Sonolux: A Contemporary Art Hotel Revitalizes Old Montreal

Innovative new stays are coming to Old Montreal. Hospitality group Épik Collection broke the mold for Old Montreal hotels with Uville, which has groovy, ’70s-inspired art and decor. With sonolux, the company breathes more fresh air into Montreal’s most-visited neighborhood, starting with it’s crisp $18 million restoration of a 1915 neo-classical bank building that had been unoccupied for decades.

Touting itself as a “contemporary art hotel,” Sonolux has turned its eight floors into video art galleries, with handpicked works projected across hallway walls.Repurposed red movie theater seats allow you to sit down and contemplate the art. If you’re not necessarily used to seeing immersive multimedia art in hotels, it can be a little jarring to step off an elevator into a dim space popping with raucous animation and sound effects, but one of Sonolux’s goals is to provoke, and on that score, it succeeds.

The debut exhibition, “seeds of R/Evolution,” doesn’t pull punches, with unfiltered installations that delve into Canada’s history and confront themes of radical change.The exhibition includes lisa Jackson’s “Savage,” a haunting immersive musical playing on my floor as I got off the elevator.

Sonolux

* Sonolux is in the heart of Old Montreal, just steps from Notre-Dame Basilica and a speedy walk to the Place-D’Armes Metro station.
* While the public and social spaces are filled with art installations, the guest rooms are intentionally understated, creating a homey refuge.
* At on-site restaurants Lumi and Subterra, chef Graham Hood serves beautifully composed plates and appetizing flavor combinations.

A Stylish Stay at Montreal’s Sonolux Hotel

The 302-square-foot space had a firm, king-sized mattress and four fluffy pillows, along with a duvet and a fuzzy brown comforter that kept me toasty over two chilly Montreal nights. the heat also kicked in quickly once I adjusted the digital thermostat. A sleek wooden headboard ascended to the ceiling. The only pop of color came from twin tangerine-hued chairs beside a small windowside table.

For such a high-design hotel, certain elements of the room felt refreshingly low tech and homey.There are actual light switches, rather than a control panel that requires an engineering degree to operate.

With two sets of blackout curtains, I managed to oversleep for the first time in years-something I consider a plus when I’m not sleeping in my own bed.

The bathroom is functional rather than luxurious, with a glassed-in shower stocked with non-toxic, botanical toiletries by Quebec-based brand Oneka Elements. Beware the smart toilet, which might spray water in yoru face if you blearily press the wrong button in the middle of the night.

Food and Drink

Some of the most memorable art at Sonolux is coming out of chef Graham Hood’s kitchen. His resume includes Chicago’s Alinea,Sonoma County’s Cyrus,and acclaimed Montreal restaurants Brontë and St-James. In short,his food is sensational.

At Lumi, Sonolux’s ground-floor restaurant, menus are printed on playing cards. Each starter, main, and dessert gets its own card, and once you choose, you hand the cards to your server. When the dish is delivered, the card is displayed again on a small stand, so you know what you’re eating.

A starter of matsutake mushrooms with dashi, black garlic, and pineapple had me closing my eyes in blissful contemplation. My main-fluke with doenjang soybean paste, leek, shiitake, and rye-was ethereal. A dessert of

Sonolux Hotel review

Family-friendly Offerings

Sonolux feels like a hotel for adults. The video art isn’t inappropriate,but it’s not really for kids. Luckily,the neighborhood has lots of family-friendly things to do,like the Pointe-à-Callière history museum and cercle Polaire, a lighting art exhibit at the Old Port.

Accessibility and Sustainability

The rooms aren’t fully accessible for people with disabilities, but there’s an elevator to all floors. “The building’s structure made it hard to adapt for accessibility. This is common with older buildings in Old Montreal,” says Daniel Gallant, Vice President of Épik Collection and a creator of sonolux.

Location

Sonolux is in a great spot in Old Montreal. It’s easy to walk to many attractions, restaurants, and shops. The address is 60 Saint-Paul St W, Montreal, QC H2Y 2Z3, Canada.