In Montreal’s Old Port, SonoLux hotel is a match for the city’s vast art scene | Canada Voices

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’s Old Port and downtown, is positioning itself as an extension of the city’s artistic reputation.

On its website, the hotel, which opened late last year, bills itself as a “tribute to contemporary art and its influence on both our individual and collective lives.”

Why you should visit

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 – SonoLux fits the bill.

It’s 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’t detract from the art installations that greet guests at nearly every corner.

After entering SonoLux through the building’s 1914 façade, which remains intact postreno, guests immediately find themselves in the restaurant dining room. One trapping of the hotel – unavoidable in a narrow, early-20th century building – is that common spaces often overlap. Still, it’s 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.

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’s 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 – a thoughtful option for those who travel with an early riser.

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.

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’s 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.

Outside of a TV channel that offers information about the current exhibit, the rooms contain no hint of the hotel’s art mandate. In this way, “art hotel” is something of a misnomer, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing: it’s more of a hotel with art, which is to say, you can take a break.

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.

If there’s 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’s basement bar. Audiophiles will appreciate the sound system and vinyl collection, both curated by Montreal DJ Fred Everything.

Since you’re in the neighbourhood

SonoLux is walking distance from the Notre-Dame Basilica, Montreal Museum of Archeology and History, Place des Arts and the Bell Centre. But it’s 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 … well, just about anywhere. If you prefer to stay in the neighbourhood, consider a visit to Scandinave Spa; since SonoLux doesn’t have its own spa or fitness facilities, guests get a 15 per cent discount.

Room for improvement

The hotel’s 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’s 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’re sitting in one, you have a front-row view of a staffer’s cellphone screen. Perhaps some of those blackout curtains from upstairs could be of use.

The takeaway

SonoLux’s bar, restaurant and art spaces are ambitious and well-thought-out, and each would be worth a visit even if you weren’t staying at the hotel as a guest. In a city with as much remarkable food, nightlife and art as Montreal, that’s an achievement.

SonoLux, 25 Rue Saint-Jacques, in Montreal’s Old Port neighbourhood. The hotel has 36 rooms, starting at $233 per night. sonolux.ca

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.