{"id":43262,"date":"2022-03-14T12:06:29","date_gmt":"2022-03-14T16:06:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gentologie.com\/?p=43262"},"modified":"2026-03-10T09:21:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T13:21:44","slug":"le-germain-hotel-quebec","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gentologie.com\/en\/travel\/le-germain-hotel-quebec\/","title":{"rendered":"Le Germain Hotel Qu\u00e9bec : Steeped in history"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
My visit to Le Germain Hotel Qu\u00e9bec in early December 2021, the second boutique hotel in the Old Capital after the Germain-des-Pr\u00e9s\u2014today Alt Hotel Qu\u00e9bec (also owned by the group), and my second in one of the hotels of the group after Le Germain Charlevoix, which I will tell you about soon, took me back a few years. I\u2019ll tell you all about it in the next few lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Memories of a bygone era<\/h2>\n\n\n
\nThe luminary with notes left by visitors over time Photo: Normand Boulanger | Gentologie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
It was while I was studying at Coll\u00e8ge M\u00e9rici at the end of the 1990s that I visited Le Germain Hotel Qu\u00e9bec, it was then called the H\u00f4tel Dominion 1912. With my group at the time, we were greeted by the general manager of the hotel Richard Germain, now a hotel consultant. I will always remember the magnificent luminary with the paper notes in the lobby, a lamp which is always present elsewhere. When you invest in timeless pieces, they remain present in the decor. Since my family lives in Quebec, I rarely sleep in hotels during my visits. My mother would certainly not forgive me for not visiting her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This time it was an arrival by train in the middle of a storm. Since the hotel is not very close to the train station (15\u201320 minutes walk), I was thinking of taking a taxi, but by incomprehensible circumstances taxis are a rarity at the Gare du Palais de Qu\u00e9bec, it would really be necessary to review that. So I headed for the nearest bus stop and went to Germain Qu\u00e9bec.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After beating the snowstorm with my suitcase full of snow and climbing the stairs at the entrance to rue St-Pierre, here I am. The lobby has changed a bit, but the fireplace is still present, it\u2019s very warm and pleasant, even though I was there during the Covid period, it was a superb welcome, and the reception staff did their best to welcome me with the biggest smile (under their mask). Moreover, it is in the lobby that breakfast is also served (surplus). A very well-appointed space with a lounge bar. We imagine having a whiskey by the fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Le Germain Hotel Qu\u00e9bec: At the heart of the city\u2019s history<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
\nPhoto: Le Germain Hotels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
The establishment is not new. But has a very interesting story. And because of its position, you will be in a few minutes from all the attractions and great restaurants of Old Quebec.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Quoting Jean Benoit of the Department of Culture, Heritage and International Relations of Quebec City: \u201cIn the early 1990s, major modifications were undertaken inside. In 1995, the Germain family rented the building and transformed it into a hotel. 40 rooms were fitted out in what was then designated as the H\u00f4tel Dominion, now known as H\u00f4tel Le Germain Qu\u00e9bec.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over $2 million invested. During this construction, the architect Viateur Michaud of the firm Lemay Michaud kept only the exterior envelope, the travertine of the main entrance, the stairwell, the hot water heaters and marble tablets. In 2000, this hotel was awarded a distinction, the Public\u2019s Grand Choice for the implementation of the boutique hotel concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2003, the Dominion Hotel expanded to include the neighbouring building, the former Bank of British North America building, to accommodate 20 additional rooms. Again, the architect Viateur Michaud supervised the work and he was once again inspired, for the decoration, by the ideas of the French and New York designer Andr\u00e9e Putman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is an important architectural element of this rue Saint-Pierre and the first skyscraper in the city to be erected. The building is a fine example of an architectural style borrowed from the Chicago School. The outer envelope has undergone alterations. The original balustrade has disappeared, as have the semicircular windows. The interior of the building has undergone major alterations. Very few original elements remain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when you get in the elevator, you feel the history of this building, while the corridors are narrow, the atmosphere is simply historic, the way everything is built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Le-Germain-Hotel-Qu\u00e9bec---Luminary\"](\"https:\/\/gentologie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Le-Germain-Hotel-Quebec-Luminary.jpg\")
![\"Le-Germain-Hotel-Qu\u00e9bec---Fireplace\"](\"https:\/\/gentologie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Le-Germain-Hotel-Quebec-Fireplace.jpg\")
![\"Le-Germain-Hotel-Qu\u00e9bec---Daniel-V\u00e9zina\"](\"https:\/\/gentologie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Le-Germain-Hotel-Quebec-Daniel-Vezina.jpg\")
![\"Le-Germain-Hotel-Qu\u00e9bec---Normand-Boulanger---Room\"](\"https:\/\/gentologie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Le-Germain-Hotel-Quebec-Normand-Boulanger-Room.jpg\")