T+L's Hotel Review of Sonolux, Montreal

Innovative new stays are coming to Old Montreal.
Hospitality group Épik Collection broke the mold for Old Montreal hotels with Uville, which has groovy, '70s-inspired art and decor. With Sonolux, the company breathes more fresh air into Montreal’s most-visited neighborhood, starting with its crisp $18 million restoration of a 1915 neo-classical bank building that had been unoccupied for decades.
Touting itself as a “contemporary art hotel," Sonolux has turned its eight floors into video art galleries, with handpicked works projected across hallway walls. Repurposed red movie theater seats allow you to sit down and contemplate the art. If you’re not necessarily used to seeing immersive multimedia art in hotels, it can be a little jarring to step off an elevator into a dim space popping with raucous animation and sound effects, but one of Sonolux’s goals is to provoke, and on that score, it succeeds.
The debut exhibition, “Seeds of R/Evolution," doesn’t pull punches, with unfiltered installations that delve into Canada's history and confront themes of radical change. The exhibition includes Lisa Jackson’s “Savage," a haunting immersive musical playing on my floor as I got off the elevator. "Savage" is set in a residential school, one of the nightmare institutions where Canada’s government kept Indigenous children taken from their families. Upstairs, Maureen Comeau and Danielle Bradley’s “We’re Here, We’re Queer, We’re Fabulous” immersive art piece chronicled the brutal 1990 police raid of a gay Montreal dance party, and the protests that followed. It was unsettling and uplifting. The ground floor features a permanent exhibition, a swirly projection called “The Cosmic Code" by Montreal video game developers Behaviour Interactive. It’s set to an ambient soundtrack by local DJ and producer Fred Everything, who also created the soundtracks for the elevators and public spaces.
But Sonolux is as serious about hospitality as it is about art. The team at Épik Collection knows how to maximize space in tight historic spaces (Montreal architects Geiger Huot oversaw the renovation, and local firm Zabb Design conceived the interiors). Sonolux’s front doors swoosh open from Rue Saint-Jacques into a cocoon-like lounge that doubles as a guest reception and Lumi, chef Graham Hood’s highly inventive restaurant.
I was greeted by a Luxkeeper, as Sonolux calls its team members. Schooled in the art program and clad in black, they are both docents and hotel staffers. I was led on a quick, informative tour of the opening exhibition. “We want the art to spark conversation, and that approach is what really made me want to work here,” a Luxkeeper told me.
While Luxkeepers can help check you in, I chose to use one of two self-serve kiosks tucked behind the lounge. After entering some personal information, I validated a key card on a small charging tray and took the single elevator upstairs.
In the hush of my room, I realized Épik Collection had saved the fireworks for the public spaces; with muted palettes of gray, black, and beige, the guest rooms feel like a retreat from both the hotel’s heightened sensory experiences and Old Montreal’s year-round buzz.
Below, my full review of Sonolux hotel.
The Rooms
All 36 guest rooms are about the same size, ranging from 297 to 320 square feet. My suite, No. 202, overlooked busy Rue Saint-Jacques, meaning some street noise penetrated the double windows. The 302-square-foot space had a firm, king-sized mattress and four fluffy pillows, along with a duvet and a fuzzy brown comforter that kept me toasty over two chilly Montreal nights. The heat also kicked in quickly once I adjusted the digital thermostat. A sleek wooden headboard ascended to the ceiling. The only pop of color came from twin tangerine-hued chairs beside a small windowside table.
For such a high-design hotel, certain elements of the room felt refreshingly low tech and homey. There are actual light switches, rather than a control panel that requires an engineering degree to operate.
With two sets of blackout curtains, I managed to oversleep for the first time in years—something I consider a plus when I’m not sleeping in my own bed.
The bathroom is functional rather than luxurious, with a glassed-in shower stocked with non-toxic, botanical toiletries by Quebec-based brand Oneka Elements. Beware the smart toilet, which might spray water in your face if you blearily press the wrong button in the middle of the night.
