Sound Check-In: Montreal’s boutique hotels are making the most of music
by Lindsay Forsey


Photo: Graur Razvan Ionut

It’s Saturday night and folks are lined up to get into Montreal’s W Hotel. They aren’t keen for a continental breakfast or mad about plush pillows. They’re here for the music.

Hipsters worldwide flock to W hotels, an international chain known for its happening bars and lounges. In Montreal, the hotel’s Wunderbar and Plateau Lounge are packed with partiers – tourists and locals alike – who come to hear the city’s best DJs spin.

Montreal has a vibrant music scene, including famous venues such as Jello Martini Lounge (formerly Jello Bar), which has one of the funkiest soul nights, hosted by world- famous DJ Toddy Flores. The city’s boutique hotels are also making a mark on the scene, and making the most of music. At Opus Hotel’s Suco Lounge, cocktails and tapas, mixed with sets by the hottest DJs, bring in a sophisticated and stylish crowd. Le Cabaret, a lounge located in the lobby of Hôtel de la Montagne, is a popular live-music venue where hotel guests and Montrealers wind down to the sounds of pianist Olivier Radu and the many other musicians who perform there. Le Place d’Armes Hôtel’s Suite 701 lounge is a chic refuge for urbanites seeking the perfect audio backdrop to their Kobe burger or lobster Bolognese. Top DJs spin there, too, and Suite 701 also presents a weekly bossa nova night with guitarist Paulo Ramos live. Music makes these hotels destinations, not just places to rest your head.

At Montreal’s ALT Hotel, music is truly integrated into the guest experience. Every day from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. the lobby is transformed by the ambient groove of resident DJ Jeff Gold. “I tune the sound at ALT to fit with the clientele, whether it’s a few couples hiding away with Bailey’s and coffee, or a few hundred people attending a conference,” says Gold, who brings in other DJs and, occasionally, a saxophonist. ALT’s general manger, Julie Brisebois, says the concept creates an atmosphere that's refreshing and different from other hotel lobbies. “At ALT, having a DJ is not about trying to turn the lobby into a nightclub,” says Brisebois. “It’s about creating our own scene, and it changes the way you feel as soon as you walk through the door. Our guests tell us that they love having the DJ in the lobby.” And that’s music to Brisebois’ ears.