In choosing a hotel in Montreal, there's weighing location and price. You'll pay more for downtown rooms with less space ... and pay for parking at an insane rate.

If you don't mind 30 minutes getting to the city, decent space, and free parking, Hotel Universel is a decent choice. Here are the particulars:

THE ROOM:

Good space, clean, relatively comfortable beds. Has an old but serviceable... plus

Wonderful experience

We had a wonderful experience. The restaurant was very good. The service throughout the hotel was excellent and the staff very friendly and helpful. The basic rooms are just that...basic but the Jr Suite was very nice and comfortable for a family of 4 or 5 with a roll a way bed. We would definetely stay here again.

We stayed the week of Labor Day for 2 nights for a reasonable cost, loved it, so comfy, warm enough to swim so we enjoyed both indoor and outdoor pool, loved the lifeguard Alexa, nice girl at Front desk, wish we got her name, brownish blond that was capable to suggest places for travelers to all they needed or wanted, even a late afternoon snack at Rockaberries, went through the trouble to... plus

Not a great place. Not horrible. I would not stay here more than a night.

No problems though, staff is friendly. Room was not dirty.

Nicest staff. Good food. Do not stay here if quiet at night is important to you.Do they deliberately recruit loud stupid people to wander the halls (every night) talking loudly and slamming their doors? Apparently. The doors are paper-thin and perhaps suitable for a broom closet. I have never experienced anything like this. It is as if the architect never heard of a hotel door. The air and... plus

Excellent services and very comfortable rooms. The hotel was very acomadating to our family. It was a great location for all of our needs. Will definetly return for our next vacation.

Stayed here yesterday for a night! For this business trip, we didn't book most of our accommodations in advanced except the hotel in Charlottetown. Everything else was booked the day of. We paid an arm/leg for our first Montreal hotel (on the way to PEI), but this one was relatively well-priced cause it was a Thursday. Hotel room was clean, Queen bed was comfy and the room was spacious (with a... plus

Could not be more happy with our weekend stay at this hotel! The staff was incredibly friendly, the room was clean, and they have a lot to offer. It is also only about a 10 minute walk to the Biodome and the Viau metro station.

When we checked in the front desk staff greeted us and made check-in seamless. Anytime we had a question they were happy to answer it for us. Important to know,... plus

This was my third time staying at Hotel Universal. We normally stay here for convenience, as we visit Montreal for MLS Soccer TFC vs. Impact. And the stadium is just across the street. So it's very convenient. The staff at the hotel is very pleasant, and do their best to accommodate your needs. They rooms are about 3.5-4 stars. The standard room are very basic. But their superior and premier... plus

Nice hotel

Big parking lot, quite room, good wifi network, close to restaurants, close to shopping stores

Good location and free parking

Main reason for staying here was the free parking. The parking was indeed great with a large free carpark that generally had lots of spaces free. The hotel is next door to the Olympic village and Botanic Gardens which were great. Hotel itself is OK.

We had a late check in and the hoyel restaurant was closed at that time, so we had to order pizza and eat it in the room

Time Out in Montreal

Only had a couple days. Spent one in old town and one bargain hunting (1 Canadian dollar was .75 cents US). Ate too well. Walked for miles. Fantastique!

Great location but not sure I'd stay there again

Initial impressions from just walking into the lobby were good. Hotel reception was friendly and informative. However walking down the hallway to my room was a bit dismal. Dark and narrow plus there was a random dirty bowl which stayed off in a corner for the duration of my stay. When I got to my room it became clear that the bear minimum had been done in cleaning up after the previous guests... plus

This is a nice hotel with great staff; however, there is nothing nearby.

Excellent

Excellent hotel to stay and staff to talk giving you a good direction what you can do what you can see,i loved

Convenient, free parking

Close to subway with hotel shuttle if required. Quiet heating and air conditioning system. Plenty of opportunities for jogging in the local parks.

