Stay in one of the best old Montreal’s boutique hotel, the Hotel Gault: historic charm meets modern design, spa indulgence, and concierge service in the heart of the city.
Tucked away on a quiet cobblestone street in the heart of Old Montreal, Hotel Gault is one of the city’s best-kept boutique secrets. Set inside a beautifully restored 19th-century building, this hotel blends historic charm with sleek, minimalist design, the kind that feels both luxurious and effortless.
I stayed here during a trip to Montreal in January 2024, and within minutes of walking into the lobby, I knew this place was something special. From the spacious, loft-style rooms to the soft jazz playing in the background, everything at Hotel Gault feels intentionally calm and curated.
If you’re planning a weekend in Old Montreal and looking for a stay that’s as beautiful as the neighbourhood itself, Hotel Gault is a true hidden gem. In this post, I’ll walk you through what makes it stand out, including the rooms, amenities, and what’s just outside the front door
A Historic Building in the Heart of Old Montreal
Part of what makes Hotel Gault so memorable is its setting. The hotel is housed in a stately 1871 greystone building, originally constructed during Montreal’s Golden Age. A time when the city was thriving, expanding, and becoming the economic heart of Canada. That same year, Montreal’s population reached 100,000, making it the country’s most prosperous and vibrant city.
The building was originally home to Gault Brothers & Co, a dry goods business founded by Andrew Frederick Gault, later known as the “Cotton King of Canada.” Designed to serve as a warehouse and store, the building stood alongside other iconic 19th-century structures like Marché Bonsecours, the Merchants Bank of Canada, and Banque Molson, all of which helped define the architectural identity of Old Montreal as we know it today.
Since 2002, this historic address has taken on a new life as Hotel Gault, a luxury boutique hotel that honours its past while embracing sleek, modern design. Inside, you’ll find warm wood tones, industrial finishes, high ceilings, and a calm, minimalist aesthetic, all tucked behind that classic stone façade.
The location couldn’t be better. Hotel Gault is situated on a quiet street just steps from the Old Port, Notre-Dame Basilica, the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History, and some of the city’s best restaurants and cafés. It’s the kind of spot where you can easily explore on foot by day, and return to a peaceful, design-forward space at night.
Loft-Style Rooms That Feel Like a Private Retreat
What truly sets Hotel Gault apart is its rooms. Each of the 30 suites has been designed with a minimalist, loft-inspired approach that makes the space feel more like a private apartment than a traditional hotel room. With 10- to 12-foot ceilings, oversized windows, exposed concrete or original brick walls, and custom-built furnishings, the rooms strike a balance between industrial edge and quiet luxury.
All rooms include plush beds with crisp linens, heated bathroom floors, Nespresso machines, high-speed Wi-Fi, and thoughtful extras like bathrobes and slippers. The layout invites you to slow down, to actually enjoy your time inside instead of just using the space to sleep.
There’s no cookie-cutter design here. Each room has its own character and flow, but they all share the same clean aesthetic: soothing colours, sleek lighting, and high-end finishes that make even the quietest corner feel intentional.
Thoughtful Amenities and Boutique-Level Service
For a small hotel, Hotel Gault offers an impressive range of amenities, all designed to make your stay feel seamless, calm, and comfortably luxurious.
One standout experience during my stay was the in-room breakfast, which I highly recommend. Served on a rolling tray at your requested time, it felt more like a private brunch than a hotel convenience. Fresh pastries, seasonal fruit, hot coffee, and a perfectly cooked egg dish, all delivered to your suite so you can start the day slowly, without even putting on shoes.
You can also enjoy breakfast and brunch in the hotel’s on-site restaurant, located just off the lobby. With its floor-to-ceiling windows and soft natural light, it’s a lovely space to settle in with a coffee and watch the street come to life. The menu is simple, thoughtful, and seasonal, just like the hotel.
THE DETAILS
Price | Rooms start at 240$ per night.
Reservation | You can book your stay here.
What’s Nearby: Explore Old Montreal on Foot
One of the best parts of staying at Hotel Gault is that you’re perfectly placed to explore Old Montreal without ever needing a car. The hotel sits on a quiet street just a few minutes’ walk from some of the city’s most iconic landmarks, museums, and waterfront paths.
Here are a few easy-to-reach highlights:
- Old Port of Montreal (7-minute walk): Stroll along the river, rent a bike, or stop for a coffee while watching boats go by.
- Notre-Dame Basilica (10-minute walk): One of Montreal’s most iconic buildings — be sure to step inside to see the vaulted blue ceiling and stained glass.
- Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History (Pointe-à-Callière) (8-minute walk): A fascinating museum built over the city’s original settlement.
- Bota Bota Spa (12-minute walk): A floating spa on a repurposed boat — perfect for a post-sightseeing massage or soak.
- Downtown Montreal and Sainte-Catherine Street (15–20-minute walk): Great for shopping, dining, and people-watching.
- The Underground City (access points within a 10-minute walk): Especially useful in colder months or rainy weather.
You’re also just a few blocks from several art galleries, wine bars, and cozy restaurants — many of which feel like local secrets tucked into heritage buildings.
Final thoughts : Stay at Hotel Gault
If you’re looking for a place to stay in Montreal that combines historic charm, modern design, and a sense of calm, Hotel Gault checks every box. From the loft-style suites to the in-room breakfast and attentive service, it’s the kind of hotel that quietly elevates your entire trip.
Its location in Old Montreal makes it easy to explore the city’s most iconic spots on foot, while still offering a peaceful retreat at the end of the day. Whether you’re planning a romantic weekend, a solo city break, or even a work-from-hotel escape, Hotel Gault offers a refined, design-forward experience in one of Montreal’s most beautiful neighbourhoods.
*** This visit was at the invitation of Hotel Gault. All opinions remain mine.
Looking for more travel ideas? Check out my other blog posts here!
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I’ll be honest, Peterborough wasn’t on my radar for a long time. It’s one of those places you drive past on your way to a cottage, always meaning to stop, never quite doing it. 🌿
Then I actually stopped.
And now I keep going back.
There’s something about this part of Ontario that feels like it hasn’t been packaged for tourists yet. A small city with a real downtown, surrounded by lakes and forests and history that goes back thousands of years.
Scroll through and I’ll show you exactly how I’d spend a first visit, from the first coffee of the morning to the sunset that completely blew me away!
Some of it will surprise you. Some of it will make you hungry. And at least one slide is going to make you say « wait, that exists in Ontario?! » 🙌
Save this before your next road trip north, you’re going to want it.
👇 Have you ever been to Peterborough? I’ll be back in that area in the Fall so tell me what I missed?
🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.
#Peterborough #Kawarthas #OntarioTravel #ExploreOntario #VisitOntario
I’ve driven this loop more times than I can count and every single time I find something new to love about it.
It starts just outside Ottawa and winds through some of the most underrated corners of Eastern Ontario.
The thing about this road trip is that it doesn’t ask much of you. You don’t need to plan weeks in advance or drive for hours to feel like you’ve actually gotten away. You just need a long weekend, a full tank of gas, and a willingness to slow down.
I’ve been piecing this route together for years, adding stops, swapping others out, finding the spots that are worth the detour and the ones that aren’t. This is the version I keep coming back to. The one I send to friends when they ask where to go. The one that made me fall in love with Eastern Ontario all over again.
Every stop is in the reel. Save this and start planning.
Have you done any of these stops before? Drop the ones you’ve been to below 👇
🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.
#ottawa #ottawatravel #ottawaweekend #easternontario #ontarioroadtrip
Ottawa has this quiet superpower that most people overlook. Within two hours, you can be walking along a UNESCO canal, standing on a lookout over a lake, or eating the best pizza of your life on a patio beside a waterfall.
And yet somehow, most people spend their weekends doing the same thing in the city when all of this is sitting right outside their door.
Scroll through to see my list of nine day trips, all under two hours from Ottawa. One of them might end up becoming your new regular.
Which one is going on your list first? Drop the name below 👇
🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.
#exploreontario #ontariotravel #ottawaweekend #daytrip #ontariogetaway
I almost didn’t go to Kincardine. It kept coming up in conversations; someone would mention it in passing, or I’d see a photo of that lighthouse at golden hour and think “I should go there sometime.” And then I’d forget about it and plan something else instead.
I finally went last Summer. And I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
There’s something about this town that’s hard to explain. It’s not trying to be anything other than what it is, a small lakeside town with Scottish roots, a lighthouse that’s been standing since 1880, beaches that face west so every single evening turns into something worth stopping for, and a community that genuinely seems to love where it lives.
The full guide is in the reel : where to start your morning, which lighthouse to visit, where to eat, where to stay, and the one sunset experience that I genuinely was not prepared for.
Kincardine is about two and a half hours from Toronto and one hour from Kitchener, so save this for your summer planning. 🔖
Have you been to Kincardine before?
🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.
#kincardine #exploreontario #ontariotravel #lakehuron #brucecounty
Ontario has a short summer. Like, genuinely short. And every year I watch September arrive and think about all the things I meant to do and didn’t.
