My partner & I stayed for 9 nights in a one bedroom suite. The front desk staff could not have been more welcoming & helpful. The location is great. The hotel is right on the Sherbrooke Metro station & a short walk to the Latin Quarter. The room was a little dated & the living area was very small with too much furniture in it.
Now for the unpleasant surprises. There are only four washing machines & for more than half the time we stayed there two were out of order & a third leaked. The complementary internet access was also out of order for four of the nine days. On returning to Australia we found the hotel had taken the full amount of bill out of my credit card twice. They had reversed the second one but in the process they had overdrawn my account. This left me with an unwanted fee from the bank.

We thought we were staying for 2 nights in August while bringing our daughter back to school. Decided to reserve at La Presidence after reading favorable reviews here. Went directly to La Presidence website to make reservations. The online reservations were not working so called the phone number on the La Presidence website. The internet rate was honored. However, when we arrived at La Presidence they did not have a reservation for us. We had our confirmation number with us and were told it was not theirs . . . And they were fully booked. The manager was very helpful and asked us to wait while he did some checking. It turns out the reservation was made for the Crowne Plaza, not La Presidence. Having read reviews here we were aware the two shared the building. Apparently, they also share reservations staff. We were brought over to the Crowne Plaza side and after waiting for another 15 minutes or so got checked into the Crowne Plaza. Be very cautious if reserving by phone!! We'll give it another shot but only through an on-line reservation.

Stayed here on family vac for one night enroute to Vt. from Mont Tremblant week of August 22nd based largely on reviews here... some of our favorite hotels were booked due to kids returning to college that week.

The plus side: quiet, located near a Metro stop, a huge 1 BR suite with a comfortable bed, full kitchen, large whirpool bath, big TV and comfortable chairs.

The downside: The Plaza (formerly Crowne Plaza) of which this is a part is really rundown and dingy. Elevators, common areas of larger hotel were shopworn and dirty (although signs promise a multi-million $$ renovation). The concierge at the separate La Presidence entrance was "on a break" so we had to check in amidst long lines at the Crowne Plaza. Parking was $19!! Breakfast was included in our rate, served in hotel dining room, but it turned out it was a coupon good for only the "cold" continental breakfast, not any of the good stuff like eggs or pancakes. Our 10 year old started to cry so we paid $7.95 for an overpriced "upgrade" for his breakfast. Kind of a rip off.

All in all, a very nice room in subpar surroundings. Might be good for an extended business stay, for family vacation, I'd stick with the Residence Inn, in a better location downtown with nicer rooms and a free breakfast.

Selected this hotel for a two-night stay at the end of August based on TripAdvisor reviews. Good internet pricing for a top-notch downtown Montreal hotel. The location is not too bad: within walking distance of downtown, and right on the Metro (subway). There are no shops or cafes in the immediate area, but lots of bars/restaurants on St. Denis (a 15-minute walk). The view was to the north, looking at the side of an adjacent highrise, and in sight of the landmark Mont Royal. Room was very clean and well-appointed. I had reserved a "Senior Suite" for my wife and teenage son (who got the sofabed). We were assigned Room 606 on the top floor of La Presidence's block of rooms. As you will read elsewhere, La Presidence is co-located with The Plaza and shares bar, restaurant, gym, etc. The higher floors are part of The Plaza Hotel.

Gripe #1: the bathroom in 606 is accessible only via the bedroom. It's an "ensuite" layout. Thus teenage son needed to barge in through our bedroom in the dead of night to use the facilities. The floor plan on the web site shows the bathroom is accessed from common hallway, but such is not the case in Room 606. So if you are booking a suite with plans to have friends/family use the sofabed, be sure to ask for a room that does not have the en-suite bathroom.

Gripe #2: other TripAdvisor reviews have mentioned an included continental breakfast. This has either disappeared from their offering, or was not made available to us, since we booked the "lowest internet rate" package. I asked about it at the front desk and was told the only breakfast was served in the restaurant. $19CDN for a very nice buffet.

Gripe #3: the room did not have a spacious desk, large work area, nor could I find the promised high-speed internet connection. It had a tiny desk with poor lighting way at the end of a dark hallway, no power outlets, and an RJ-45 jack that was wired for dialtone (dial-up). The Hotel Services binder had no mention whatsoever about how to use the internet. No signs or guides in either offical language. This didn't really bother me since I was there for vacation, not to do e-mail and web surfing. I did not call the desk to enquire. It could be that the hi-speed jack was hidden away somewhere. There was no wireless internet in evidence -- I scanned for it.

Gripe #4: The room was a little noisy for my tastes. There was a constant high-pitching whining sound coming from above. I suspect there is a utility room directly above Room 606 with circulating pumps or other mechanical apparatus. I am a light sleeper and have trouble accomodating to new hotel environments. At least it was a constant background sound, and not as disturbing as the heat pumps that cycle on and off constantly at some hotels.

Surprise #1: as noted elsewhere, they want $19 for indoor parking. An extremely helpful and friendly bellman (David) told me to just park across the street on Sherbrooke. One can park there overnight and all day for free, except between 3:30pm and 5:30pm (rush hour). We were checking in just at 5:30 as the embargo lifted, so we scooted across the street and left the car until the next afternoon. Then moved it to a side street a block away. Side street parking is problematic at the best of times, but if you happen to be arriving at 5:30-6:00pm, chances are you can snag a spot right on Sherbrooke.

Surprise #2: a very comfy, reclining leather-like rocking easy chair with matching footstool. The seating in hotels, even upscale ones, is often sub-par. A lumpy hide-a-bed sofa and perhaps an overstuffed side chair. This one was really comfortable - great for kickin' back, watching TV, reading the paper.

Despite the gripes above, all-in-all I found this to be an excellent hotel. I would recommend it, though be sure to get a room without the "ensuite" bathroom setup if privacy is a concern. Room 606 has a strange layout, with a long wasted hallway, a huge walk-in front closet, and poor desk/work setup. I suspect it gets assigned to those who book the cheap Internet rate, or those who don't know better. So now you know!