“It’s the largest hotel in Montreal after the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth,” says general manager Bertil Fabre.
He explains that the renovations took place in phases, first the rooms, then the Club Lounge, lobby, bar and restaurant. “We renovated all 825 rooms! We broke everything, we redid all the plumbing, the bathrooms, all the rooms are equipped with new technologies. We continued with the Club Lounge, a very beautiful space located at 37e floor where our customers have access for an additional fee, the view is magnificent, they can work there, have breakfast there and a drink in the evening between 5 and 7,” he says.
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PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The 825 rooms have been renovated.
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PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The entrance hall of the Sheraton Center in Montreal
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PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The Club Lounge cubicles, at 37e floor, for teleworking with a view!
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PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
On the ground floor, the large windows let in light.
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PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The renovations were necessary to keep the hotel competitive.
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PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The Stanley restaurant at the Sheraton Center in Montreal.
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The entrance hall and the new Le Stanley restaurant, on the ground floor, are now very bright. Large floor-to-ceiling windows let in light, making the atmosphere very pleasant. There is the desire for the restaurant to be a place frequented as much by tourists as by Montrealers morning, noon and evening. “I am very proud of the result, everything has changed, the menu is completely new, brunch is back on weekends, there is also a wide variety of cocktails – with or without alcohol –, gins and beers. ‘here, and there’s a great atmosphere at the bar on hockey game nights! “, he said.
The Harricana brewery has created two exclusive beers for the restaurant, Stanley 1201 and 1892.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The Le Stanley restaurant wants to attract both hotel guests and people from outside.
We tasted the homemade pastries made by executive chef Alexandre Martin and they are worth the detour; it’s perhaps the Sheraton’s best kept secret.
A renewal that does good
The hotel needed to renew and reposition itself, because customers are increasingly demanding. “I arrived at the Sheraton Center six years ago and there was already a major renovation plan. Marriott bought the Starwood chain, of which the Sheraton was a part, and it was necessary to attract convention and business customers, particularly Americans and Canadians,” confides Bertil Fabre.
There is competition in Montreal, it’s healthy, we must make the difference in terms of service, experience, we must always adapt, that’s what the hotel industry is all about.
Bertil Fabre, general director of the Sheraton Center
Originally from Toulonk, in the south of France, he arrived in Montreal in 1988 and studied at the Institute of Tourism and Hospitality of Quebec (ITHQ). Once he obtained his diploma in hotel management, he went through all the professions. “I started as an intern at the Delta hotel, I went through all the departments: the kitchen where I peeled carrots, room cleaning, parking, reception, day, night… We understand our job better when we start from the base! » He worked at the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, the Omni Hotel, the Hilton Bonaventure, and he knew he wanted to be general manager. “You have to be passionate, there is no schedule, I like contact with people, it’s fabulous,” notes the man who manages 456 employees.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Bertil Fabre, general director of the Sheraton Center
The challenges of a hotel like Le Center Sheraton are numerous. The hotel obviously has to be filled and Montreal winters are slower periods. “We have to work on seasonality, we will never be full in January or February, but we have to talk about our winter in a positive way to attract tourists. Montréal en Lumière and Igloofest are events that contribute to this,” he believes.
Guests who frequent the hotel come mainly from the United States, the rest of Canada – many from Toronto –, Europe, Mexico and Quebec. “We try to have a year-round market, for example we accommodate airline employees. At the end of March, we have the delegations of the countries participating in the World Figure Skating Championships, it will be a great start to spring! Montreal has a good reputation in the world, Tourisme Montréal does an excellent job, just like the Palais des congrès, which needs to expand to be competitive,” he says.
“The average price of a room varies depending on the month of the year, on average $250 per night and during the F1 Grand Prix it is $1000. The year 2023 was very good, there was a great recovery in international tourism and I am very optimistic for 2024. We have a brand new hotel and we are on a good start,” concludes the general director.
Visit the Le Center Sheraton hotel website