Fairmont Le Château Frontenac — Hotel in Quebec

This is an iconic hotel. I had to stay for one night just for the experience, even though reviews had warned of hordes of tourists on hotel tours crowding the lobby. (It really wasn’t that bad.) ||Email communication with the hotel (Marika and Stephanie) began about a week before my arrival, while I was busy travelling in the Rockies. So I didn’t have much time to read through the deluge of information sent. ||I did however pay an extra CAD150+ for an upgraded Gold room with a city view, and it turned out to be on the 17th floor, the “Fairmont Gold” or “private luxury floor”. The Gold Lounge (ie club floor) was on the 14th floor. (Note: But according to the guide from Cicerone Tours conducting the paid tour of the hotel, the largest rooms are found on the 4th floor.) ||The location:||Fairmont Le Château Frontenac towers majestically over the Terrasse Dufferin boardwalk and St Lawrence River. In front of it is also the imposing Samuel de Champlain statue, founder of Quebec City and governor of New France. The hotel is a hub and meeting point for bus and walking tours. The tourist information centre, post office as well as shops and restaurants are a stone’s throw away. There are always people everywhere. ||Check-in:||Marika on the 14th floor was welcoming and efficient. My room wasn’t ready, so I had a leisurely lunch at the hotel’s Le Sam Bistro Évolutif. ||Marika also arranged for the popular tour of the hotel, but it was only available the next day, after checkout. (Note: Yes, hotel guests have to pay CAD40 per person for the hotel tour. I didn’t think much of it until my Canadian friend who joined me a day later questioned the logic of it. I also discovered much later by clicking on the link provided by the hotel that the actual guided tour by Cicerone Tours is priced at only CAD21.74. Do read my reviews of Auberge St Antoine, Quebec City, and Le Mount Stephen, Montreal. You might even stumble upon my review of Le Negresco, Nice, France, in 2023. All these superb hotels offered free tours during my stay. Of course, in return for their gracious hospitality, it was only natural that I made sure to tip.)||The room:||I had a really nice, spacious room, with a great view. I mean, it was the 17th floor afterall. Needless to say, there were all the necessary room amenities and toiletries, which included Le Labo’s Rose 31. Even though I didn’t (have the chance to) feel peckish, I was comforted by the sight of an assortment of snacks available for purchase. ||Restaurants:||I enjoyed my mixed board of charcuteries and cheeses for lunch and the service at Le Sam Bistro Évolutif, but it was my dinner at Champlain Restaurant that was truly memorable, thanks to the excellent food and superb service.||However, buffet breakfast as well as “appetizers and hors-d’oeuvres” at the Fairmont Gold Lounge on the Gold (14th) Floor were slightly underwhelming. While the decor was decidedly chic with lovely views of St Lawrence River and the city, the club lounge experience was honestly nothing to write home about. ||I also skipped the afternoon tea at Le Château Frontenac. At CAD89, it’s actually quite reasonably priced. However, I had already tried the afternoon tea at The Empress in Victoria (CAD109) and later, the much pared down version at The Ritz Carlton in Montreal (CAD64). (Maybe it’s just different in Canada, because both were a far cry from those in London, England, which are a lot more exciting and substantial, though pricier: Claridge’s at £95/CAD176; Lanesborough at £89/CAD165; The Langham at £85/CAD158; The Savoy at £90/CAD167, with £105/CAD195 for Afternoon High Tea. The Traditional Afternoon Tea at The Ritz London is in fact quite reasonably priced at £81/CAD150. Those who are familiar with the afternoon tea experience in London hotels will certainly know what I mean.)||Staff and service:||-Kudos to Lynda (housekeeping) for preparing my room so very well. |-Sébastien at Le Sam Bistro Évolutif was pleasantly attentive and he was actually the one who updated me on La Tanière being awarded two Michelin stars (Marjorie at Auberge St Antoine had first alerted me to the same restaurant that very morning). I immediately secured a table for two at La Tanière the following night. |-Both Jonathan and Mélanie worked synergistically as a team at Le Champlain and were delightfully welcoming and obliging; they made my delectable dinner a truly memorable experience.|-Laurie and Francis on the Gold Floor were attentive and helpful, but I could see that having postcards sent through the hotel was an unexpected hassle for the latter. This was confirmed by the extra coordination needed with the concierge on the ground floor. -Special mention for the service provided by a concierge staff with le nom de famille “Racine”. She went out of her way to help me purchase stamps for my postcards to pop into the hotel’s gold letterbox. (Her colleague had hesitated to help, and even asked if I was a hotel guest. She was a little mortified when my room number revealed that I was staying in a Gold room. (It’s rather ironic that the Cicerone guide for the hotel tour claimed that all who pass through the doors are welcomed and served warmly at the hotel and its restaurants and shops, without having to show proof of residence. He said there was no distinction between hotel guests on any floor. Well, not really, I’m afraid.)|-The bellhops were strong, friendly and really helpful, especially Daniel and Alex. ||Is Le Château Frontenac all just hype? ||Perhaps a little. But would I recommend staying at this hotel? Yes. Just for the experience. Afterall, it’s not often that one gets to stay at a château, let alone one rumoured to be “the most photographed hotel in the world”. But seasoned travellers will know that there are also other more intimate château experiences (Inverlochy Castle in Scotland, and Château Eza in France, for example), or even some really nice boutique hotels in Quebec City itself, with consistently warm, attentive and...

