When my husband Joe and I decide where to stay on a trip, we look at all the usual things: location, hotel brand, points opportunities, reviews and, of course, price.
For our upcoming trip to Quebec, though, we were willing to splurge.
It’ll probably be our last hotel stay for a while before we bring home a new puppy, so we figured if there was ever a time to stay somewhere iconic, this was it.
With that in mind, the first place Joe looked at was the Fairmont Le Château Fontenac. Because really, does any other hotel scream “QUEBEC!” more than that one? I don’t think so.
From Fairmont:
Recently renovated, the Château blends the charm of the hotel’s enchanting past with modern innovations, creating an allure that is fresh & seductive, balanced with the hotel’s rich history & dynamic future. Stylish and comfortable, our guest rooms and suites are the perfect place to enjoy a relaxing and inspiring stay. By choosing one of our 610 rooms and suites, you will receive a personalized service that will make your stay at the Chateau a memorable experience.
It sounded lovely! And that late-19th-century architecture was right in our wheelhouse for “places to stay.”
Our plan was to stay for 3 nights – Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We knew that rooms wouldn’t be cheap, and they weren’t. When Joe first looked at rooms a few weeks ago, they cost pretty much what we were expecting – about $600/$650ish per night.
But he had a couple of discounts he could have used to take the bite out:
- A $300 credit from American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts (could be used for a 1-night stay in July through December), plus
- A $200 Bilt Palladium hotel credit (could be used for a 2-night stay) + $100 in monthly Bilt Cash
It was June, so was waiting for the discounts to reset so we could make the reservations as one 1-night stay + one 2-night stay, and get the full $600 in credits, so he didn’t make the reservations just then.
When he went to make the reservations this past weekend, although the Friday and Saturday nights were still about the same price, all of a sudden the Thursday night price had jumped from about $600 to $950.
After taxes and fees?
More than $1,100.
For one night.
Y’all, I was willing to spend more than we typically would, simply because it was going to be our last hotel stay for a while. But we still have our limits. Spend $1100 for one night at a hotel? And that was just a regular room – not even a suite or a room with a decent view. Sorry, but there isn’t a standard hotel room on Earth that’s worth $1,100 a night to us.
But here’s the funny thing.
The price wasn’t actually what convinced us not to stay there.
The reviews were.
Before giving up on Fairmont Le Château Frontenac entirely, Joe started looking around to see if he could find a better price for that Thursday night. During that process, he wound up on TripAdvisor.
And that’s when our opinion of the hotel changed completely.
You know what? Even though it’s a fancy-schmancy Fairmont. Even though it’s often said to be the most photographed hotel in the world. Even though they’re asking upwards of $1,100 for a standard room on some nights.
It’s only ranked #30 out of 102 hotels in Quebec City.
Number.
Thirty.
It turns out that many of the reviews for the iconic Fairmont Le Château Fontenac are pretty brutal:
- Several reviewers said it was difficult to get assistance from the valet.
- At least one guest said the doorman was too busy talking to open the door for guests.
- The bar was apparently empty most of the time, but the bartender insisted guests had to wait to “be seated,” with waits of 20 to 30 minutes…at an almost empty bar.
- Dining options within the hotel are extremely limited. Several guests said that even though they’d prepaid for breakfast, getting into the restaurants was nearly impossible without a reservation. And when they tried to make a reservation for the next day (to try to avoid the wait), couples were reportedly told they couldn’t make reservations for two, despite there being tables that only seated two people.
- The hotel is, of course, popular for weddings and other events, and guests staying near the ballroom complained that loud music made the windows rattle and even shook the beds.
- One guest said they never had hot water.
- Another paid for a “deluxe” room with city views and instead got a view of the hotel’s roof and one of its turrets.
- The technology is dated, with bedside outlets that no longer work, no smart TVs and Wi-Fi that requires registration.
- Several reviewers also said the rooms were much smaller than the website photos suggested and badly needed updating. (According to Wikipedia, the last guest room renovations were in 2011.)
- Perhaps the review that stuck with me the most simply said, “I did not feel welcome as a guest.”
And those complaints were all just from January through June of 2026.
Will we still visit Fairmont Le Château Frontenac?
Absolutely.
It’s one of the most iconic hotels in the world. We’d be crazy not to admire the architecture, wander around and take far too many pictures.
But when it’s time to go to sleep?
We’ll happily do that somewhere else.
Maybe the hotel is wonderful and these recent reviews don’t tell the whole story. But if I’m paying more than $1,100 for a standard room, I don’t want to hope I’m one of the lucky ones.
Sometimes the smartest travel decision isn’t where you stay.
It’s knowing when to say, “Nope.”
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