Capping the bluff over the St. Lawrence at the edge of Old Town, the historic Fairmont Chateau Frontenac may be the iconic hotel of Québec City, but across the city lies another desirable option, the Hilton Quebec. Perched on Parliament Hill just outside the old stone city walls, the landmark high-rise Hilton is modern and ideally situated: across the street from the Parliament building; on a plaza facing the Convention Center between two of the gates into the old walled city and adjacent to the Plains of Abraham where city-wide carnivals and festivals take place.
Pools of water on the plaza greet guests who pull up to enter the busy lobby where visitors mingle at tables in the lounge of the curved Allegro Bar sipping an array of martini cocktails and wine by the glass. Ground-floor facilities include desks for rental cars and city tours and a handy convenience store. High-speed wireless Internet access is free throughout the hotel.
Hilton HHonors guests are whisked up to the 23rd-floor Executive Club which offers spectacular panoramic views of the city’s charming surroundings — the picturesque historic residences, stately Parliament building, fields of the Plains of Abraham and the St. Lawrence flowing below. Newspapers and television are supplied and complimentary breakfast, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres are served on the handsome wooden buffet console.
Spacious, renovated guestrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows showcase the same spectacular vistas which serve to distract from the wide-screen television and desk space with ergonomic chair facing the king-sized bed. A terrycloth robe and slippers are supplied, and the compact marble bathrooms include massage showers and Peter Thomas Roth amenities.
There are more views on the third floor, where the fully equipped fitness room, open 24 hours, overlooks the Laurentin Mountains, as does the rooftop heated swimming pool, where splashers can sunbathe in the summer and brave snowflakes in winter. Professional massage service is available at all times upon request.
Dining choices include the contemporary Allegro, touting crunchy mesclun salads and succulent sirloin steaks on its menu of international and local cuisine. Every Friday night it features an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet. Le23 on the 23rd floor, convenient for business and also overlooking the city, serves an urban buffet called “the best lunch buffet in Québec City.”
The city’s Jean Lesage International Airport is a 20-minute drive, and the central bus and train stations are five minutes away. For excursions, guests can descend through the adjacent building to Boulevard René Lévesque and head a block or two in either direction to the turreted gate entrances to Old Québec. Below the hotel, Saint-Jean Street offers a pleasant mélange of old-fashioned galleries, emporiums, bric-a-brac shops and a chocolate “museum.” Farther along, an easy walk, is Cartier Street, known for buskers and a variety of restaurants.
Hilton Quebec
1100 Blvd. René Lévesque E.
Québec G1R4P3
Canada
tel 418 647 2411