Family vacation in Montreal

The hotel was a bit old and overpriced but it was probably due to the Grand Prix going on at that time. Our kids loved the indoor pool. It was too cold to swim in the outdoor pool while we were there. The service in the hotel restaurant was poor. it took a long time for us to get out food and the food was poor. The pizza looked like it was frozen and came out of a box. The thing we really... plus

Skip eating there

Don't eat at the attached restaurant

Good for its price

The hotel is close, walking distance to botanical garden, biodome montreal stadium. Front desk, house keeping are very nice and friendly.

Overpriced

Poor air conditioning, poor service at bar, lack of empathy at reception

convenient for Olympic Park/Botanical Gardens

Room decor was different from the corporate American style we are used to now, more "French" one could say. Main problem was the heating/cooling: hard to control, no way to switch it off, and as soon as the temperature got a bit too hot the cold air blasted in the room with force and noise.

Perfect location to visit Olympic Park!

I booked this hotel for me and my son because it is within walking distance of the olympic park. It was easy to find and parking is free in the lot. There is an ATM in the lobby. Check in was fast and the staff was courteous and spoke English well. Our room was very clean. The bathroom in slightly outdated, but the water pressure in the shower was great. It isn't run down, just not updated.... plus

Nice place

Had a nice warm pool, kids loved it, they had a lifeguard during the evening hours too! I've never seen a life guard at a hotel pool before. Was right around the corner from the Biodome, and the other Olympic park attractions.

The room was nicely updated, and clean.

The restaurant was decent and had good service, but was overpriced for what it was. Would have been better off venturing out.... plus

Easy train trip to city and nearby parks.

Room was good but the food trays and dishes left in the hallway for at least 2 days without being picked up by cleaners or restaurant staff was a real worry. Reception staff uninterested when told and just blamed restaurant staff.

Great Hotel for the Botanical Garden

We loved the outdoor pool and it was convenient to have the restaurant for breakfast. Easy walk to the Gardens and the hotel allows you to leave your car parked in their lot while you visit the Gardens even after you check out.

Convenient for sports teams

It was good. The restaurant in the lobby was convenient for tourist and sport teams.

Second visit to this hotel

I like the free parking close to the hotel. Two pools are fantastic if you have children with you as I did.Lots of towels at both pools are wonderful. The staff are very helpful and friendly.

Montreal 2016 business trip.

A reasonably good hotel to stay at if business is in the North East end of the Montreal island. However, as Montreal traffic is problematic at the best of times and is especially horrible with the current road construction, getting to the downtown area is a difficult task.

One night stay and thoughts

We had to stay at a hotel for one day because city work being done on our street.
The staff was great, the room was clean and comfortable.
There was no TV schedule witch would have been nice.
It took some time to finger out the fauset of the tub there should be a card or something to explain it.
The toilet paper rack is a bit far to reach when needed.
As for the pool the water was a bit cold,... plus

Further out than it looks

It was much further out of downtown area than I expected. There was a lot of road construction going on so going downtown or anywhere was a 30 minute drive - so we used it for a place to sleep only. Convienent for the biodome or Olympic Park which are walking distance but anything else required driving. I felt the price was high for being that far away from everything.

Okay Hotel

Last minute family trip. Hotel is in a convenient location near Olympic stadium. Hotel was nice inside as was the room. Beds were too firm for my liking but okay. Cost was good for a premium room and 40% more then the same room but not renovated. I followed the advice and asked for an upper floor room (level 4) which I only had to walk up one set of stairs for. We didn't eat breakfast there as... plus

Pretty good for the price

The hotel was pretty good. Liked the fact that it had an indoor and outdoor pool. Close to the subway, and activities

Hotel needs renovation

Hotel needs renovation

Great hotel! Business trip!