This trip was supposed to celebrate my wife’s retirement after 50 years of working. We specifically booked Chateau Frontenac as a special treat for her to celebrate her retirement in style. We had saved over the last five months in order to get the best possible experience, including a chance to see the fall colours and just how beautiful Quebec City could be in the fall and through the different times of the day. Quebec City did not let us down. The same cannot be said for the Frontenac.||From the very point of entering this building you are disappointed. The foyer is remarkably plain and unspectacular for such a historic building. We have visited and stayed in similarly old historic places such as Banff Springs where there is an immediate WOW factor as soon as you enter the foyer. The Frontenac foyer is completely underwhelming. ||We had booked a Prestige Queen room with city views. So, let’s start with the definition of the word “Prestige.” From the Oxford English Dictionary to mean respect and admiration given to someone or something, usually because of a reputation for high quality, denoting something that arouses respect or admiration. |Furthermore, the origin of the word Prestige is of particular relevance. Derived from the Latin for "to bind or dazzle the eyes" originally meaning "illusion" or "conjuring trick". |This origin is really the utmost truth of the Prestige Queen Room that we entered. My immediate thought was that it must be a conjuring trick, and all will be revealed in its true glory when I clap my hands. |We had built up our dream of our Prestige Queen room to be something glamourous and exciting and special. I expected to walk into the room and go WOW!!! |When I walked into the room my immediate thought was that I had walked into the walk-in wardrobe area and couldn’t wait to see the rest of the room. Then I looked to my right …..and indeed I did let out a three-letter word, it wasn’t WOW….it was WTF!!!!!!|What is the opposite of prestige?|Insignificance: state of smallness or being not noticeable, not to be considered important.|The Queen bed almost completely filled the room. The outside facing wall leaned into the room taking up even more of the remaining minimal space. Consequently, and for the duration of our stay there, I was bent over like a hair pin trying to avoid whacking my head on the available space.||And it only went downhill from there.|The city view was only possible when you peered through the smallest windows I’ve ever seen in a hotel. Only one person at a time could peer through the window as you also had to squeeze in between the gap in the leaning wall which was no less than 30 inches deep at that point. ||Entry into the bathroom was a challenge. Unlike every other hotel room where you simply open the bathroom door and walk in, the entry to this bathroom required an honours degree in spatial planning. The bathroom doors were two half doors. First you had to open one half of the door. Easy right? No…the first half of the door opened directly onto to the side of the bed. Now you must stand to the open side and open the other half door, which also opened directly on to the edge of the bed. You are now walled between two half doors on either side of you, and the bed immediately behind you. The only way out of this walled environment is to go into the small bathroom.||Now that you are inside the bathroom you should be aware that the bathroom doors had frosted glass….so if you got up at night to use the bathroom…as a lot of seniors do, be warned that the light shines directly into the bedroom area blinding and waking up your spouse.||The advert for our room stated that the sheets were washed in 60-degree Celsius water temperature. I think that for our sheets they forgot to add hot water…either that or the hotel was on a water efficiency program and decided not to use water at all. |The sheets had a very nasty, musty/mouldy smell to them. |So the sheets were either washed in cold water, no water, or the room had not been used for many months and consequently the sheets had gone stale.|Needless to say, we didn’t stay any longer than one night in that room and made our observations clear to the hotel reception who moved us to another room for two nights. This time with a view obstructed by the scaffolding. OK we agreed that we would take it, but it was under duress of either taking that or staying in the dungeon of doom, or trying to find another hotel with vacant rooms, which at this time of the year we already knew was impossible. || A walk through the corridors revealed a building that was in dire need of severe renovation. Almost every wall on our floor had approximately 1ft square holes cut into it somewhere. They are likely access points for something but for a five star hotel these holes needed more than just a “lipstick” finish. All of these holes were very poorly filled with a section of plaster board such that you could clearly see the outline of the hole.|| The varnish on the woodwork was, at best, peeling and in most places the woodwork was damaged and in need of repair.||For breakfast you had to line up for no less than 25 minutes before you even got into the dining area. Then you got ripped off. |My wife had had an regular omelet and hash browns, and a cup of tea. I had Eggs Benedict and a small glass of orange juice. Total bill came to $88!!!! REALLY!!!!||In summary, if you stay at the Frontenac be warned that you are paying for the prestige of staying there and not for the quality of the place. When you look around the building it is best described as shabby chic, and is OK … if you like that sort of thing!|| Our Prestige Queen room would not be called prestige even in a 2 star hotel! |Thank you, Frontenac, for spoiling an otherwise wonderfully planned once in a lifetime...

