Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel reopened its doors today in Montreal after spending the last year morphing into the city’s newest business destination.
Owner Ivanhoé Cambridge worked closely with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Sid Lee Architecture and general contractor Pomerleau to modernize areas and add 35,000 square feet of convention space. Capacity is the second largest in Montreal after the Palais des congrès.
Most areas are now accessible, including about 500 rooms, various common areas and Suite 1742 (site of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s iconic Bed-In for Peace), as well as the spa. Many new features will be unveiled in the weeks to come, but some restaurants are already open.
Business Spaces
The convention floor on the second level features modern, flexible conference and meeting rooms that can be laid out to suit users’ needs and smooth wayfinding with personalized digital touchscreen signage technology. With high-speed 1 GB connectivity, it is said to be one of the fastest networks in the city.
It also include co-working zones and multipurpose spaces designed as private recreation space for businesspeople, and a lounge with a bar that overlooks downtown Montreal.
CoLab3 business campus is connected to a new private outdoor terrace with views of Mont Royal. It has 13 rooms, including zones designed for playful creativity and inspiring themed rooms for dynamic business meetings. Designers were inspired by the world of start-ups and digital keyboards, so the names and designs of the rooms reflect original concepts. The PING room, for example, includes a ping-pong table as a meeting table, with carpeting resembling artificial turf.
Food and Drink
Opening this summer, the Artisans market will be Canada’s first urban market located in a hotel, according to the owners. Urban grocery shopping and gourmet take-out counters will feature local products and artisans unique to the province.
New restaurants include Rosélys, which specializes in bistronomie cuisine and Bar Nacarat, a cocktail bar experience offering “liquid cuisine,” with multiple stations drawing inspiration from the open concept kitchen, and Café Kréma, which serves high-end, homemade hot and cold drinks.
And in the main lobby, the Agora is a multipurpose space with built-in food stations and can be used for product launches, concerts and other public events.