It was a great stay!! we were on a business trip and we left early in the morning and came back late at night, but the staff was always helpfull and the beds really comfy

It was a great hotel, the staff was welcoming. Very well located. The restaurant nearby was excellent. We slept very well. I would totally recommend it. Merci beaucoup

Okay hotel if you do not need to be in DT

Stayed in this hotel just because of my daughter competition. Far away from DT, can drive and park or take metro. Hotel is a bit dated, elevator broke couple of times within 3 days. Breakfast is not very good, anything fried has after taste of bunt oil, might as well drive to Hochelaga, for breakfast. Free parking and good wifi.

Good stay for a good price!

No complaints. Hotel is literally across the street from the Olympic Stadium with the Botanical Garden, Planetarium,Biodome, and Insectarium all within walking distance. Christie cookie factory is also just around the corner which I didn't get to go to as I only noticed it after being up in the observation tower of the Olympic Stadium (they were closed when I got there in the evening). It is... plus

Outdated and in desperate need of an upgrade

The hotel room was reasonably clean, but in desperate need of an upgrade. For the cost of the room, we were surprised that we were relegated to a basement room, cramped bathroom (with a shower head 5 feet high - tough with 2 tall guests), and dingy decor. We are not usually picky guests, but this is not a hotel that we would return to on our next visit.

Very nice place to stay when visiting Montreal. Close to transit buses and the Metro subway system.

Clean and good price

Staff were very friendly. Hotel is very clean and close location if going to biodome and botanical gardens. Liked that the hotel has a pool and room service

Nice hotel in a good location

The hotel is close to the Olympic stadium and has ready access to parks for walking and to sight seeing places like the Biodome. It was a pleasant stay and staff was friendly and helpful. The only issue was that the main elevator was out of order. The other elevator was inconveniently located but at least there was a second elevator!!

Everything is close to the Hotel.... Olympic stadium,botanical garden,Biodome that one is close every monday.. You walk not even 10 minutes and you reach the subway station Viau and can easily reach Old Montreal Parc Jean Drapeau and all the good spot... The room was on the 7 floor they called it superior room... the room was clean and comfortable.. sadly i didn't have a good view.. the... plus

Good location

The hotel was ok. The room smelled a little musty. The vents in the room looked like they haven't been cleaned in a long time. The restaurant food wasn't very good.

Just a quick trip.

Quick trip room fit the bill comfortable quiet and clean. Staff friendly

The hotel was a very good surprise. My husband decided to take me to Montreal for my birthday, and I found the hotel very last minute at hotels.com.
I booked the king size bedroom. The bedroom was extremely clean. Bathroom is very nice, bed was very comfortable.

The hotel staff was super friendly.
Dry sauna was very relaxing and comforting after exploring the very cold Montreal.
I... plus

So so hotel

This hotel is really far from everything!!
It is about 20 minutes away from downtown and 40 to 1 hour away from the airport. -
We were not impressed at all, it's just an Ok hotel. -

Excellent staff. They made the stay. Front desk helpful from early checkout to getting tickets to event. Shuttle service was great addition.

This hotel fit the bill for being close and in walking distance to Stade Saputo and the Olympic Stadium. The front desk staff was very courteous and spoke impeccable English. The hotel seems a little dated, but was otherwise clean.

close to many attractions

excellent location!
Rooms are good too.
Friendly staff and service was quick.

Do not go to hotel restaurant because the service and food are horrible.

Good deal

Got what we paid for. Clean and tidy room. Hotel is a bit tired but very clean. Restaurant meal was all right: somewhat dry salmon and forgettable pizza. Would stay there again!

Overall I am happy with our stay. Free parking is great. Room is clean and bed is comfortable.

Quiet and clean

Nice and confort

The hotel was good but a bit expensive for the area.
Never use the hotel restaurant the food is horrible and the waitress assigned to us was rude. I asked for water, after almost 10 min I didnt get my water, when i asked her she said if coudnt see her busy. The voucher the hotel offers is expensive for the quality and service of food.