So this year I’m doing things differently. I made a list.
It has hikes that will make you question whether you’re still in Canada. A tradition that has been going on since 1996 that most Ontarians have never witnessed. A beach that books up so fast it’ll make your head spin. A helicopter ride that changes the way you see this province. And a few experiences that are so specific to Ontario that you could only find them here.
All of them are worth making time for before the leaves turn and you’re back in your winter coat wondering where summer went.
Swipe through and be honest with yourself about how many you’ve actually done?
Drop a number below, how many have you checked off? And which one are you adding first? 👇
🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.
#ontariobucketlist #ontariosummer #exploreontario #ontariotravel #ontariohiking
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I’ll be honest, Peterborough wasn’t on my radar for a long time. It’s one of those places you drive past on your way to a cottage, always meaning to stop, never quite doing it. 🌿
Then I actually stopped.
And now I keep going back.
There’s something about this part of Ontario that feels like it hasn’t been packaged for tourists yet. A small city with a real downtown, surrounded by lakes and forests and history that goes back thousands of years.
Scroll through and I’ll show you exactly how I’d spend a first visit, from the first coffee of the morning to the sunset that completely blew me away!
Some of it will surprise you. Some of it will make you hungry. And at least one slide is going to make you say « wait, that exists in Ontario?! » 🙌
Save this before your next road trip north, you’re going to want it.
👇 Have you ever been to Peterborough? I’ll be back in that area in the Fall so tell me what I missed?
🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.
#Peterborough #Kawarthas #OntarioTravel #ExploreOntario #VisitOntario
I’ve driven this loop more times than I can count and every single time I find something new to love about it.
It starts just outside Ottawa and winds through some of the most underrated corners of Eastern Ontario.
The thing about this road trip is that it doesn’t ask much of you. You don’t need to plan weeks in advance or drive for hours to feel like you’ve actually gotten away. You just need a long weekend, a full tank of gas, and a willingness to slow down.
I’ve been piecing this route together for years, adding stops, swapping others out, finding the spots that are worth the detour and the ones that aren’t. This is the version I keep coming back to. The one I send to friends when they ask where to go. The one that made me fall in love with Eastern Ontario all over again.
Every stop is in the reel. Save this and start planning.
Have you done any of these stops before? Drop the ones you’ve been to below 👇
🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.
#ottawa #ottawatravel #ottawaweekend #easternontario #ontarioroadtrip
Ottawa has this quiet superpower that most people overlook. Within two hours, you can be walking along a UNESCO canal, standing on a lookout over a lake, or eating the best pizza of your life on a patio beside a waterfall.
And yet somehow, most people spend their weekends doing the same thing in the city when all of this is sitting right outside their door.
Scroll through to see my list of nine day trips, all under two hours from Ottawa. One of them might end up becoming your new regular.
Which one is going on your list first? Drop the name below 👇
🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.
#exploreontario #ontariotravel #ottawaweekend #daytrip #ontariogetaway
I almost didn’t go to Kincardine. It kept coming up in conversations; someone would mention it in passing, or I’d see a photo of that lighthouse at golden hour and think “I should go there sometime.” And then I’d forget about it and plan something else instead.
I finally went last Summer. And I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
There’s something about this town that’s hard to explain. It’s not trying to be anything other than what it is, a small lakeside town with Scottish roots, a lighthouse that’s been standing since 1880, beaches that face west so every single evening turns into something worth stopping for, and a community that genuinely seems to love where it lives.
The full guide is in the reel : where to start your morning, which lighthouse to visit, where to eat, where to stay, and the one sunset experience that I genuinely was not prepared for.
Kincardine is about two and a half hours from Toronto and one hour from Kitchener, so save this for your summer planning. 🔖
Have you been to Kincardine before?
🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.
#kincardine #exploreontario #ontariotravel #lakehuron #brucecounty
Ontario has a short summer. Like, genuinely short. And every year I watch September arrive and think about all the things I meant to do and didn’t.
So this year I’m doing things differently. I made a list.
It has hikes that will make you question whether you’re still in Canada. A tradition that has been going on since 1996 that most Ontarians have never witnessed. A beach that books up so fast it’ll make your head spin. A helicopter ride that changes the way you see this province. And a few experiences that are so specific to Ontario that you could only find them here.
All of them are worth making time for before the leaves turn and you’re back in your winter coat wondering where summer went.
Swipe through and be honest with yourself about how many you’ve actually done?
Drop a number below, how many have you checked off? And which one are you adding first? 👇
🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.
#ontariobucketlist #ontariosummer #exploreontario #ontariotravel #ontariohiking