gouverneur hotel?

[LarryB]

hey guys....is the gouverneur hotel still the best place to stay near the gay village? i usually go to stockbar and campus when i visit montreal so Gouverneur was always very conventient...anybody know if it's still okay place?

[cany10011]

1 minute ago, LarryB said:

hey guys....is the gouverneur hotel still the best place to stay near the gay village? i usually go to stockbar and campus when i visit montreal so Gouverneur was always very conventient...anybody know if it's still okay place?

I believe it's the Hyatt now. Just booked a visit for August. https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/canada/hyatt-place-montreal-downtown/yulzm

 

[LarryB]

thanks cany 10011

 

[+ BOZO T CLOWN]

It's now a "Hyatt Place". Not a full service Hyatt.

There are so many beautiful hotels in much nicer areas of Montreal, including the Golden Square Mile with many 3, 4, and 5 star hotels that are probably a 20 minute walk to Stock and Campus bars.  The Metro is also a clean, safe, and fast way to get around Montreal, and all lines lead to Berri/UQAM, which is a 3-minute walk to the clubs.

The gay village has become very seedy. Every second or third storefront has been shuttered, likely victims of COVID. There are more homeless, drug addicts, and aggressive panhandlers in the gay village than I have ever seen before. I can't fathom why anyone would want to spend their days in that area in addition to their evenings and nights.

BoZo

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by BOZO T CLOWN

[cany10011]

2 hours ago, BOZO T CLOWN said:

It's now a "Hyatt Place". Not a full service Hyatt.

There are so many beautiful hotels in much nicer areas of Montreal, including the Golden Square Mile with many 3, 4, and 5 star hotels that are probably a 20 minute walk to Stock and Campus bars.  The Metro is also a clean, safe, and fast way to get around Montreal, and all lines lead to Berri/UQAM, which is a 3-minute walk to the clubs.

The gay village has become very seedy. Every second or third storefront has been shuttered, likely victims of COVID. There are more homeless, drug addicts, and aggressive panhandlers in the gay village than I have ever seen before. I can't fathom why anyone would want to spend their days in that area in addition to their evenings and nights.

BoZo

 

Thanks  my friends booked that place for the Madonna concert (now cancelled). I’m just going along with the group. Hopefully the location won’t impact the experience too much of visiting Montreal. 

[+ azdr0710]

2 hours ago, BOZO T CLOWN said:

The gay village has become very seedy. Every second or third storefront has been shuttered, likely victims of COVID. There are more homeless, drug addicts, and aggressive panhandlers in the gay village than I have ever seen before. I can't fathom why anyone would want to spend their days in that area in addition to their evenings and nights.

 

for insecure US residents like me, who are constantly drilled daily about what an utter paradise Canada is, it was refreshing indeed to dodge the several homeless sleeping on the heat grates in the sidewalk in front of the Gouverneur (sp) during my winter visit a few years ago......  😉

[tazmanian5230]

I stayed at the Hyatt recently. At best it might be 3 stars, maybe could compare to a Holiday Inn. 

When you return to the hotel at night after the clubs the entrance door is locked, you have to ring a bell show your room key for the front desk clerk to let you in. 

Might not be great for entertaining. 

To the right of the hotel entrance is a doorway used by refugees in Canada seeking asylum staying at the hotel. The manager told me they are housed on the lower floors of the hotel.  The link is to a March 2022 CBC article about the use of the hotel. Most of the hotel has since been renovated however the lower floors are still occupied by refugees. I wouldn't stay there again. 

'We're in the red here': Montreal shelters for asylum seekers nearing capacity | CBC News

WWW.CBC.CA

---

Since the reopening of Quebec's Roxham Road last November, the unauthorized border point has seen...

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by tazmanian5230

[Luv2play]

It is an exageration to say the Gay Village in Montreal has become very seedy. It just isn't what it was ten or twenty years ago. I have stopped staying there on my visits to Montreal and prefer using hotels downtown on or around Sherbrooke St in the Golden Mile. 

The city still does a good job of keeping the streets clean but it is the panhandlers, homeless people and drug addicts that spoil the ambience somewhat. During the daytime its not too bad. 

[EZEtoGRU]

30 minutes ago, Luv2play said:

It is an exageration to say the Gay Village in Montreal has become very seedy. 

You are right.  I was just in Montreal and spent three nights around the village.  I felt completely safe, saw very few homeless people, and never got pan-handled once.  I would say The Village has changed compared 20 years ago.  However, to me, it's basically the same as it has been for the last 7-8 years.  So I would say it's pretty stable now.   

Like you, I don't seek hotels in The Village any more.  Been there done that 30 years ago but not now.  Obviously, to each his own.

[Luv2play]

It's also the dining options aren't as good as they once were. When in Montreal I like to eat well and that is not possible in the Village anymore. Taken together, poor hotel choice and restaurants means basing myself elsewhere on visits there. 

[+ BOZO T CLOWN]

On 7/27/2023 at 7:20 PM, Luv2play said:

 

The city still does a good job of keeping the streets clean but it is the panhandlers, homeless people and drug addicts that spoil the ambience somewhat. During the daytime its not too bad. 

Agreed. Other than the panhandlers, homeless people and drug addicts (and now the migrants sheltered at the Hyatt Place) the Village is a wonderful area.

And other than the shooting, Mrs. Lincoln really enjoyed the play 😗.

