Montreal’s award-winning hotel suite costs $12,000 a night

The Royal Suite at The Ritz-Carlton Montreal has been named Canada’s Leading Hotel Suite at this year’s World Travel Awards, taking the title for the fifth time. The awards, which have recognized travel and hospitality brands for more than 30 years, held this year’s ceremony in Jamaica and presented honours across Central, South and North America. Categories included leading airlines, city-break destinations, green hotels and theme park resorts. Canada had 15 titles of its own, although it did not dominate the North American categories.

The downtown Montreal hotel first opened in 1912 and underwent a $200-million renovation in 2012. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton married at the hotel; the couple married each other twice during their lives. Local newspapers have also reported that Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston and Sophia Loren stayed there.

The hotel describes itself as a European-inspired retreat. Its amenities include an advanced spa, an indoor saltwater pool overlooking the skyline and the Dom Pérignon Bar, which the hotel says is the only one of its kind in North America. The hotel also says its award-winning Royal Suite is the largest in the city.

The 4,700-square-foot suite has three bedrooms and four bathrooms, along with marble fireplaces and bathrooms, oversized bathtubs, two-person whirlpools, walk-in closets and soundproof windows. Guests can use butler service, which is typically associated with five-star hotels. There is a separate living room and a dining room with a table that seats 10, suitable for hosting a dinner party.

The bedrooms have an old-school glamour, and the suite is presented as more like a private residence than a hotel room. The hotel’s website lists a nightly rate of $12,000. The source compares that cost with the average Canadian’s annual earnings of about $68,000 and jokes that the suite would suit the cast of The White Lotus if they checked in for a future season.