so can be great for those chasing a lively scene.
- Relax at Spa Bota Bota: After your big night out you may need some pampering. This converted river ferry was once an operational steam boat. It is now a full service spa resting at harbor with a water circuit.
- Rock out at a concert at Centre Bell. Being a large metropolitan city, Montreal attracts some of the worlds biggest headliners.
- Explore old town with a stop at the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal.
- Shop til you drop on Rue Sainte Catherine.
Hyatt Centric Montreal Review: ToP Thoughts
Situated conveniently in Montreal's old port, the Hyatt Centric is positioned to launch you to the best of Montreal. With easy access to YUL – a hub with connections to much of the world, Montreal is easily accessible. Don't forget this could also be a great place to spend a night for a positioning flight. The Hyatt Centric Montreal is close to the old port with European charm. The rooftop pool stands out as a gem, but the lack of suite upgrades may scare away some globalists considering a stay. Have you stayed at this property? Let us know your thoughts over in the ToP Facebook group.
