I rarely write reviews, but after this stay at the Omni Montreal I felt compelled to share the complete lack of customer service that we experienced — from the moment we checked in to weeks after we had left.
Check-In: Rushed and Impersonal
The check-in process set the tone for everything that followed. The lobby was chaos and poorly managed. A large company was checking in and rather than having a seperate queue for them, everyone was stuck waiting behind them. I had a corporate booking arranged and paid upfront through a corporate travel agent. At check-in I was asked for a credit card for a deposit hold, which I clarified and was assured was for the deposit only as this booking was a prepaid corporate booking, but was surprised to see a $1,900 hold placed on my card. When I questioned it, I was reassured the full amount would be released upon checkout. Beyond that, I was told nothing about the hotel or its amenities and had to pull information out of the agent before being hurried along.
The Room: Not What You'd Expect at This Price Point
The hotel feels tired and well past its prime. The rooms are dated with cracking walls, the carpets felt dirty underfoot, and the bathroom was far from acceptable. We found hair all over the bathroom floor and called reception to have housekeeping return. Someone came up to quickly wipe the floors, and that was that. A little frustrating considering we arrived 1-2 hours before the official check-in time, and were told a complimentary early check-in wasn't available without an additional $50 fee (as they needed to clean the room). If that's the case, I'd really expect a clean room once we came back many hours later after the official check-in time.
Housekeeping: A Pattern of Indifference
What really pushed the comfort of this stay over the edge was a situation in the hallway. From when we checked in, a tray of dirty dishes was left outside the room across from ours, visable from when we arrived. By day two it was still there, had more food stacked on top, and was starting to smell. We called reception, were told someone would take care of it, and went to bed expecting it to be gone by morning. It wasn't. We called again, got the same answer, and watched housekeeping walk past it twice without touching it or flagging it to anyone. It took three full days and multiple follow-ups from us before it was finally removed. Guests shouldn't have to chase down basic cleanliness issues repeatedly only to be dismissed each time.
Checkout: A Two-Hour Ordeal
At checkout, we handed over our luggage to be held for a couple of hours and were assured by the agent that he would personally complete our checkout. When we returned, we picked up our bags (and they tried to give us an additional bag belonging to someone else), and I noticed through my phone that checkout had not been processed. A different front desk agent confirmed we were still checked in and that they were about to charge my card the full cost of the stay, $1,649.06 CAD, despite the reservation being a prepaid corporate booking.
The reservation agent, Juan, was very dismissive and told us flatly that there was nothing he could do and refused to engage further. We were left with no choice but to contact our travel agent ourselves and ask him to call the hotel directly to sort out a problem that should never have been ours to solve. We spoke to the corporate travel agent who told us he spoke to the reservation agent (Juan). When the travel agent called, I watched Juan pick up the phone and hang it up as the new agent who was helping us went out back. We told his colleague this, and he told us no call had come through. His colleague tried to step in but clearly lacked the experience to handle it, and when he turned to Juan for support and told him the travel agent said he had spoken to him when making the initial booking, Juan walked away and dismissively told him to get management. The story between them changed a few times, and we kept having to come up with solutions. The attitude from both agents at the desk was ranging from nonchalant to outright rude.
The manager on duty, Henri, was far more professional. He worked with the travel agent over the phone to piece together what had happened and got us on our way, specifically assuring me my card would not be charged the full amount at all and that he would handle it. We specifically asked and clarified this multiple times, and he assured us that was the case.
A Charge I Never Authorized
Three days later, on May 25th, I saw a full charge for the entire stay on my credit card. An unauthorized charge, on a card I had only provided for a temporary hold. The hotel took those funds without my consent and without warning. It took until June 8th before the refund finally appeared on my account — nearly two weeks of chasing a charge I never authorized, on top of everything else this stay had already put us through.
Final Thoughts
This was not a one-off mistake. It was a pattern of poor communication, staff indifference, substandard cleanliness, and a complete lack of accountability at every level. A hotel at this price point should not require guests to fight for basic cleanliness, chase billing errors they didn't create, or feel like they're being held hostage at checkout. We won't be returning unless this situation is somehow rectified, and I would have a hard time recommending this property to anyone based on my current experience.
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