1 Hôtel Dominion 1912 2 The Sundial Boutique Hotel 3 Summit Lodge & Spa 4 Pantages Suites Hotel & Spa

Powerful Lobbyists
It’s all about first impressions. Hôtel Le Germain Toronto’s lobby is outfitted with a double-sided fireplace and a raised library area with a guest computer and an espresso machine. W Montréal’s soaring “living room” features three waterfalls, a glowing leaf-encrusted concierge station and plush furniture nestled around a huge grey mirror. Hôtel Quintessence’s (Mont-Tremblant, Que.) grand lobby centres around a curvaceous wrought iron staircase. The Met Hotel’s (Edmonton) lobby is flanked by an angular staircase leading up to the “hospitality room” and a “conversation room” where you can chat, read the paper or watch television. The hearth of the stylish Hôtel St-Paul (Montreal) is a glowing alabaster fireplace surrounded by sexy custom-designed furniture.

Who You Gonna Call?
Some of our favourite staff are the uniformly cordial professionals at Hôtel Dominion 1912 (Quebec City), where the supremely well-informed and personable concierge, Claude Lavoie, sets the tone. Friendly, welcoming and able to track down a set of lost keys with the greatest of ease, the staff at Summit Lodge & Spa (Whistler, B.C.) are lifesavers. Hotel Le Soleil’s (Vancouver) concierge compiles a handy little weekly newsletter of local events. Maritimers are famously friendly, and so is the chipper, smiling crew at Murray Premises Hotel (St. John’s). With a clientele that includes the rich and famous, you can bet that the staff at Hôtel Le St-James (Montreal) is as discreet as they are efficient.

Elevator Eyes
At their worst, elevators are drab and socially awkward. At their best, they are sanctuaries that help set the tone of a hotel. Pantages Suites Hotel & Spa (Toronto) elevators have TV screens showing news and weather. Hôtel Le Germain Toronto creates calm with its Bruce Mau-designed lifts featuring poems by Gary Michael Dault and Hélène Dorion floating over photographs of clouds. Auberge Saint-Antoine’s (Quebec City) lifts are sleek and quiet, their polished steel walls reflecting shifting rays of light. W Montréal has opted for a Canadiana theme, with holographic-looking images of birch trees. The most unusual elevators are found at Hôtel St-Paul (Montreal), where the stark black lift contains only a wrought iron deer’s head holding a small lantern.

Views to Remember
In Quebec, Hôtel Germain-des-Prés’ (Sainte-Foy) upper-floor rooms boast stunning views of the St. Lawrence, and Hôtel Dominion 1912 (Quebec City) affords sweeping views of the old city. The Sundial Boutique Hotel (Whistler, B.C.) overlooks the Blackcomb and Whistler gondolas, with skiers and crazed mountain bikers providing entertaining spectacles. You can watch the float planes land on English Bay, with the North Shore mountains as a backdrop, from your balcony at Pacific Palisades Hotel (Vancouver). At Brentwood Bay Lodge & Spa (Victoria), the lovely scent of aroma gardens mingles with the sounds of chiming sails; across the bay, Malahat Mountain captures the sunset.

*What is a “boutique hotel”?
We define it as niche accommodation for the discerning traveller, with a hip ambience, personal service and sophisticated design. Often independently owned, it offers a leisurely travel experience – even when doing business – in an intimate setting, with typically fewer than 200 rooms.