BoZo

 

 

[+ azdr0710]

I still maintain that the homeless (sorry....'unhoused') sleeping on the heat grates directly outside the Gouverneur front door during my stay there added a bit of charm and culture to the city......oh, and the guy on St Catherine who tried to sell me some cocaine, cool!........poutine, bagels, smoked meat sandwiches - icing on the cake!!........

[+ BOZO T CLOWN]

19 minutes ago, azdr0710 said:

I still maintain that the homeless (sorry....'unhoused') sleeping on the heat grates directly outside the Gouverneur front door during my stay there added a bit of charm and culture to the city......oh, and the guy on St Catherine who tried to sell me some cocaine, cool!........poutine, bagels, smoked meat sandwiches - icing on the cake!!........

Exactly.
And how about  the mentally ill (oops. sorry I meant to say cerebrally challenged), many of whom are homeless crack addicts (sorry, I meant to say unhoused illegal narcotic enthusiasts), who hang out in and around the Gouverneur ATM machines, who glare at you menacingly when you enter and exit to withdraw money. They simply add to the allure and appeal of the area. It gives the village a Bohemian character. I suppose it's just an unadvertised bonus of staying at the former Gouverneur Hotel. Perhaps the hotel should add a surcharge to their guests for the privilege.

Edited August 5, 2023 by BOZO T CLOWN

[+ tassojunior]

1 hour ago, azdr0710 said:

I still maintain that the homeless (sorry....'unhoused') sleeping on the heat grates directly outside the Gouverneur front door during my stay there added a bit of charm and culture to the city......oh, and the guy on St Catherine who tried to sell me some cocaine, cool!........poutine, bagels, smoked meat sandwiches - icing on the cake!!........

I can deal with homeless, aggressive panhandlers and bums pissing on the street. 

But poutine

A few years ago my Trader Joe's carried it and the manager had to toss it because too many people returned them saying it was rancid. It wasn't. It was just poutine.

[brettnyc]

2 hours ago, Alfstoria said:

Maybe it's because I lived in New York City from the mid 1980s to mid 1990s, but I prefer the city when it had a couple homeless people on the street rather than being full of banks, CVS stores, and Harry Potter stores like it is today. Without even counting how much cleaner and more family-friendly the city has become - having to skip around strollers just to enter a bar is not fun!

But that's just my personal nostalgia talking. I still miss the old New York City that will likely never return

i like my sleezy Montreal, those poor souls are harmless. but that is just me.

you have blinders on if you haven't seen the alarming influx of homeless on the streets, in the ATM lobbies, city parks...and every corner of the city.

[Luv2play]

13 hours ago, Alfstoria said:

Maybe it's because I lived in New York City from the mid 1980s to mid 1990s, but I prefer the city when it had a couple homeless people on the street rather than being full of banks, CVS stores, and Harry Potter stores like it is today. Without even counting how much cleaner and more family-friendly the city has become - having to skip around strollers just to enter a bar is not fun!

But that's just my personal nostalgia talking. I still miss the old New York City that will likely never return

i like my sleezy Montreal, those poor souls are harmless. but that is just me.

Google l: Zoning , NYC and “secondary effects” or what we call our hobby 

I also remember the Manhattan of the 1970's and it was sleezy in many parts now gentrified. Dangerous too but for a Canadian visiting the sleeze and danger added a frisson or alure.

Montréal is not dangerous in the way American cities were or are and has many neighbourhoods where you will not see a single panhandler or drug addict walking the streets. 

I was there just yesterday seeing an escort in his neighbourhood quite far from the Village and we went out afterwards for a drink and some dinner. Totally laid back and charming place with friendly people enjoying themselves on a rooftop terrace of a pub in the glorious August weather. And walking there and back about 15 minutes each way I felt as safe as in my own small town.

[SirBillybob]

In The Village I often just give in and hand over cash to those that seek it, usually in 4-minute iterations as if Groundhog Day were going out of style. In doing so, I break the law, outside of purchasing Perrier and pizza. In fact, I commit far more criminal offences compared to anybody in The Village seeking cash implicitly or explicitly. I don’t really notice the panhandling apocalypse others describe. I would just consider it the price of admission to being illicit in the area where we mutually congregate. 😏

Edited August 6, 2023 by SirBillybob

[Luv2play]

1 hour ago, SirBillybob said:

In The Village I often just give in and hand over cash to those that seek it, usually in 4-minute iterations as if Groundhog Day were going out of style. In doing so, I break the law, outside of purchasing Perrier and pizza. In fact, I commit far more criminal offences compared to anybody in The Village seeking cash implicitly or explicitly. I don’t really notice the panhandling apocalypse others describe. I would just consider it the price of admission to being illicit in the area where we mutually congregate. 😏

Maybe that’s why I tend to bypass the Village these days on my frequent trips to Montreal. I’m trying to live down my criminal past.

[SirBillybob]

6 minutes ago, Luv2play said:

Maybe that’s why I tend to bypass the Village these days on my frequent trips to Montreal. I’m trying to live down my criminal past.

Or your criminal behaviour is spread out and saturates your zone less. 

[Luv2play]

1 minute ago, SirBillybob said:

Or your criminal behaviour is spread out and saturates your zone less. 

I would classify my crimes as crimes of passion. It wouldn’t cut it with a judge but I try to avoid them.

[SirBillybob]

2 minutes ago, Luv2play said:

I would classify my crimes as crimes of passion. It wouldn’t cut it with a judge but I try to avoid them.

“But but but, your honour, I was only passively involved!”