I chose Fairmont expecting a true 5-star experience, but unfortunately my stay was very disappointing and fell far below that standard.

Cleanliness & First Impressions: The lobby immediately set the wrong tone. The scent diffuser by the window was dusty, the window was dirty with spider webs, and I even saw a spider on it. For such a historic landmark hotel, basic cleanliness and upkeep should never be overlooked.

Check-in & Room Assignment Issues: I had booked two junior suites, and the hotel was informed in advance that our group included a toddler. While the check-in staff were polite and welcoming, the process was disorganized. We were given keys with no explanation of which belonged to which room, and once upstairs, we discovered the rooms were not next to each other as promised.

One room (4203) required climbing stairs and a longer walk—very inconvenient with a stroller, a toddler, and elderly parents. This forced us to split our group, with my parents and aunt in the accessible room, and myself, my sister, and my 2 year old child in 4203.

Housekeeping & Room Conditions: Room 4203 was especially disappointing. There were stains in the bathroom (uncertain whether from drinks or worse), and it was missing slippers, robes, and even basic tea bags. The housekeeping was far below expectations for a 5-star property.

When we later moved to the 7th floor, the “pool view” we were promised turned out to be just a patio view. Worse, that room also had stains on the bathroom wall tiles (looked like makeup), was missing slippers, and the carpet clearly wasn’t maintained. My child played on the floor and ended up with an allergic reaction on his face, which makes me feel the carpet was not cleaned regularly. That is unacceptable for any hotel, let alone a Fairmont. Overall, the rooms never felt luxurious, clean, or properly prepared.

Service, Miscommunication & Professionalism: When I raised concerns, the front desk offered “solutions” that were not acceptable—such as downgrading both rooms in order to have them side by side. Another explanation I was given was that no junior suites exist side by side in the hotel. As a guest, I would not know your floor plan—that’s your staff’s responsibility. At the very beginning, I was told the rooms would be next to each other, so this contradiction shows that the staff did not have accurate knowledge of the hotel layout. That is not what a 5-star experience should be, and it highlights the need for better training and internal communication.

In the end, I agreed to move to the 7th floor the next day. The one positive experience was with the bellmen—they handled our luggage efficiently both at check-in and during the room transfer. Their service was professional and appreciated. Unfortunately, this was the only aspect that felt like true 5-star care.

Compensation & Overall Value: Upon checkout, the front desk kindly offered $300 off plus tax from the bill for the unpleasant experience, which I appreciated. However, even after this discount, the rate was still nearly $900 per night for a junior suite. For that price, I expected much higher standards of service, cleanliness, and organization.

Overall Impression: The only truly positive aspect of this hotel is its iconic historic architecture, which is a signature landmark of the city. But beyond the charm of the building itself, the experience did not feel luxurious or consistent with a 5-star brand. I have stayed at many other 5-star hotels, and this was by far one of the most disappointing.

I understand this is a busy hotel, but that is not an excuse for poor housekeeping, poor service, poor organization, and lack of staff knowledge. Unless there are serious improvements made, I do not feel...