If It Weren't For Grand Prix...
I'll start with the good news. The Marriott Montreal Chateau Champlain is a great location. And this is the first time we stayed there for our annual Grand Prix weekend so we were ecstatic with the connected Metro station, proximity to other hotels (where relatives were staying), restaurants, and of course the festivities on Saint Catherine. Another bonus was that the Red Bull Racing team was staying there so there were no shortage of celebrity sightings.
Now for the bad news... Approaching the hotel was a bit horrifying as I realized this neo-disco rounded beehive monstrosity that I've abhorred for years about the Montreal skyline was going to be my home for the next 4 days. It's fine, don't judge a book by its cover I thought to myself, and gave it a chance. The lobby was nothing spectacular, and no effort was made in the floor lobbies or hallways to depart from the dingy 70s feel. The room was the biggest disappointment: Usually with older hotels the rooms are spacious and the layout generous, but maybe they've gutted this building and replaced the innards with the inspiration of a Quality Inn (That is not a knock against Quality Inn). Because the beds were too small, we asked for a cot/rollaway and were told that is against hotel policy, citing fire code. I have never heard that from a hotel ANYwhere in the world, but how do you argue with fire code...
The wart on the face of the weekend was the expanded door. It seems that the onset of summer expanded the aging door of our room, which caused VERY LOUD CREAKING as it scraped against the jamb and croaked its 4-decade old frame in and out of place at all hours as we came and went. This was not an ideal condition traveling with a 4-year old, and the only efforts made by the hotel to rectify the situation was an ancient janitor visiting us with a can of WD40. Bless his heart, he sprayed that can to emptiness that first night yet made no improvement.
In reality the MMCC is a large hotel that happens to be in a very convenient location. It is outshone by other newer hotels in Montreal but doesn't seem concerned by that. Maybe they expect to be demolished and rebuilt. that would be good: Put everyone out of our misery!