Perfect Stay
- August 30, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
We weren't disappointed. The convenient location to the old city and fine dining, our 8th floor room with view of the St. Lawrence River, comfortable beds & linens, breakfast, coffee machine, as well as all the staff surpassed our expectations.
Editor Pick
Hotel Dominion 1912
- April 22, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
TLM2008 from Toronto, Ontario
I’m walking through the lobby of the boutique hotel “Hotel Dominion 1912” nestled away on rue Saint Pierre in Old Quebec City and I spot a wall full of distinctions, awards and accolades. I’m not the least bit surprised. I help myself to a cappuccino from the complimentary, always available, espresso bar and lose myself in the big comfy couch in front of the roaring fire in the fireplace. A group nearby is drinking wine and enjoying a rousing game of scrabble which they have borrowed from the lending library of games and books in the lobby. This is a life I could become accustomed to and this is a hotel worthy of recommendation…
My travels to Quebec City were business related and my party occupied several rooms in the small hotel. In addition we made use of the meeting facilities which I will briefly touch upon later in this journal, lest any potential business travellers read this review.
I arrived at the hotel and immediately discovered the staff to be warm and inviting. For example, on my way to my room, an employee sharing the elevator asked if I would want him to accompany me so he could explain the heating/cooling system and any other features I might wonder about in my room. I declined, with thanks, but it shows the attention to detail of the always smiling staff of the Hotel Dominion 1912. All staff encountered were (at minimum) bilingual for both French and English. Entering my room I found it to be warm and inviting, soft music was playing over the Bose sound-system and it was chicly decorated with original photography and artwork. Inviting and tranquil and yet strangely, somehow perfectly accommodating for the business traveller. The desk had good lighting and an appropriate-sized work table with an ergonomic chair. The bathroom was clean, modern and well-appointed in terms of toiletries. I detest the shampoo and conditioner normally encountered in hotel living but Hotel Dominion 1912 delivered with Aveda products, such a small thing but it makes travel so much more inviting. Turn down service each evening prepared the room nicely for my late returns from dinner: soft music again, soft lighting, my bathrobe laid out on the bed and two delectable chocolates (one dark, one milk). Although I was there for a busy working weekend, it was not hard to picture how one might lose themselves in the serenity of the Hotel Dominion for a weekend. Amenities of the hotel include the previously mentioned cappuccino bar. Self-serve, it was fully automatic but far from “instant coffee” as it was equipped with a grinder and housed both decaffeinated and caffeinated beans. Options were steamed milk, espresso, cappuccino, café latte and allonghi. A variety of teas and hot chocolate were close at hand. I developed a speciality beverage for the duration of my stay which involved two scoops of powdered chocolate, a shot of hot milk, two dispensers worth of cappuccino and one dispenser worth of espresso in a giant cappuccino bowl. Powdered cocoa and cinnamon are available to top it off. Have I spent too much time talking about the cappuccino/espresso maker? Moving on, there are bowls of fruit distributed in the lobby and they are meant for the guests to help themselves. Morning finds a small but well appointed complimentary continental breakfast. Croissants and pastries, toast, hard-boiled eggs, a selection of cheeses, granola, yogurt and fruit are available. The fresh squeezed juice is amazing and the jams appear to be homemade. I peeked into the workout room in the basement and it appeared sparse (one or two treadmills, an exercise bike, possibly an elliptical trainer, no television); this may be viewed as a disadvantage to some but I did not avail myself of the facilities so I can’t comment further. I have only two true criticisms of my room itself. (1) is that the only clock in the room is the digital display on the Bose cd player situated near the desk and television. Not being able to read the display from the bed it was somewhat irritating to not know what time it was when I woke in the night. (2) my particular room did not have a bathtub. To me, this was not an issue and I actually preferred the large, glass-enclosed shower, but it’s worth disclosing as it could bother some. Other rooms in the hotel do have bathtubs so you would be wise to ask if this were important to you. As I hope is evident, my complaints are few and trivial at best.
Special footnote: As mentioned previously I used the Hotel Dominion for business travel and my colleagues and I spent two productive days in the sole meeting room offered by the hotel. The service was impeccable and without a doubt it was the absolute nicest meeting room I have sat in for two days. The room seemed well-equipped electronically including a large flat screen LCD television. In the evening, the hotel accommodated our request to turn the meeting room into a hospitality suite and provided an efficient server who brought us wine and scotch. I would note that during the day we paid to have coffee and cookies brought in as snacks and given the free espresso bar in the lobby the coffee was rather a waste, the lobby being only a few feet from the meeting area.
Highly recommend the Hotel Dominion 1912 as a romantic weekend getaway or for the business traveller hosting a meeting.
www.hotelboutique.com
From journal A Taste of Europe: in Canada
Top Notch
- August 25, 2006
- Rated 5 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
Hotel location is excellent, facility is very nice, the beds are very comfortable, but the staff's attention to your needs is what sets this apart, which all added up to a most enjoyable stay!