{"id":544492,"date":"2026-03-18T12:43:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T12:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/544492\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T12:43:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T12:43:08","slug":"in-montreals-old-port-sonolux-hotel-is-a-match-for-the-citys-vast-art-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/544492\/","title":{"rendered":"In Montreal\u2019s Old Port, SonoLux hotel is a match for the city\u2019s vast art scene"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sonolux hotel in Montreal.Sonolux<\/p>\n

There are few Canadian cities better for lovers of the arts than Montreal. From its many world-class galleries to year-round public art festivals, the largest city in la belle province is a true haven for culture aficionados. SonoLux, a new art hotel straddling the city\u2019s Old Port and downtown, is positioning itself as an extension of the city\u2019s artistic reputation. <\/p>\n

On its website, the hotel, which opened late last year, bills itself as a \u201ctribute to contemporary art and its influence on both our individual and collective lives.\u201d <\/p>\n

Why you should visit<\/p>\n

In a city with offerings as vast and varied as Montreal, it takes a lot for a hotel to make you want to stick around and explore \u2013 SonoLux fits the bill. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s located in the historic National Trust building, which has received a complete interior overhaul, a collaboration between Melatti Construction, Geiger Huot architecture and Zabb Design. The decor is sleek, modern and intentional, but minimalist enough that it doesn\u2019t detract from the art installations that greet guests at nearly every corner. <\/p>\n

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Rooms are as stylish as the main spaces, with a warm, earthy colour palette that\u2019s more cozy than crisp.Sonolux<\/p>\n

After entering SonoLux through the building\u2019s 1914 fa\u00e7ade, which remains intact postreno, guests immediately find themselves in the restaurant dining room. One trapping of the hotel \u2013 unavoidable in a narrow, early-20th century building \u2013 is that common spaces often overlap. Still, it\u2019s a seamless process, if not exactly intuitive. In other words: The self check-in, at least for this writer, needed to be an entirely guided process. <\/p>\n

There are 36 rooms in SonoLux, accessible through a single elevator beside the check-in kiosks. Rooms are as stylish as the main spaces, with a warm, earthy colour palette that\u2019s more cozy than crisp. A pair of blackout curtains runs along the ceiling about five feet out from the window, giving guests the option to contain the small table setting within \u2013 a thoughtful option for those who travel with an early riser. <\/p>\n

At SonoLux, the main hallway of each floor is equipped with large video screens set in front of reclaimed theatre seating. The screens will host multimedia art exhibitions, slated to rotate every six months. <\/p>\n

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The main hallway of each floor is equipped with large video screens.Sonolux<\/p>\n

During my visit, video series Seeds of R\/Evolution focused on social themes from colonization to queer liberation. SonoLux has enlisted Cheryl Sim, director and chief curator at Montreal\u2019s Phi gallery, to curate this exhibition. The choose-your-own-adventure style of SonoLux is appealing: You can either set aside an hour or so to view all the installations at once, floor-by-floor, or take them in at your leisure, since they run 24-7.<\/p>\n

Outside of a TV channel that offers information about the current exhibit, the rooms contain no hint of the hotel\u2019s art mandate. In this way, \u201cart hotel\u201d is something of a misnomer, but that\u2019s not necessarily a bad thing: it\u2019s more of a hotel with art, which is to say, you can take a break.<\/p>\n

This vibe extends to the main-floor restaurant, Lumi, where chef Graham Hood has put together an elegant, seasonal tasting menu. Diners are surrounded by wall-to-wall video screens, but the projections are gentle and ambient (think high-concept screensaver) so the experience is immersive, but not distracting.<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s seafood on the menu, tuck in: My lobster agnolotti was divine. And save room for dessert, either at your table or downstairs at Subterra, SonoLux\u2019s basement bar. Audiophiles will appreciate the sound system and vinyl collection, both curated by Montreal DJ Fred Everything.<\/p>\n

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Subterra, SonoLux\u2019s basement bar.Sonolux<\/p>\n

Since you\u2019re in the neighbourhood<\/p>\n

SonoLux is walking distance from the Notre-Dame Basilica, Montreal Museum of Archeology and History, Place des Arts and the Bell Centre. But it\u2019s also close enough to several metro stops, so you can spend a day shopping in Old Port, stop in at the Basilica and then hop on the metro to \u2026 well, just about anywhere. If you prefer to stay in the neighbourhood, consider a visit to Scandinave Spa; since SonoLux doesn\u2019t have its own spa or fitness facilities, guests get a 15 per cent discount. <\/p>\n

Room for improvement<\/p>\n

The hotel\u2019s narrow layout can at times feel awkward and pull the veil back on what is otherwise excellent hospitality. The self check-in kiosks, for instance, are right beside the restaurant\u2019s kitchen, so there is frequent foot-traffic from servers and audible chatter from the back-of-house. The front desk, meanwhile, is a stand set up directly beside a row of banquettes, and if you\u2019re sitting in one, you have a front-row view of a staffer\u2019s cellphone screen. Perhaps some of those blackout curtains from upstairs could be of use. <\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

SonoLux\u2019s bar, restaurant and art spaces are ambitious and well-thought-out, and each would be worth a visit even if you weren\u2019t staying at the hotel as a guest. In a city with as much remarkable food, nightlife and art as Montreal, that\u2019s an achievement.<\/p>\n

SonoLux<\/a>, 25 Rue Saint-Jacques, in Montreal\u2019s Old Port neighbourhood. The hotel has 36 rooms, starting at $233 per night. sonolux.ca<\/a><\/p>\n

The writer travelled as a guest of the hotel, which did not review or approve this article. Stories are based on merit; The Globe does not guarantee coverage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Sonolux hotel in Montreal.Sonolux There are few Canadian cities better for lovers of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":544493,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194292],"tags":[49,48,2338,2922],"class_list":["post-544492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-montreal","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-montreal","tag-noastack"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=544492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544492\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/544493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=544492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=544492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=544492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}