The Ritz-Carlton Montreal is a luxury hotel located at 1228 Sherbrooke Street West, on the corner of Drummond Street, in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

. Opened in 1912, it was the first Ritz-Carlton hotel in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

. Its name was originally licensed by César Ritz directly, and while the hotel is now part of the chain managed by the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, it retains its original branding stylization. The original builders called themselves the Carlton Hotel Company of Montreal, with the concept of naming the hotel after

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

's celebrated Carlton Hotel. However, one of the investors, Charles Hosmer, was a personal friend of César Ritz and persuaded his colleagues to incorporate the Ritz name owing to the success of the Hôtel Ritz Paris, which opened in 1898. For a fee of $25,000, César Ritz agreed to lend his name, but stipulated that in accordance with the "Ritz standards"; every room was to have its own bathroom, there was to be a kitchen on every floor so room-service meals could be served course by course, and around-the-clock valet and

concierge A concierge () is an employee of a multi-tenant building, such as a hotel or apartment building, who receives guests. The concept has been applied more generally to other hospitality settings and to personal concierges who manage the errands of ...

service was to be made available to the guests for, amongst other duties, tracking lost luggage or ordering theatre tickets. Finally, the lobby was to be small and intimate with a curved grand staircase for ladies to show off their

ball gown A ball gown, ballgown or gown is a type of evening gown worn to a ball or a formal event. Most versions are cut off the shoulder with a low décolletage, exposed arms, and long bouffant styled skirts. Such gowns are typically worn with an opera- ...

s on their descent.''The Suite Life: The Magic and Mystery of Hotel Living''. By Christopher Heard

Early years

Montreal had developed a positive reputation for its top hotels at least since 1820, when John Bigsby observed that the city's hotels were "as remarkable for their palatial exteriors as they are for their excellent accommodation within." Donegana's Hotel became the largest in the British Colonies in the 1840s, and the Windsor had been

's pre-eminent hotel in the 1870s. By 1909, some of the city's wealthiest citizens wanted a modern "first class residential hotel". Led by Charles Hosmer (a personal friend of César Ritz), Sir Herbert Holt, Sir Montagu Allan and Sir Charles Gordon met with the Hon.

Lionel Guest __TOC__ Lionel may refer to: Name *Lionel (given name) Places *Lionel, Lewis, a village in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland *Lionel Town, Jamaica, a settlement Brands and enterprises *Lionel, LLC, an American designer and importer of toy trains and mo ...

(a first cousin of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

) and Harry Higgins (Chairman of the Ritz Hotel London) to found the Carlton Hotel Company of Montreal. The land on which the hotel was built was purchased from Charles Meredith, who became the fifth principal shareholder and had a significant influence on the hotel's image and future. The hotel was designed by the architectural firm of

Warren and Wetmore Warren and Wetmore was an architecture firm in New York City which was a partnership between Whitney Warren (1864–1943) and Charles Delevan Wetmore (June 10, 1866 – May 8, 1941), that had one of the most extensive practices of its time and w ...

, and it was completed at a cost of $2 million. Its doors were officially opened at 11:15 pm on

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

, 1912, marked by a gala

ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...

attended by 350 guests. As the founders had hoped, two-thirds of the guests at the Ritz-Carlton took suites comprising several rooms and lived there permanently for $29 a month.J.W. McConnell: Financier, Philanthropist, Patriot (2008), by William Fong The

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

made standards difficult to keep, and in 1922, in direct rivalry to the Ritz-Carlton, the

Mount Royal Hotel Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, ...

was erected as the largest hotel in the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

. The Ritz-Carlton and the Mount Royal Club (not to be confused with the similarly named hotel) were the most fashionable meeting places for the city's wealthy within the area later known as the Golden Square Mile. On

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thr ...

, 1916, the first transcontinental

telephone call A telephone call is a connection over a telephone network between the called party and the calling party. First telephone call The first telephone call was made on March 10, 1876, by Alexander Graham Bell. Bell demonstrated his ability to "ta ...

was made from the hotel. An audience of two hundred businessmen were said to have listened breathlessly as the Chairman of the

Bell Telephone Company The Bell Telephone Company, a common law joint stock company, was organized in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 9, 1877, by Alexander Graham Bell's father-in-law Gardiner Greene Hubbard, who also helped organize a sister company – the New Engl ...

enquired: "Hello. Is this

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...

?" The clear reply - "Yes" - was met with a roar of approval and toasted with champagne. In the years before the

Wall Street Crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange coll ...

, the hotel enjoyed a period of great prosperity. In 1918, Lord Birkenhead described it as "very luxurious and comfortable" and the American Bankers Association held their annual meetings there. In 1919, the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

made the first

Royal visit A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...

, staying in the seventeen-room ''Royal Suite''. Queen Marie of Romania, Prince Felix of Luxembourg and Prince George, Duke of Kent were also guests in the 1920s.

