Hotel Chez Swann

A 1919 Building Turned 23-Room House on Drummond Street

Hotel Chez Swann occupies a building that dates to 1919, carried through a full renovation in 2010 that kept the bones of a century-old downtown Montreal address while rebuilding the inside as a contemporary boutique hotel. With only 23 rooms across three categories, from compact Non-Standard Standard rooms to Suites with their own sitting areas, the property reads less like a hotel brand and more like a single, carefully edited house. Designer Mary Moegenburg gave each room its own identity, so no two stays look quite the same.

Why It Works

We chose Chez Swann for its refusal to play it safe: a Popcorn Night with complimentary film screenings, a Spin Room built around stationary bikes and music, and a genuinely multilingual front desk all signal a property run by people, not a playbook. At 23 rooms, the staff know the house well enough to make small, specific recommendations rather than handing over a generic city map. It is a hotel for guests who want personality attached to their design.

Why This Location

Drummond Street sits in the heart of downtown Montreal, close enough to walk to the Bell Centre, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and the restaurants and shops of rue Sainte-Catherine. Old Montreal and the Quartier des Spectacles, home to the Jazz Festival grounds, are a short ride away, putting the hotel within reach of the city's major cultural anchors without placing it directly in the middle of the tourist core.

Fast Facts

• Prix : Premium

• Vibe : playful boutique, design-forward, house-like

• Chambres : 23, across Non-Standard Standard rooms, Junior Suites, and Suites

• Best For : design-minded couples, solo travellers, short city breaks

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel : the Spin Room, an unexpected in-house fitness and entertainment space

• Dining : continental breakfast included with every stay

• Amenities : Popcorn Night film screenings, Spin Room, multilingual staff, individually designed rooms

• Attractions : Bell Centre, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Quartier des Spectacles, Old Montreal

Rooms With Their Own Character

The seven Non-Standard Standard rooms trade square footage for personality, the ten Junior Suites add breathing room for a slightly longer stay, and the six Suites bring in proper sitting areas for guests who want to work or entertain without leaving the room. Across all three categories, the throughline is Moegenburg's individual design work, rich textures and considered colour rather than a repeated template rolled out room to room.

Popcorn Nights and the Spin Room

Chez Swann's signature touches are small but deliberate: a Popcorn Night that turns a communal space into a makeshift cinema, and a Spin Room that doubles as a fitness studio and a social spot. Neither replaces a full-service gym or restaurant, but both do more to define the stay than a standard business centre ever would.

Before You Book

This is a hotel for travellers who value scale and personality over amenity checklists: there is no large restaurant, spa, or pool here, only 23 considered rooms and a handful of distinctive touches. Anyone wanting a full-service luxury property with multiple dining rooms should look elsewhere downtown; anyone wanting a boutique Montreal stay with a strong sense of identity will find exactly that on Drummond Street.