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Montreal, City of Festivals

Posted on June 15, 2017

A Summer of Festivities in Montreal

Montreal, during the summer, is the city of festivals. There are major events happening almost every week throughout the summer, attracting a great number of visitors. This year being the 375^th anniversary of the city, there are even more sights to visit and grand events to attend.

Festivals of Art, Music and Culture

Of course, Montreal is famous for its Formula 1 Grand Prix, the event that launches the high season for tourism and that provides a crazy week of celebrations, but also for the Jazz Festival, the largest in the world, which brings together hundreds of indoor concerts and free concerts in the streets of Montreal and for the Just For Laughs Festival. Also, Les Francofolies is the largest celebration of French language music and its artists.

Among the many major festivals that were added in the recent years, the more notable ones include Montreal Complètement Cirque (Circus), which benefits from the presence in the city of the Cirque du Soleil, of the TOHU, of the Cirque Eloize and of the 7 Doigts de la Main circus company.

© MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CIRQUE, Tim Hussin

Osheaga has grown over the years to become one the largest gatherings of pop music outdoor concerts, bringing together dozens of world class bands and tens of thousands of music fans coming from all parts to attend the three days of wild concerts.

As for sporting events, besides the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Rogers Cup of Tennis brings us, each year, one of the most competitive tournaments in the world, with most of the best players in the world. The Men and Women players alternate from year to year; in 2017 we are welcoming the men from the ATP! Furthermore, for the first time in Montreal, the electric race cars will be speeding through the streets during the brand new Formula E serie.

© Susan Moss Photography, Grand Prix F1 Crescent

© Les FrancoFolies de Montréal, Benoit Rousseau

© Agnieszka S. Semaine de la Mode Montréal

Your Festival Guide

To help you find your way through all those festivals and to better plan your touristic and cultural schedule this summer, here is a list of the numerous major festivals and events in Montreal in 2017 :

Volta – Cirque Du Soleil – May 25 to July 23 / Jacques Cartier Pier – Vieux-Port

Avudo – May 18 to September 2 / Jacques-Cartier Pier – Vieux-Port

Grand Prix Formula 1 – June 9, 10, 11 / Notre-Dame Island

Mondial de la Bière (Beerfest) – June 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 2017 / Palais des Congrès

Francofolies – June 8 to 18 / Place Des Arts

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal – June 28 to July 8 / Place Des Arts

L’international des Feux Loto-Québec – July 1, 8, 15, 19, 22, 26, 29 and August 5 / La Ronde

Montréal Complètement Cirque – July 6 to 16 / Montreal

Comic Con Montréal – July 7, 8, 9 / Palais des Congrès

Just for Laughs Festival– July 14 to 30 / Place Des Arts

Formula E Race – July 29 and 30 / Downtown

Rogers Cup of Tennis – August 4 to 13 / Uniprix Stadium

Osheaga – August 4, 5, 6 / Jean-Drapeau Park

ÎleSoniq – August 10, 11, 12 / Jean-Drapeau Park

OSM, Classical Spree – August 10, 11, 12, 14 / Maison Symphonique

Nomad Fest – Urban Rodeo – August 24, 25, 26, 27 / Jacques-Cartier Pier

Festival Yul Eat – September 2, 3, 4 / Old-Montreal

For further information, for help to purchase tickets or to make reservations, contact our concierge desk at 514-350-1152 or at concierge@lesaintsulpice.com . Our concierge team will be pleased to help you make the best out of this amazing festival season in Montreal.

We wish you a wonderful summer in Montreal and we hope to have the opportunity to share our most amazing season with you.

Alain Ethier
Chef-Concierge

Montreal destination

Montreal’s Best Viewpoints

Posted on March 23, 2017

Where to find the best viewpoints of Montreal

At the concierge desk of Le Saint-Sulpice Hôtel Montréal, we often get asked by our guests where can they find panoramic viewpoints of Montreal. Until recently, the options were very limited, but now, there are some new and exciting places where you can enjoy a breathtaking view of Montreal.

Au Sommet PVM

Au Sommet Place Ville-Marie observation deck. Photo: ausommetpvm.com

The most important new addition to Montreal’s touristic offer is certainly the observation deck on top of Place Ville-Marie, called Au Sommet PVM. Au Sommet offers a unique viewpoint of the city, occupying the 45^th and 46^th floors, at 185 meters (607 feet) above ground.

