The Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Montreal, has had a long and storied history in Canadian culture, made famous by its guests, notably the namesake Queen Elizabeth and John Lennon (who has a suite named after him owing to his famous 1969 “Bed In” for Peace). Built in 1958, the hotel closed in 2016 for a yearlong renovation period, and so it was time to see how it had changed.  

The Hotel

The hotel is located right next to the Grand Centrale train terminal, and connected to the underground city. Prior to arrival, I received a lovely welcome email that also detailed the hotel’s pandemic policies.

Opened:

Swimming Pool: Open Fri-Sun

Nacarat Terrasse (Outdoor Bar): Open Thur-Sat evenings

Marché Artisans (Grocery Store): Open from 7-8pm everyday

Closed:

In-room Dining

All other Restaurants and Bars

Concierge/Doorman/Bellhop

Fairmont Gold Lounge; breakfast would instead be offered at Marche Artisans

Following the “pack light” philosophy, I only came with a backpack, but I can see why some visitors may be annoyed that several key amenities would be closed. Check-in was done efficiently, if abet a tad coldly, by a mask clad attendant.

Hand Sanitizer – For when you, gasp, have to press the buttons yourself

The Room

As a humble entry level worker bee with no Fairmont Status, I booked the base level Fairmont Room, measuring 250 sqft, or 23 sqm. Interestingly, there was an upcharge required for either a microwave or a mini fridge, so thank goodness I will be spending most of my time outdoors enjoying the food and the sights!

I did get a complementary upgrade to room with a City View, though physically the room would be similar to what I had booked.  

As others have previously noted, the room was quite cramped, through still tastefully decorated given the constraints. A consultant and his work laptop, or the more normal human configuration of a couple, would easily fit the room, though I can see families having trouble (especially as rollaway beds were not permitted). Some good news is that there are charging outlets located beside the bed, on the tables, and in the washroom, and that the closet is quite large.

The furniture was functional and stylish, and I used the table for a classy late night McDonalds run (never stray from your roots) after watching the sunset from Mount Royal.

The internet was $13.95 a day, or free for members of Accor Live Limitless Program. There was a minibar, along with a coffee maker that worked just fine. It’s probably not a good idea to drink the $8 a bottle water unless you’re not paying for your stay (in which case it still isn’t!). I’d be curious to see the data on how much hotels make from minibars given the costs of running them/swapping out inventory, particularly given the Covid-19 situation. 

The bathroom was similar to the rest of the place, with the contemporary design being held back by the lack of space.

Fairmont provides Rose 31 toiletries, which frankly are amazing, and sold for a significant markup online; housekeeping did oblige in giving me a couple more. (Editors note: these are awesome!)

The Amenities

I started out at the gym, which was perhaps one of the biggest ones I have seen in a North American city hotel. There were free weights, a smith machine, treadmills, pullup bars, along with a room for group fitness classes, though those have been postpone due to the pandemic. The gym and pool have reduced service hours, and there was an attendant at both to ensure there was appropriate health safety measures and cleaning.

Most other facilities were closed or severely limited, including the Fairmont Gold Lounge and many restaurants; below are some additional pictures.

The Service

I am going to preface this by saying: A. Service Levels need to accommodate things like Social Distancing and minimizing contact with others and B. This is a very first world problem, and is only an issue given that the Queen Elizabeth claims to be a 4 star hotel. That being said, I was not particularly enthused with service, especially given the stature of this hotel. Check-in was done quite robotically, without thanking me for staying with them; outside of the welcome email, I was not informed of any of the hotel’s amenities or restaurants. When I inquired where to buy a transit pass, the receptionist gave a half-hearted attempt at answering the question, and didn’t bother to follow up. I ended up buying the wrong pass, but that’s more my general lack of awareness.

This was in contrast to my High Tea experience at the Ritz Carlton, and my stay the next night at the Le Meridian Versailles. The mask wearing server at the Ritz could not have been more gracious, walking me through changes to the service, the different tea types, and calorie delight that is known as Devonshire cream.  During the latter stay, the associates I interacted with upgraded me to a Junior Suite (which comes from me having Platinum status, and thus not a point against the Fairmont), suggested I try out the bikes that the hotel offered, proactively gave me an umbrella for when it was raining, and even offered some restaurant tips for the city.

The Point

The Fairmont Queen Elizabeth for me did not live up to its much hyped reputation owing to absolutely necessary adjustments to service/offerings, a compact base level room and a less than enthusiastic service offering. The hotel’s main draw, besides its beautifully decorated interior and abundant facilities, is its location, allowing travellers to easily explored downtown Montreal. That being said, look at the view!