Hotel Intel: Hyatt Centric adds modern vibe to Old Montreal

The spanking new Hyatt Centric Ville-Marie Montréal is part of Place Gare Viger, an architectural sensation and construction triumph where avant-garde design meets the history of Old Montreal.

It’s also a cool, dynamic hotel with 177 rooms and suites with attractive decor and worldly dining and drinking at Cartier Arms, operated by Burgundy Lion Group, the popular pub people.

By summer, there will be patio dining, a private landscaped courtyard with a café and — surely the next Old Montreal social hot spot — a 14th-floor rooftop restaurant and an outdoor swimming pool.

Because Old Montreal is low-rise, the views from the hotel’s higher floors are an amazing panorama of the St. Lawrence River, Marché Bonsecours and the bridges to the South Shore.

It’s Canada’s first Hyatt Centric, which is an urban brand that celebrates contemporary lifestyle and local culture. The staff wear blazers and jeans, and signature amenities include hooded bathrobes in sweatshirt-grey cotton, eco-friendly BeeKind toiletries and, if great hair is a priority, powerful blow-dryers by Drybar.