Disappointed
The staff was great. Polite, accomodating, kind and helpful.
The lobby looks great. The shops within the hotel are convenient and starbucks below is helpful for drink related needs.
I enjoyed the Dufferin, the staff were helpful and great. I have a severe gluten intolerance, the manager offered me 2 gluten free cookies which was exceptionally nice of her. There were gluten free toasts but that was the gist of it. I was hoping for a more wide range of gluten free options but it was just not available which is the only drawback of the Dufferin.
The waiter was great and attentive. The seating was great with the nice view outside.
I then took my family to Le Sam. The items ordered were a hit save for my caesar salad. My options were very very limited due to lack of choices for people with severe gluten intolerance.
I chose the caeser with the chicken and I did not like it at all. The chicken was cold and I should have been told or asked if it was hot or cold chicken. A lot of restaurants I attend offer hot chicken on their caesar salads. The dressing of the salad was also not really good. I found the salad to be underwhelming and a complete miss as I did not enjoy it in the least. Had I known the lack of options for gluten intolerance, I would have gone elsewhere.
I ordered in the hotel, the gentleman who brought it in was great.
My kid enjoyed her food but mine was bland. It was a club sandwich and it was rather bland. Possibly the most lifeless and lacklustre club sandwich I have had in a while with a half filled coleslaw which was equally lifeless. The food needed a culinary defribrillator to pump life into it metaphorically speaking.
On the bright side, my kid really enjoyed the novelty of having a dine-in experience, her absolute first since she is 8 years old.
The dufferin was great, but Le Sam and the dine-in experience, I would avoid altogether in the future.
The staff is consistently pleasant and courteous.
The free tickets to the museum of civilization was a pleasant surprise but I was given the inaccurate information by the concierge.
The tickets were scheduled for 2:30 pm...but this time was NOT for entry to the general museum, but rather for the Egyptian exhibit only.
My daughter and my partner did not end up going thinking that it was too late and thinking there was no general entry until 2:30pm.
I went by myself hoping to get in, which I did much to my surprise only to later realize the time was for the exhibit only and not for general entry (I should have read the tickets myself as my partner does not read French but I do; live and learn!).
The pool area was great although asking those staying at the hotel to shower before going into the pool perplexes me.
Simply having hot water run over does NOT:
1-Make you less infectious
2-Removes body odors
3-Serves any logical utility
The pool area is nice. I didn't have time to go to the gym but my partner told me it was on the rather small side.
The toboggans were not in operation due to rather warm weather which was a bit disappointing but no one's fault.
The Château's location is fantastic. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking.
The general feeling you get from the castle is a relaxing one and I sincerely appreciated the location and its close proximity to amazing shops, restaurants and the water.
The room however left me with mixed feelings. The room was clean, but the window on one end of the room truly made me feel claustrophobic. The room conveyed the feeling of a basement. I was going to bring it up to management that I wanted to change rooms, but after 3 hours of driving I was tired. And I was going to bring it up again to management but the computer system was down upon checkout.
I personally did not like the room whatsoever. It felt like I was staying in a capsule with one window whereupon you had to move to see the outside world. I did not like it at all.
I would have changed rooms or paid extra to actually get a better window placement. You don't actually have a visual descriptive when you book the room though.
The robes should have been mentioned at check-in. Typically, when I go to luxury hotels, the robes are found in the closet. This wasn't the case and I found out later I could have them. I only had them on the last day of our stay.
Overall, the ratings are:
Staff 5 out of 5 stars
The staff is kind, helpful and warm. The person who gave inaccurate information should also be given benefit of the doubt because he was equally warm and wonderful
The food 2 out of 5 stars:
My daughter and partner enjoyed the food. The dine-in at the Duffering was absolutely brilliant, but for people like me who have a severe gluten intolerance, it makes it difficult for me to navigate your menus and have a great dining experience. For this reason and due to the lack of accomodations for gluten, I am giving it a 2 stars. The Omni hotel had a fantastic array of gluten free options. Château Frontenac is considered a luxury hotel and I can't possibly be the first person with a gluten intolerance.
For this aforementioned reason, I would rather dine out.
The room 1 out of 5 stars:
I fully understand that I stayed in a castle and that the shape of the room is contingent on location...but the room felt like a basement and the placement of the window perplexed me. The lack of robes in the room vexed me and I was not comfortable in the room. I didn't like it in the least.
I would have paid extra for a less claustrophobia inducing room where you can see the outside world from your bed.
The hotel design, general feel 5 out of 5 stars:
Absolutely great. Reminiscent of my travels to Louisiana, the hotel has a rather good vibe to it.
The justification behind the 4 out of 10 rating:
It is hard enough having a severe gluten intolerance, but having this haunting issue follow you at a luxury hotel did not jive with me.
The room which should convey a sense of continuity with the general nostalgia surrounding the hotel was a complete miss.
Although the resident discount was great, the lacklustre room and the disappointing dining experience (for me) reverberated a type of obscurantism similarly seen in the 1960's in Quebec but contextually speaking, felt during my stay.
Thus, I would rate my experience a disappointed 4 out of 10.