Food and Drink
Some of the most memorable art at Sonolux is coming out of chef Graham Hood’s kitchen. His resume includes Chicago’s Alinea, Sonoma County’s Cyrus, and acclaimed Montreal restaurants Brontë and St-James. In short, his food is sensational.
At Lumi, Sonolux’s ground-floor restaurant, menus are printed on playing cards. Each starter, main, and dessert gets its own card, and once you choose, you hand the cards to your server. When the dish is delivered, the card is displayed again on a small stand, so you know what you’re eating.
A starter of matsutake mushrooms with dashi, black garlic, and pineapple had me closing my eyes in blissful contemplation. My main—fluke with doenjang soybean paste, leek, shiitake, and rye—was ethereal. A dessert of pear, oregano, matcha, and marzipan, created by pastry chef Nadiia Manchuk, masterfully balanced sweet and savory notes.
Guests can also splurge on the 14-course “Tout Lumi” tasting menu (CA$275), which takes about three hours to enjoy. A nine-course version will set you back CA$185 and requires less of a life commitment.
After dinner, my server suggested that my companion and I check out Subterra, the underground audio lounge carved from a former bank vault. It’s a gorgeous room with a speakeasy vibe, all burnished in wood with plush banquettes and a compact, high-tech DJ booth. I no longer drink alcohol, but a Negroni mocktail from Clément Wallas’ bar menu admirably replicated the real thing. There’s a short menu of artful bar snacks and pretty desserts as well.
It's also worth noting that the culinary team is incredibly thoughtful. At check-in, I mentioned I avoid gluten. For breakfast the next day, the kitchen delivered a soft gluten-free seed bread topped with rich mushroom-kale hash, a sweet gluten-free scone still warm from the oven, a goblet of espresso, and a cup of yogurt with chia seeds.
Activities and Experiences
I would encourage guests to tap a Luxkeeper for an art tour. There are also informative and intelligent wall texts that guide through each installation. New exhibitions will launch every six months. Subterra hosts DJ nights that are already a hot ticket for Montreal nightlife savants.
The Spa
The hotel doesn’t have a spa or a gym. Guests have unlimited access to Square Fit, a private gym one block west. Staying here also gets you 15 percent off at Spa Scandinave around the corner, which offers thermal and massage therapies.
Family-friendly Offerings
Sonolux feels like a hotel for grown-ups; the video art isn’t NSFW, but it’s definitely not for kids. The neighborhood, however, teems with family-friendly activities, from the Pointe-à-Callière history museum to Cercle Polaire, an exhibition of lighting art at the Old Port.
Accessibility and Sustainability
Rooms are not ADA compliant, but there is an elevator that services all floors. “The structure of the building was not conducive to being adapted. It’s the case with most historic buildings in Old Montreal,” says Daniel Gallant, Épik Collection’s vice president and a creator of Sonolux.
Location
Old Montreal is compact, so most sights are steps from the hotel. Notre-Dame Basilica is diagonally across from the hotel. Boutiques and restaurants are strung along nearby side streets. The Old Port, where Cirque de Soleil sets up its tents every summer, is a 10-minute amble south across cobblestone streets. A must-visit is the nearby PHI Centre, which Sonolux’s inaugural curator runs. A conjoined, restored pair of 19th-century warehouses, it’s Montreal’s most adventurous, on-the-pulse contemporary art space.
Downtown Montreal’s traffic gets more horrific by the minute, which is why Sonolux’s location is such an advantage. You can take an Uber or a taxi from Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL), which takes 30-40 minutes on a good day. However, the 747 airport bus and a quick Metro ride to Place D’Armes will drop you within a 10-minute walk of the hotel.
Neighborhoods like the Plateau and Mile End, with their indie stores and eateries, are a straight shot uptown on the 55 bus, or a quick ride north. If you’re in town for a hockey game or concert at the Bell Centre, it’s a couple of miles west, and three Metro stops on the orange line.
Book Now
Sonolux doesn’t participate in membership or points-based loyalty programs.
Nightly rates at Sonolux start from CA$400 ($286).