Humaniti Hotel Montreal Autograph Collection

Overall, a good modern hotel where most everything works and well designed hotel room. Mostly minor issues that didn't detract too much from the stay.

Positives: Located close to the old section of Montreal and Chinatown. We managed to walk most everywhere except to the Olympic Park and a trip to Nun's Island. More than enough room for clothes storage for about a week's stay. Ironing board and iron were available. Shampoo, conditioner and shower gel available in bottle dispensers in the shower. Prefer this to the annoying dinky bottles and it's more ecologically friendly. Bed was comfy and warm duvet. There was no office desk/chair, but 2 comfy sofa swivel chairs and a round table. We liked it as we were tourists, but anyone coming here for business might find it a bit awkward. There was a drawer to put wash bags, so kept things tidy. The bathroom mirror was heated so prevented being steamed up. Plenty of charging options, USB-A ports and a wireless charging pad (though didn't work for our phones). The safe was nicely situated in a drawer. Tip, you don't need to set the PIN each time you close it, you can just hit the close button and it will use the last set PIN. Overall, lots of space in the room. We were on a high floor so had a view over the Plaza area and could spy on Google's office if we wanted to. 😉

Negatives: The bathroom pocket door in room 1515 was really hard to pull closed when it was opened all the way. Tip, insert the corkscrew into the hole to get more grip! The aircon made odd rattling noises, it didn't bother us as we were so tired each night that we slept through it, but it may bother other people. We didn't change the setting (21.5C) as we found it was cool enough for us in the weird November heat wave. There was only one sink in the bathroom, would have been useful to have 2 as there were 2 of us using the room. There was no reason not to as they could have shrunk the width of the toilet and shower areas to fit in an extra sink. For some reason, 3 out of the 4 days we were there the cleaning staff were servicing our room when we went back to use it. The first 2 days we were surprised as it was after 4pm and wasn't sure why cleaning was still going on so late. Ironically, the third time was just before noon, when we assumed housekeeping wouldn't be there yet, given the previous 2 day's schedule. The water machine on the 14th floor was broken and still wasn't fixed the second time I tried to use it even though it was reported. Trying to move between floors (E. G. To get water/ice) via the lift/elevator was an exercise in futility. The lift/elevator wouldn't let you do it even though the door key was registered okay. Used the stairs instead. You can hear noise from rooms across the corridor as we found one night due to a noisy group of women in another room and some random guy talking in the corridor. Oddly, heard nothing above/below and to the sides. Strangely, the ceiling was exposed concrete, whereas everything else was finished. I'd expect it if they were going for an industrial look but the room really wasn't that kind of vibe. No tea bags, just coffee pods and lots of snacks that we...

Do I recommend this hotel? Not really, but don't rush to cancel your reservation.

Let me explain: if you travel occasionally or are not a Bonvoy member, i.e. if it's a one-time stay, you will enjoy your stay. However, if you travel often, like me, there is a good chance you will be disappointed, as I am after almost 20 nights in this hotel in just a few months.

Why? The staff is friendly and willing to help, but there are constantly small problems: to put it simply, there is a lack of rigor. Constantly. At the front desk, in the restaurant, with room service, and with the valet, there is always an issue. No perfect stay, yet.

Secondly, for frequent travelers, especially those on business trips, the hotel is poorly designed. Here are a few specific elements: temperature control in the rooms is very difficult, and you will not get a uniform temperature in the room. In some places, the floor will be cold, in others, warmer. The desk is sometimes under the ceiling system that blows air, making it uncomfortable. You will be under too much air, or too little, too hot or not able to get to a comfortable temperature because it is too cold. Always a reminder of temperature control issue. Also, the floor in the rooms is not carpeted; it is a kind of faux wood that, over time, contributes to the non-relaxing ambiance of the rooms. Not comfortable to walk on. Finally, in some rooms, there are interesting chairs to relax in but no desk chair to work in. Worse, there are no electrical outlets or USB ports next to the table, making it impossible to easily create a work environment. Oh, and the rooms with those table configuration do not have good lighting also, either from the ceiling or on the desk. The style of the interior design is to each individual taste, the functionality resulting from the interior design choices, including a/c, is highly questionable. Also, why in the last room I got it has less pressure water in the shower than any other room? Why in the other room the bathroom sink is still obstructed so it has a slower water flow exit, why it is not fixed when mentioned to the front desk and room maintenance? I gave up expecting the hotel to provide something adequate, I just explain my coworker what they can potentially expect and, if they are not Bonvoy, pick the Intercon across the street (there are also two interesting boutique hotel nearby, Nelligan and Hotel Place d’Armes).

When I compare this to the Intercontinental across the street or the OMNI on Sherbrooke, both of which are far superior. Even the Courtyard next door does better.

Note: if I am that unhappy, why do I go back? Because my company has a corporate rate there and I am a Bonvoy member. So even with the issues, it remains an interesting quality/price ratio. But I do escape from time to time to the other ones. Like today, I am at the Intercontinental for one night. So much better. And last time, I spent the last night of the trip at the OMNI before flying back home. Always end a business trip on a...

Overall, Humaniti Hotel is a pretty good place stay.

Pros: The rooms are nice, spacious and clean, so is the rest of the hotel. The gym has good equipment. The bakery on the first floor serves good food for a much lesser price than the h3 restaurant.

Cons: The drinks and the food are quite pricey The wifi doesn’t work that well on the higher floors (stayed on the 19th floor and had issues with it during my whole stay) The water pressure wasn’t great (might be more of a room issue though)

The main reason why I deducted two stars is related to the package I purchased. I reserved a room for one night with the Humaniti package (includes valet parking, bubbles, late checkout and 100$ credit for the h3 restaurant, in room dining or the spa). However, when I arrived, the staff informed me that they couldn’t find any information about the package. I tried to find it on their website and on the app, but it appeared to be deleted everywhere. Luckily, I had a screenshot of everything included in the package and the staff made sure I had everything I paid for. Later that night, I stopped at the lounge and got some drinks, only to be informed that the credit couldn’t be applied to my bill since it was only for the h3 restaurant. I asked the lounge manager to talk to their supervisor since everyone on the staff seemed to be uninformed about this specific package. A couple of minutes later, he returned, apologized for the inconvenience and said the lounge is included in the package. The following morning, I went downstairs to grab a quick bite and went on a walk. When I returned at around noon, my room key (physical and digital) wasn’t working - I assume it was because of the late checkout. I then went to the front desk to inform them about the issue and get it fixed. Once I got back to my room, I ordered a pancake to be delivered to my room through the app. I was also given the option to get a drink included in the price (25$…), which I did. The food arrived about 30 minutes later, and I noticed that I had been charged an extra 7$ for a cup of orange juice. I asked for the charge to be removed and showed the order confirmation.

In the end, I did get everything I paid for, but all the little problems added up made my stay a little mediocre. I would stay at this hotel again for the staff and the facility, but I would definitely pay attention to my charges and probably wouldn’t...