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The Ritz-Carlton, Montréal
Montréal, Quebec, Canada · Ritz-Carlton · Grand Luxury
César Ritz licensed his name for C$25,000 to Montreal investors led by Charles Hosmer, insisting every room have a bathroom and every floor a kitchen. Warren and Wetmore's hotel opened with a New Year's Eve 1912 gala. Elizabeth Taylor married Richard Burton in the Royal Suite in 1964; François Dupré later added a garden pond with twenty-four ducklings. Maison Boulud anchors the dining room today.
- 129 rooms
- Opened 1912
- Neighborhood: Montreal
- Rooms from 400 sq ft (37 m²)
- Architect: Warren & Wetmore
About The Ritz-Carlton, Montréal
- Opened New Year's Eve 1912 as the second Ritz-Carlton in North America, with César Ritz licensing the name for C$25,000 under strict service standards.
- Warren and Wetmore designed the Sherbrooke Street hotel at a cost of about C$2 million.
- On Valentine's Day 1916 the first Canadian transcontinental telephone call was placed from the hotel to Vancouver.
- Owner François Dupré opened the Ritz Garden in the early 1950s, where guests dined beside a pond stocked with twenty-four ducklings.
History
Montreal financiers Charles Hosmer, Sir Herbert Holt, Sir Montagu Allan, and Sir Charles Gordon formed the Carlton Hotel Company in 1909 with Lionel Guest, a cousin of Winston Churchill, and Harry Higgins of London's Ritz. Hosmer, a friend of César Ritz, persuaded them to pay C$25,000 for the Ritz name, the second Ritz-Carlton in North America after New York. Ritz insisted every room have a bathroom, every floor a kitchen for course-by-course service, and a small lobby with a curved staircase. Land came from Charles Meredith. Warren and Wetmore designed a C$2 million house at Sherbrooke and Drummond. Doors opened at 11:15 p.m. on New Year's Eve 1912 with a ball for 350.
On Valentine's Day 1916 the first Canadian transcontinental telephone call was placed from the hotel: two hundred businessmen heard Bell's chairman reach Vancouver. In 1919 the Prince of Wales made the first royal visit, in the seventeen-room Royal Suite. Queen Marie of Romania and Prince George, Duke of Kent followed. Former U.S. president William Howard Taft entertained in the Presidential Suite through 1921. Two-thirds of early guests lived here permanently. Swiss manager Émile des Baillets, in post from 1924, watched Depression travellers shrink from steamer trunks to overnight bags. Albert Frossard dropped compulsory white tie in 1940 so more diners would come.
François Dupré, already owner of Paris's George V and Plaza Athénée, bought the hotel in 1947, opened Le Bar Maritime in 1948, and in the early 1950s added the Ritz Garden pond with twenty-four ducklings. A 67-room wing arrived in 1957. Elizabeth Taylor married Richard Burton in the Royal Suite in 1964. After a four-year, C$200 million restoration by Provencher Roy, the hotel reopened on 28 May 2012 with 129 rooms and Maison Boulud, still the only Montreal palace to keep the Ritz-Carlton name from 1912.
The setting
3 km from Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal. 4 km from Vieux Port de Montréal.
Restaurants and bars
- Maison Boulud — Restaurant · French · Chef Daniel Boulud
- The Palm Court — Restaurant
- Dom Pérignon Champagne Bar — Bar
Experiences
- Afternoon Tea — Afternoon tea served in the Palm Court, a tradition at the hotel since 1912.
- Dom Pérignon Lounge Experience — Champagne at the only Dom Pérignon bar in North America, in the Palm Court.
- Cosner Art Gallery — In-hotel gallery presenting Canadian painters and international artists; works can be delivered anywhere in the world.
- Spa St. James — Spa with waterfalls, fireplaces and an indoor saltwater pool; signature couples aromatherapy escape and nonsurgical facial.
- Hotel Experiences — Bespoke experiences including doggy VIP stays, wine tastings, afternoon tea and gourmet picnics.
- Fitness Centre — Cardiovascular and strength equipment, locker rooms, sauna and steam rooms, open 24 hours a day.
Amenities
- Spa
- Indoor pool
- Fitness center
- Fine dining
- Pet-friendly
- EV charging
Awards
- AAA Five Diamond (2026)
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN One Key (2026)
- Ontario's Leading Business Hotel 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
- Quebec's Leading Hotel 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
- Quebec's Leading Hotel Suite 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
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