Vogue Hotel Montreal
Montreal, Canada
2023–present
Vogue Hotel Montreal is a newly renovated boutique hotel (from Curio Collection by Hilton) located in Montreal’s Golden Square Mile. The five-storey and 148-room building saw a multi-million 3-year long complete overhaul courtesy of Sid Lee Architecture. It opened its doors in 2022.
In the late 2010s, the Artifact Group (formerly Sageblan) acquired the Vogue Hotel with the intent of transforming it into a luxury boutique hotel inspired by grand hotels in Asia and the Middle East, with its leadership team having roots in India and Turkey.
In late 2022, Catalogue was brought in to take over the music direction and playlist creation for the hotel’s entire ground floor which includes the reception, the lobby area, the lounge area, the Yama Restaurant, and the Bazin Café.
The lobby area provides an escape from the hustle and bustle of downtown Montreal. In that sense, music needed to work hand-in-hand with interior design to create an immediate sense of ease when walking into the hotel.
We think of a hotel as a home away from home for guests so it should feel welcoming. But a hotel stay can also be aspirational. When done right, it can be a fantasy of what one’s home experience could be. With the music, it was important to pique the guest's curiosity. The biggest compliment for us is to see guests taking out their phones and trying to ID a song. That’s when we know we’ve accomplished our mission.
Good music in a space is a differentiator. For hotels, it separates the ones that value superior guest experience from the ones for whom music is just an afterthought and might go for more generic background music. The Vogue Hotel firmly stands in the former category. They understand and value the importance of music in their space and they’ve embraced it as a core component of guest experience. It also reflects the owners' love and passion for good music.
One of the challenges of programming music for a hotel is the fact that a hotel never closes. It’s a 24/7 affair. While the café and restaurant close at night, the reception, lobby, and lounge are always open. It’s therefore critical to have the music evolve throughout the day and night but also the week. A Monday evening doesn’t call for the same music and atmosphere as a Friday evening, for instance. It’s all in the details.
LES PHOTOS SONT REPRODUITES AVEC L’AIMABLE AUTORISATION D’ALEX LESAGE