Lillie Langtry Emilie Charlotte, Lady de Bathe (née Le Breton, formerly Langtry; 13 October 1853 – 12 February 1929), known as Lillie (or Lily) Langtry and nicknamed "The Jersey Lily", was a British socialite, stage actress and producer. Born on the isla ...

stayed, as did movie idols such as

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

and Douglas Fairbanks.The Square Mile, Merchant Princes of Montreal (1987) by Donald MacKay Former

US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

and his wife "entertained lavishly" in the ''Presidential Suite'' for all of 1921.

Depression

The

was followed by the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and then

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. The

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia *Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports * Swiss Internation ...

General Manager, Émile Charles des Baillets, had been with the hotel since 1924. In 1929, he lamented that before guests had come to stay for several weeks accompanied by trains of luggage, but during this time, when they did come, they came for a night or two with only a single bag.No Ordinary Hotel: The Ritz-Carlton's First Seventy-Five Years (1989) by Aran Weller Many of its in-house residents were not as badly affected as their American counterparts following 1929, and they stayed loyal to the hotel through its dark days. From the 1930s, when the

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can so ...

s and residents of the Golden Square Mile began to downsize from their mansions, a great many took rooms in the hotel, such as Lady Shaughnessy and founder Charles Hosmer's son, Elwood, who between him and sister had inherited $20 million from their father in 1927. The hotel's international reputation remained untarnished with guests such as

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Governm ...

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James (193 ...

and

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor and entertainer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank H ...

; but as the last of the loyal Square Milers (who had been so pivotal to its early success) were dying off, the hotel began to fall into debt. Wartime shortages made it difficult to maintain the graceful living standards set by the original founders. The General Manager, des Baillets, was succeeded by Albert Frossard in 1940, another native of

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. Unhappily, and not without a fight, Frossard had to bow to the directors' commands to relax the custom of formal dress, of either

White tie White tie, also called full evening dress or a dress suit, is the most formal in traditional evening western dress codes. For men, it consists of a black tail coat (alternatively referred to as a dress coat, usually by tailors) worn over a wh ...

Black tie Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element f ...

, to suits in order to allow more people to dine at the hotel. Not that the founders would have approved, but the change worked and the hotel realized larger profits.

Post-war

In 1947, the hotel was sold to

François Dupré François Louis Jules Dupré (; 3 December 1888 – 26 June 1966) was a French, hotelier, art collector, and owner of the Thoroughbred horse breeding and racing farm, Haras d'Ouilly. He was a grandson of the painter Jules Dupré. Dupré se ...

, forming a new board of directors and naming himself president. Already the owner of two prestigious hotels in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

- Hotel George V, Paris and the Plaza Athénée - Dupré had money, talent and experience, bringing with him some of the flair of César Ritz. He opened ''le Bar Maritime'' in 1948 and in the early 1950s added the ''Ritz Garden'', where patrons could dine around a flower-fringed

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from tha ...

, home to twenty four ducklings. In 1957, a new wing consisting of sixty-seven rooms and suites was added, and care was taken to maintain the original Ritz-influenced

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

and Carlton-influenced Regency styles and ambience. When the renovation was complete,

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in t ...

was the first person to check in, booking out over half of the eighth floor. Between 1959 and 1969 the image of the hotel was more like that of a Gentlemen's club. It catered to Montreal's

old money Old money is "the inherited wealth of established upper-class families (i.e. gentry, patriciate)" or "a person, family, or lineage possessing inherited wealth". The term typically describes a social class of the rich who have been able t ...

and kept a low key, understated profile. However, publicity it could not escape was the wedding of

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

to Richard Burton that took place in the Royal Suite in 1964.

Modern times

By 1970, it was felt an overhaul was long overdue. Shedding its formal image, it was updated to one of historical importance yet with modern styles, luxury and services. A year later

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

stayed there and in 1972

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

booked out the entire sixth floor, but were refused service in the main dining room for not being suitably attired – they returned in jackets. In 1976, the hotel received two famous guests

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

and Prince Philip as well as the most renowned award for a hotel: the AAA Five diamond distinction. In 1977, champagne corks popped at the Oval Room party at which 600 guests bade farewell to esteemed General Manager Fred Laubi and welcomed his successor. At the age of 36 Fernand Roberge was appointed the first French-Canadian general manager of the hotel. Under his command terrycloth bathrobes, French toiletries, bathroom scales, and large umbrellas were placed in every room. By 1979, the lobby and reception areas were enlarged and 100 rooms and suites had been redecorated. In 1984,

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney ( ; born March 20, 1939) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studied political s ...

was using the hotel like a second home and Pierre Elliott Trudeau became a regular after having taken up residence at his nearby art deco mansion Maison Cormier in the same year. In 1988, the year of its 75th Anniversary, the Ritz-Carlton Montreal, welcomed the Queen Mother. The same year, in order to celebrate the Dames and Messieurs of the Ritz-Carlton, all the employees and their spouses were invited to dine at the Café de Paris. Many leading figures of the 20th century have stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Montreal, including

, Pierre Elliott Trudeau,

, George H. W. Bush,

and Céline Dion. Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...

took refuge there during the 2002

Concordia University Netanyahu riot The Concordia University Netanyahu riot occurred on September 9, 2002 on the Sir George Williams Campus of Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, when student rioters opposed a visit from the then former (and later subsequent) Israeli ...