Amazing

Room was a little out dated as well with no microwave but overrall the stay was great

Nice and clean

Hotel staff seems uninterested when you try to get their attention and I received no receipt when I left to confirm my checkout. So I was thinking whether they knew I had left as someone else will take over. They just took my keep cards and that was it.

Walking distance to the Biodôme!

Great stay, comfortable beds, very clean!!! Would definitely return to this hotel!

Okay hotel in general, but the shuttle service is horrible. It takes the front desk guy an hour to tell the driver that we are at Botanical Garden, NOT biodome. Not sure why they just do not tell us the phone number of the driver. Silly as it sounds. We call the front desk, the front desk call the driver. But a good location to tour the space for life area and free parking is available... plus

We stayed here in July 2017 and had one of the remodeled rooms. The room was beautiful and clean. Service was absolutely wonderful and we really enjoyed our stay. The hotel is just a 10 minute walk to the Metro and they also have a shuttle that can take you to the metro or the nearby Olympic park. Only complaint is walls are thin and if you are a late sleeper you will hear cleaning people in... plus

Hotel is clean and comfy. Very nice lobby. On site restaurant and bar which I did not use.

The staff I spoke with weren't too knowlwdgeable or that helpful when I asked for suggestions. I just ended up with an Uber to get downtown. Ample parking and it's free. Two pools which are OK
My main issue is that it is not convenient to a Metro - a bit of a walk and downtown Montreal is far. For the... plus

My husband and I chose this moderately-priced hotel for a four-day/three night stay in Montreal. It offered free parking, on-site restaurant, and close proximity to the wedding we were attending. It was nicer than some of the hotels in the area in which the other wedding guests stayed, and in at least one case the price was less at Hotel Universel Montréal. We certainly got better service and a... plus

Stayed for 5 days with my family and had a great time. The driver of the courtesy shuttle was extremely helpful, rooms were nice, convenient to Biodome and Botanical gardens. We had a great stay and will return.

Great staff, awesome location right next to the Olympic Stadium. Rooms are big and cleaned, breakfast was good and included on the price.

Staying at the hotel..hotel offered breakfast deal....really bad....dont ever get the breakfast from the Resto-bar Le Toit Rouge - extremely poor restaurant service. This restaurant is located within the hotel. Dirty and food really nasty. I would not recommend. The service will be the worst...saw the hostess providing water for other table so we asked her for water (after asking our waitress... plus

Employees were very nice! Set up with parking lot was a little weird but I had a nice time and I really liked it!

I was here for a conference and the other option was to actually stay in the campus. Unfortunately, I chose this option. My chief complaint is that the WiFI system here is ancient. During half my stay, it was soooooooooooooo slow that at one point I wanted to throw my computer out the window. I called the front desk, but they replied, "Well, you're the only one who has complained about this. In... plus

Resto-bar Le Toit Rouge - extremely poor restaurant service. This restaurant is located within the hotel. Dirty and food really nasty. I would not recommend.

This hotel is relatively inexpensive (based on a very quick search before a spontaneous trip) and our room was actually quite nice. Based on other reviews I can assume this means we got one of the renovated rooms, which must have been a stroke of luck.

On the downside, the location isn't convenient to much, the staff is curt and not particularly competent, and the wifi was completely... plus

I travel a lot for work, and I am very easily pleased, I don't ask for much. I am in Montreal 'till Friday, and words can't describe how nasty this hotel is. I just checked in, and I'm stupid tired because I drove 7 hrs to get here, but I'm checking out first thing in the morning. I'd rather sleep in my car for the rest of the week. A lot of reviews are praising the free wifi and parking, well... plus

My husband and I stayed here during our visit to Montreal. While the parking and wifi was great, the accommodations didn't feel relaxing. At check in, we had asked to upgrade to a renovated room, but we came at the same time as 2 tour buses full of people, so they were pretty full. We had a non-renovated room, which was on the southern side (I guess that was their attempt at making our stay... plus

I didn't check Yelp before booking this hotel and am surprised at the low rating. I stayed in a King room on the fifth floor. It was clean, nicely decorated, and had plenty of floor space. I'd say it is one of the better hotel rooms I've stayed at in a while.

