Hotel review: C’est mon TRYP!

During my trip to Quebec City, I was hosted by Tryp Quebec Hotel PUR, in the district of St. Roch.

My driver picked me up and handed me a small bottle of champagne, which I promptly spilled all down my coat. We laughed. I did it a second time. Old habits die hard.

Om nom

I was wary of a minimalist type hotel, me being keen on colours and rainbows and magical leprechauns dancing around sunbeams (see: the swirly kaleidoscope of my blog header). But I realized my poor ignorant head had never actually seen tasteful minimalism before, and I loved it the minute I stepped into the lobby.

The dark grey hues of the hallway with neon-orange room numbers were also pretty sweet. And the white cleanness of everything in my room.

I was greeted by THIS upon entering my room:

Looking slightly maniacal

Cool, right? Even if they think I’m married. I’m not married. Mrs. Walsh has a lovely ring to it, though.

Here’s a little background info on the hotel:

TRYP is part of the Wyndham Group, with hotels all over the grid in Europe. The one in Quebec was the first to be opened in North America, but NYC quickly followed suit.

They mail postcards for you too, for free!

I typically don’t get excited over hotels, and I find few of them memorable. But TRYP has this thing about creativity. Many of their rooms are set up in themes to suit your needs: i.e. a Fitness room will come with work-out equipment and complimentary gym clothes. They have Family rooms to sleep eight, which includes bunk beds and a Nintendo Wii.

Initially I was a little pissed by not having a coffee maker in my room. Brewing coffee is the first thing I do when I get up in the morning, no matter where I am. But later in the evening, during a little presentation about the hotel, we were told that there was a free Italian coffee press in the lobby. The whole point of NOT having coffee in the rooms is so that we can socialize in the lobby.

Best view in the hizzouse

(And if you don’t want to socialize, I’m sure you can just slink away like a hermit.)

My favourite feature, however, was Lobbyfriend.net. It’s an app that works sorta like Twitter. You’re given a login password upon check-in, and access is free. You send out messages that other people in the hotel can read, so if you’re exploring a new place or simply wanting a friend to hang out with (maybe a little booty call on the side?), you’re able to connect.

It’s also a great way to pick the brain of the staff members, all of whom are TRYP Ambassadors passionate about their home. When I was there, someone had sent a message saying they were lost somewhere in Old Quebec, and one of the Ambassadors followed up immediately with directions.

Eat at the TABLE, the hotel's restaurant, even if you're not staying there. Do it. Try banana bread.

Finally, ask for their signature drink: gin, rosemary, rosemary syrup, and sparkling wine. It’s a good time.

  • May 15 2012

    So, do tell, did you meet any Lobby friends with benefits? :)

    The hotel looks sweet btw!

    • May 17 2012

      I did not, sadly! I did send out some drunken messages though. Go me.

  • May 15 2012

    I love social networking aspect of the hotel, because I don’t normally think of staying in a hotel as a way to meet other people. The no coffee maker in the room would probably throw me off, but as long as there’s coffee somewhere in the vincity I can survive.

    • May 17 2012

      Hahaha, same. Love hotels that aren’t afraid to embrace new technology.

  • May 15 2012

    Wow I would have never expected that in Quebec City, looks fantastic.

    • May 17 2012

      Same! Very different from the rest of the area. Totally loved it.

  • May 16 2012

    Whoa! This is a bad ass hotel. It’s just genius!! I like the style too – – very clean and minimalistic!

    Cathy Trails

    • May 17 2012

      Def! Was more “my” style than I would have thought.

  • May 16 2012

    I had the opportunity to stay at PUR about a month ago and also loved it! Especially when the hotel staff were more than understanding after a little red wine incident. However, I still prefer the history/ambiance of some of the smaller boutique properties in the old city.

    • May 17 2012

      I need to get back to QC…so much left to do!

  • May 17 2012

    I manage to get lost in my own apartment.
    For some things there are just no apps that help.
    :)

  • May 17 2012

    Do you know how to make their signature drink? I told my mom about it and she wants to try it, but with Vodka…she hates gin haha.

  • May 18 2012

    I really like the way you wrote this review, Candice – honesty about the hotel combined with your personality make for a very interesting read. I’ve never heard of a minamalist hotel before, but I can see its appeal with this review!

  • May 21 2012

    Thank you for the great mention Candice! Really appreciate it. We believe that people remember a place based on the connections they make and hence, a main reason we created LobbyFriend! Thanks again!

  • May 30 2012

    You have a nice way to wrote, I really like your post

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