. The Ritz-Carlton Montreal closed in 2008 for renovation and reopened after a $200 million restoration. Today, the hotel is part of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC., owned by

Marriott International Marriott International, Inc. is an American multinational company that operates, franchises, and licenses lodging including hotel, residential, and timeshare properties. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. The company was founded by ...

. Unlike other Ritz-Carlton hotels, the hotel is still using its iconic lion emblem. The Ritz-Carlton makes a feature in the 1996 film, "Matilda".

Rooms and suites

The hotel has 96 rooms and 33 suites, including the Royal Suite with 4700 square feet and 3 bedrooms. When the hotel completed its renovations in 2012, it said the Royal Suite was the largest hotel room in Canada, renting for $7,000 to $10,000 per night.

Restaurants

Since 2012, the hotel's main restaurant is Maison Boulud, named for the celebrity chef Daniel Boulud. The hotel also offers afternoon tea in the refurbished Palm Court.

Pool and spa

The rooftop is equipped with a saltwater infinity pool. In 2015 the hotel added a spa for the first time, as the Spa St. James moved into the hotel from its prior location in a historic building on Crescent Street.

Awards and accolades

* Travel and Leisure Awards 2021: #1 Best City Hotel in Canada * 2021 U.S. News & World Report: #2 Best Hotel in Canada * Forbes Travel Guide: 2019 Best Rooms * Traveler's Choice Awards 2019 : #1 Best Hotel in Canada * 2019 U.S. News & World Report: #4 Best Hotel in Canada * Conde Nast Traveler 2018: Best hotel to stay in Montreal * Travel and Leisure Awards 2018: #2 Best City Hotel in Canada * Traveler's Choice Awards 2018 : #19 Best Luxury Hotel in the World and #1 Best Hotel in Canada * 2018 CAA/AAA Five Diamond Award® * 2017 CAA/AAA Five Diamond Award® * World Travel Awards: Canada's Leading Hotel Suite 2017: Royal Suite * U.S. News & World Report, “Best Hotels in Canada 2017,” January 2017 – named the Best Hotel in Canada * TripAdvisor 2016 Traveler’s Choice Award, January 2016 – named the Top Luxury Hotel in Canada * U.S. News & World Report, “Best Hotels in Canada 2016,” January 2016 – named the Best Hotel in Canada * Condé Nast Traveler 2016 Gold List, “Our Favourite Hotels in the World,” December 2015 * Condé Nast Traveler Readers Choice Awards, “Best Hotels in Canada 2015,” October 2015 – named one of the best hotels in Canada * Travel + Leisure, “2015 World’s Best Award,” July 2015 – named top city hotel in Canada * Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Hotels, February 2015 * Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Restaurants, February 2015 – awarded to Maison Boulud, one of only two restaurants to be recognized in Montreal * 2015 AAA Five Diamond Award®, January 2015 – the only hotel in Quebec to receive the Five Diamond Rating and one of just six in Canada * U.S. News & World Report, “Best Hotels in Canada 2015,” January 2015 – named the Best Hotel in Canada * Travel + Leisure, “World’s Best Hotels for Families,” November 2014 – named one of the best in Canada * Travel + Leisure, “2014 World’s Best Awards,” August 2014 – named one of the top City Hotels in Canada * U.S. News & World Report, “Best Hotels in Canada 2014,” January 2014 – named the Best Hotel in Canada * 2014 AAA Five Diamond Award®, January 2014 – the only hotel in Quebec to receive the Five Diamond Rating and one of just five in Canada * Condé Nast Traveler 2014 Gold List, “The World’s Best Hotels,” January 2014 – recognized as the highest scoring hotel in Quebec with an overall score of 92.7 * 2013 Fodor’s 100 Hotel Award, “Enduring Classics” winner, October 2013 – one of just three in Canada to make the list * U.S. News & World Report, “Best Luxury Hotels in Canada,” July 2013 * Robb Report’s “Top 100 Hotels in the World,” May 2013 * Condé Nast Traveler 2013 Hot List, “Best New Hotels in the World” winner, April 2013 * 2013 AAA Five Diamond Award®, October 2012 – the only hotel in Quebec to receive the Five Diamond Rating and one of just four in Canada

References

External links

*
Biography of François DupréPhotograph:Ritz Carleton Hotel, 1915
- McCord Museum
Photograph:Ritz Carleton Hotel, 1924
- McCord Museum
Photograph:Ritz Carleton Hotel, about 1938
- McCord Museum {{Authority control Hotels in Montreal

Warren and Wetmore buildings Downtown Montreal Condo hotels in Canada Hotel buildings completed in 1912 Hotels established in 1912