I love the bathroom area and the translucent sliding door concept. However, our door had trouble sliding all the way so we had to... plus

My husband and I are staying here with our two year old for several days on vacation and it wasn't as good as I was expecting, but it's not completely awful. The best part about it is the free parking and the free Internet as well as it's close proximity to the former Olympic Park along with the Biodome, Botanical Gardens, etc.

Check in went very well, especially considering we didn't get here... plus

The room was quiet.\n\nThe restaurant was substandard - not open evenings at all. The breakfast had no continental option and followed the standard of "hotel pricing" - mediocre food and coffee for an inflated price. I paid 8.50 for 3 cups of coffee to go - if you sit down you

The gym equipment was worn and outdated;also 1 treadmill was broken

Looked really nice on the inside.\n\nI didn't look so nice on the outside.\n\nThe room was a little more pricey than I was expecting. Overall, though it was a good nights stay.

Very good location, right next to the Olympic Stadium. Affordable.\n\nThe location is very convenient as it's right next to the Olympic Stadium. The parking was free. The room was clean. Kids loved the swimming pool. (At the time we were there, the indoor pool was closed but the outdoor pool was open). The free WiFi was not working but after a call to the technical support it started working... plus

Free parking.\n\nDouble beds too small, uncomfortable for 5 people. Bed bug droppings in one of the beds - disgusting!\n\nEconomy hotel. Fridge in room welcome addition for those traveling with children. Bed bug droppings found in one of the beds in our room. Not centrally located; therefore, knowledge of the metro ideal to facilitate travel to Downtown Montreal. Will not stay at this hotel in... plus

Location.\n\nWashroom.\n\nGood Hotel and clean, close to the Botanical Gardens and Olympic Park.

Great location close to metro, Olympic village, Olympic stadium, walking distance to Botanical gardens, easy access to Parc Maissonneuve.\n\nOccasional foul smell in hallways.\n\nWould recommend to friends and would book again for return trip.

It has a decent common hot tub and sauna. Ample free parking was a nice bonus.\n\nThe room was basic/bland. The 10 minute walk to/from the Metro became annoying after several trips.\n\nNothing special, what you would expect from a Travelodge or similar 2-2.5 star hotel. Simple, standard room. Mattress was not great. Wireless Internet did not work since it was overutilized (the hotel was busy... plus

The room met expectations for budget spent.\n\nWith the exception of the entrance and rooms themselves, which were very nice, the rest of the hotel felt outdated and like decay was out pacing upkeep.\n\nThe hotel staff were friendly and helpful. The entrance and the rooms were fairly nice, but the common areas felt like an economy hotel. It seems like this place was built for the Olympics and... plus

The beds were comfy, the room was nice.\n\nIt was not a 4 star hotel, no working jacuzzi, very noisy-awoken at 6am every morning.\n\nThe room was pleasant, and the pools were okay. The restaurant was ridiculously overpriced. We were not informed that the jacuzzi was completely broken and there was no manager on site to complain to because the manager was on vacation. No assistant manager. We... plus

Indoor & outdoor pool, quiet, helpful friendly staff, lots of parking close to Olympic Areas and Biodome.\n\nFar from downtown.

Nice Room, Friendly Staff\n\n8 min walk from Subway Station

Nice atmosphere & comfortable. Convenient to many attractions but a bit far from metro.\n\nWould prefer closer to metro.\n\nVery nice hotel...decent price...clean & comfortable.

When you look at the pictures on the website, remember that you are looking at RENOVATED rooms. There are rooms here that have not been renovated and look out of date.

I gave this hotel a 3-star review because one of the nicest people here. It was the bartender CHANTAL. She was very nice and informative.

The front desk personnel, on the other hand, were more of a challenge to deal with. Make... plus