Waldorf=Astoria planned for Montreal
To be modelled on N.Y. namesake; $200-million hotel on Sherbrooke St. will feature 250 guest rooms and 76 residences
MIKE KING, The Gazette
Published: 8 hours ago
Already experiencing its biggest hotel-building boom since the heady days of Expo 67, Montreal can now add the famed Waldorf=Astoria name to its inventory.
Local real estate company Monit Investments will spend $200 million developing and building the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel & Residence Montreal on what is now a parking lot it owns near Guy and Sherbrooke Sts.
The 32-storey hotel, consisting of twin towers, will be modelled on its namesake on New York City's Park Ave.
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Font:****Like the Manhattan hotel, the Montreal version will be luxuriously appointed, featuring 250 guest rooms, 76 residences, nearly 1,400 square metres of ballroom and meeting space, signature restaurants, bars and a spa and fitness centre.
While most of the building will face Guy, an access onto Sherbrooke will give the hotel the cachet of an address on that more prestigious street. Being set behind the Medical Arts Building means the new building will not be subject to the 60-metre height restriction in effect for new buildings on Sherbrooke W.
The Sherbrooke access became available in 2003 when a fire destroyed three 19th-century row houses next to the Medical Arts Building.
"Montreal is a culturally rich city that is on the forefront of design, art, entertainment, culinary achievements and other pillars that define a great city, making Montreal an ideal fit for the Waldorf=Astoria Collection," said Alex Kotler, Monit chairman.
Waldorf=Astoria spokesperson David Semanoff said in a phone interview from New York that the flagship of the upscale chain will manage the Montreal property as well, to ensure the Waldorf brand and standards are maintained.
Pierre Bellerose, vice-president of public relations and marketing for Tourisme Montréal, noted that the Waldorf=Astoria is part of the city's "hotel mini-boom."
Bellerose has compiled a list of 17 substantial hotel projects between 2006 and 2009 that have been completed or are on the boards, not including the Waldorf=Astoria. In total, more than 2,500 rooms and 100 suites and condos are being added to the city's hotel inventory.
"There are a lot of smaller projects (under way), too, and more to be announced soon," he said without giving any further details.
According to Bellerose, the latest boom, "not seen for more than 40 years," started in the early 1990s with half a dozen big projects like the Hotel InterContinental Montreal, followed by the introduction from 2001 to 2003 of several boutique hotels around Old Montreal.
The projects have been more corporate since 2006, and Bellerose attributes that to stable interest rates and increasing international interest in North America.
mking@thegazette.canwest.com
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So what's with the ' = ' in Waldorf=Astoria?
On March 24, 1893, New York millionaire William Waldorf Astor opened the 13-storey Waldorf Hotel on the site of his former mansion at Fifth Ave. and 33rd St. It had electricity throughout and private bathrooms in many guest chambers - two of a long list of Waldorf firsts.
The Waldorf was joined four years later by the 17-storey Astoria
Hotel, erected on an adjacent site by Waldorf's cousin, John Jacob Astor IV.
A corridor built to connect the two buildings became an enduring symbol of the combined Waldorf and Astoria hotels and remains represented by the equal sign in the name Waldorf=Astoria.
The original Waldorf=Astoria closed in 1929 after decades of playing host to distinguished visitors from around the world. It paved the way for a reincarnation 15 blocks north on Park Ave.
When the current hotel opened on Oct. 1, 1931, it was the world's largest and tallest hotel and is still one of the world's largest art deco buildings.
montrealgazette.com
Photo Gallery
Immerse yourself in a gallery of Montreal's luxury hotels through the ages.
17 major hotel projects in Montreal (2006-09)
Hampton Inn & Suites
April 2006 (55 rooms)
Courtyard Montreal Airport
August 2006 (160 rooms)
Marriott Residence Inn
Montreal Airport
August 2006 (170 rooms)
Hôtel VIP St-Jacques
November 2006 (40 suites)
Hôtel Dauphin Montréal
December 2006 (72 rooms)
Novotel Montréal Aéroport
February 2007 (120 rooms)
Hôtel Nelligan
Expansion in May 2007
(44 rooms added)
Hôtel Candelwood Suites
Montréal, August 2007
(136 rooms)
Embassy Suites
August 2007 (210 rooms)
Le Crystal de la Montagne
April 2008
(131 rooms and 59 condos)
Hôtel Aloft
de l'Aéroport de Montréal
June 2008 (136 rooms)
Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites Montréal Aéroport
June 2008 (162 rooms)
Hilton Garden Inn
July 2008 (216 rooms)
Marriott
New airport hotel in February 2009 (275 rooms)
Hôtel Westin Montréal
February 2009 (400 rooms)
Hôtel Ritz-Carlton de Montréal Reopening June 2009 (130 rooms/suites, 35 residential apartments and 15 apartment suites)
Hôtel Gare-Viger
Spring 2010 (225 rooms)
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