Hotel Le Germain Montreal

In Montreal, the boutiques have all but run the big chains out of town — and Hôtel le Germain is the place that started it all. Once a deeply unfashionable Sixties office block, this was the first hotel in town to embrace the sort of high-concept hotel design made famous by Starck and Schrager in places like LA’s Mondrian or New York’s Paramount Hotel.

This touched off something of a revolution in Montreal hotels, and the cobbled streets of Vieux Montréal are heavy with chic little boutiques. Hôtel Le Germain, though, is in the city’s downtown business district, just off Ste. Catherine Street, home to the finest designer shops and boutiques in town.

Le Germain’s interiors are minimal and fashion-forward, the rooms laid out loft-style, the old bank’s windows letting plenty of sunlight in. A subtle Zen flavor predominates, as dark mahogany furniture stands out against backgrounds of whites and creams, and down duvets and Aveda bath products add a measure of pampering. Glass-walled bathrooms are a staple of boutique boudoirs, but can be a bit risqué — here instead a subtle and tasteful window offers a view from the bed, and can be shuttered in cases where modesty is called for.

On the mezzanine is Le Laurie Raphaël, sequel to one of Quebec City’s most highly regarded restaurants and bursting with small-plate Québécois pride. And the best part may be the decided lack of a scene; though this place has looks to spare, and plenty of atmosphere, there’s little of the back-slapping cliquishness one would expect from a similar hotel in New York or LA.