An immersive viewpoint

Its informative exhibits allow visitors to immerse themselves in Montreal’s daily rituals through 55 video portraits and more than 500 images from the City of Montreal’s archives and social media. Hockey, gastronomy, performance art, language, and neighbourhoods like the Plateau Mont-Royal and Old Montreal are some of the key themes explored in this exhibit. Visitors can also explore 55 portraits of famous Montrealers. Entrance fees to Sommet PVM go from $13 to $19 and it is only a short metro ride away from Le Saint-Sulpice Hôtel Montréal.

Dine and enjoy the view

On the floor below the observation deck, Les Enfants Terribles, a French bistro, opened its doors at the same time. Along with a spectacular view towards the North, East and South sides of the city, the bistro offers a bold and reinvented Québec cuisine. On the menu, local products are honored to revisit childhood classics or explore new trends in cuisine.

Bistro Les Enfants Terribles PVM Photo: Les Enfants Terribles

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Portus 360

For the first time since the 80’s, Montreal’s only revolving restaurant is NOT a tourist trap but rather a fine dining Portuguese cuisine restaurant. Portus 360 moved last year from its Plateau location to take over as the 360 degrees revolving restaurant on top of the EVO building, at 777 Robert Bourassa boulevard.

Portus 360 Photo: Alain Ethier

Portus 360 Photo: Alain Ethier

The owner/chef, Helena Loureiro, is one of Montreal’s most popular and talented chefs. Helena and her team of professionals offer typical Portuguese dishes, specializing in fish and seafood but also grilled meats and petiscos (tapas), prepared with a creative and modern touch. Add the great food to the fantastic, constantly changing view of Montreal and you can see how Portus 360 can turn (!) your touristic visit into a full sensorial experience that you will always remember.

Portus 360 on top of the EVO building. “Point me in the right direction!” Photo: Alain Ethier

Conveniently located on the border between Old Montreal and Downtown, the 777 Robert-Bourassa boulevard building was recently transformed from a hotel into a residence for McGill University students. This amazing restaurant and viewpoint can be found at only 12 minutes walk from Le Saint-Sulpice Hôtel or a short cab ride.

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Other great viewpoints of Montreal

Of course, for great panoramic views of Montreal, you can always count on these ever popular sites:

– The Chalet at the top of Mont-Royal Park and the Belvedere, on its eastern flank;

– The Olympic Tower, the tallest inclined tower in the world;

– The Jean-Drapeau Park, on Ste-Hélène Island and

– The end of the Jacques-Cartier pier in the Old Port.

Stop by the concierge desk of Le Saint-Sulpice Hôtel for directions to one of Montreal’s best viewpoints, to buy your tickets for the observation deck Au Sommet Place Ville-Marie or for reservations at Portus 360 or Les Enfants Terribles.

We recommend that during your next stay at Le Saint-Sulpice Hôtel Montréal, you plan a visit to one of these interesting viewpoints to fill your eyes, and perhaps your stomach too, with lasting memories of Montreal.

Alain Ethier
Chef-concierge
Member, Les Clefs d’Or Canada

St-Sulpice stories

the Chef Concierge

Posted on September 18, 2016

Alain Ethier, Chef-concierge

Alain Ethier, our Chef-concierge, has been with Le St-Sulpice Hotel Montreal for 7 years, he manages our dynamic team of three concierges at your service.

Our concierge expert team: from left to right: Maxime Martin, Fannie de Lorenzi et Alain Ethier

Alain has been a concierge since 2000 and is a proud member of Les Clefs d’Or, a worldwide professional concierge association, since 2002. He is currently the Public Relations Director for Les Clefs d’Or Canada. With over 25 years of experience in the Montreal hotel industry, all in 5 and 4 stars hotels, he is an expert on professional customer service and warm hospitality while keeping an open mind on the new needs of today’s travelers.

Public Relationship Director Les Clefs d’Or Canada

Whenever he is not standing behind the concierge desk in our lobby, Alain is seen personally experiencing the best Montreal has to offer to our guests and visitors. He keeps his finger on the pulse of the city by trying new and old restaurants, visiting attractions, attending shows, press conferences and openings and establishing privileged contacts with the key people in the city so he can be able to offer exclusive and unique experiences to our guests.

Alain knows that each guest has different tastes and needs. His daily challenge is to match the perfect experiences for each individual. That’s why he asks a lot of questions and listens carefully to your answers. Because, after all these years, a happy and satisfied customer is still the greatest reward.