Due to repairs/construction at the hotel, for a first time guest, arrival at the hotel was terrible. My GPS directed me into the hotel’s first entrance on Rue St-Louis, which led only to the opposite side of the building on Rue Mont-Carmel. I saw no way to get in other than to enter the parking garage, which I did. We carried our bags through the garage to a staircase (cut my scalp on a very low hanging pipe I had to walk under) and through a maze of up and down stairs to the lobby to check in. Had I continued on Rue St-Louis instead, around a parked tour bus, I would have seen a scrum of cars and people including bell-hops, valets, arriving and departing guests, and everyone entering or leaving the hotel, but I never got there. This was a terrible first impression.
Now the good stuff; a wonderful old hotel in otherwise impressive condition (my parents were honeymoon guests there 76 years ago) with a large and professional staff. Very dog friendly, with a substantial extra fee. Room was well equipped and comfortable. The hotel bar and breakfast buffet were both first rate.
Once the repair work to the entrance is completed, I suspect I will have no complaints. Many hotels I’ve booked on Hotels.com have sent me an e-mail a day in advance of arrival; would have been the perfect place to provide instructions for navigating to the hotel entrance. Hotel needs to make a better first impression. And put some padding on those water pipes in the garage!