Hôtel William Gray has been a hit since it opened a few years ago when Bill Gates and Bono made the scene.
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The boutique-chic Hôtel William Gray in Old Montreal has embraced one of the city’s defining factors: Winter.
The hotel has cold-weather cocktails like the Hot Honey Martini, as well as packages with Montreal’s Igloofest, and the pièce de resistance — new dining in sparkling winterproof domes on the roof-top Winter Terrasse.
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Guests dining in the domes enjoy the hotel’s acclaimed cuisine as well the singular pleasure of dining almost outside, with snowflakes falling, sunlight glowing or stars twinkling in a dark sky. A quintessentially Montreal setting, the Terrasse overlooks Place Jacques-Cartier and boasts views of the St. Lawrence River and landmarks like Marché Bonsecours, the Old Port’s Ferris wheel (La Grande Roue) and the Jacques-Cartier Bridge.
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The scene: A high-design amalgam of contemporary hospitality and historic architecture, Hôtel William Gray has been a hit since it opened a few years ago when Bill Gates and Bono made the scene, and since then Vogue, New York, Wallpaper and Chatelaine have heralded it as one of the top design destinations in North America.
The service is highly professional throughout and the ambiance is young in spirit, with street cred fostered by a branch of Café Olimpico and Le Cartel, a cool boutique selling fleece hoodies and knit beanies.
The Living Room is a stylish atrium lobby lounge, designed by Béique Legault Thuot Architectes, with an exciting fusion of industrial metalwork, warm wood panelling, modern leather armchairs and a communal work table. It’s a vibrant meeting place for coffee or cocktails, which attracts Old Montreal habitués during the week and is reserved for hotel guests on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m.
The 127 guest rooms and suites are very “today,” featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, streamlined decor of ebony and alabaster, concrete ceilings and deluxe white and grey marble bathrooms. Luxuries include Frette bathrobes and bath sheets, Le Labo toiletries, twice-daily housekeeping, and in some rooms, over-size showers, soaking, tubs, balconies or vaulted ceilings.
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Winter wonderland: Engaging seasonal packages include: Holiday Package, until Jan. 11, offers 50 per cent off the second night. Montreal’s Igloofest Experience, Jan. 18-Feb 10, starts at $173 p.p., double occupancy, with festival tickets and perks. The charming Winter Getaway starts at $170 p.p., double occupancy, involves ice skating and spa life. Bed & Breakfast starts at $140 p.p., and features a gourmet start to the day, plus spa discounts. Some deals expire on March 31.
Dining: The dome set-up on the Winter Terrasse and the main dining room, Maggie Oakes (Gray’s wife), have different chefs, menus and moods. The domes are intriguing, intimate and romantic. A set five-course dinner starts with an amuse-bouche, cheese/charcuterie, appetizers such as soy-glazed scallops or escargots flambés, followed by main courses of Alaska cod, squid-ink pasta, wagyu beef or duck, and dessert.
The Winter Terrasse brunch is a three-course spread that starts with fruit or cheese, winds up with pastries, and focuses on tantalizing main courses like eggs benedict with duck, eggs with lobster tartine or decadent pancakes with caramelized pecans, pomegranates and orange mousse.
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The domes have interior heating and snuggly faux fur throws, and the servers sport Pajar jackets and boots for their chilly kitchen runs. One secluded VIP dome has a private firepit area for cocktails or s’mores. (Reservations required; available until March31; domes seat four to eight people; Sat.-Sun. brunch, $65; and dinner, $135, wine pairings, $65; terrassewilliamgray.com).
Maggie Oakes is a spacious and busy Old Montreal go-to with large portions and a substantial à la carte menu. The dinner highlight is the 45-day aged Canadian beef with cuts including rib, T-bone, Kansas, tomahawk and porterhouse. Other delicacies include a seafood platter, oysters, grilled salmon, lobster and tartares.
At Maggie Oakes’ brunch, I was well-sated after a mango smoothie, a sampling of luscious pastries and a cappuccino, but I tasted all of my table’s succulent choices: an Atlantic seafood sandwich, avocado toast, steak and eggs, and a towering cheeseburger (maggieoakes.com).
Spa/wellness: Spa William Gray has a full line of treatments and a restorative, highly-efficient thermal circuit with a sauna, a eucalyptus steam, an aromatherapy chamber, rain showers, a Himalayan salt room and a cold space. The hotel also has an outdoor lap pool, open to spa clients May-Oct. (spawilliamgray.com, $55 daily or $65 on Saturdays; students and teachers get discounts until Dec 31.).
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If you go
Hôtel William Gray: 514-656-5600, 844-576-5600, hotelwilliamgray.com; 421 rue St-Vincent, Old Montreal. Part of Gray Collection, which owns Montreal’s Le Petit Hôtel and Auberge du Vieux Port. Accessible rooms.
Best rate guarantee. Rates fluctuate; starting at approximately $265 for two in winter (holidays, weekends, summer can be higher). Seven-day advance bookings have discounts. Extra: valet parking, $42 overnight, $23 for dining, or free for spa; TV movies; 24-hour in-room dining.
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