Stay Tipsy in the Heart of Montreal: Hotel Ambrose 安布羅斯酒店：在城市的心臟裡微醺

EDIT/ 文 Erika Leung

This time, I decide to follow the advice from owners of Hotel Ambrose. With a bottle of Quebec wine and a basket filled with local purveyors' delis, I will head to Mont Royal for a sunbath and a picnic. Here is Golden Square Mile, originally home to the wealthiest in the Dominion including founders of the legendary Ritz-Carlton Montreal, with many majestic and architecturally significant mansions, where Hotel Ambrose is situated. This lovely heritage hotel is on Stanley Street between the Sherbrooke Street and the Mont Royal. McGill Law School is her neighbour. It was originally two separate homes constructed in 1910. At some point, the main house where the reception is currently located was owned by Madame Ambrose. After her husband passed away in the Second World War, she was left with a large building to occupy by herself. Then she decided to rent out the rooms to travellers and students. To this day, the original signage of the "Ambrose Travel Lodge" is on the glass panel above

the main entrance. In the 1970s, the building was purchased from Madame Ambrose as well as the house next door, and a passage was made in the staircase to merge the two sides. It was then converted into a hotel, and has remained so since. The current owners have turned it into a boutique hotel in a historical heritage since 2011. Many changes have been made to the hotel to keep it updated, including 21 guest suites, the opening of a specialty cafe in the lobby, an annex, a garden, and will continue to innovate. Every hotel room is unique and eclectic, featuring original architectural details and character through a close work between the owners and the architect. What delights the guests comprises deliberate arrangements of antique furnitures and installations in dialogue with different periods of time. To enumerate, one can find classical and contemporary French doors both appearing in the same room, the former as the wall behind bed and the latter for the bathroom. In another room, the most-updated fireplace

is paired with the original mantel decorated with antiques from 1930s and a modernist chair. Taking the stairs up, after passing by the 1910s fireplace and the bibliotheque, we spot Art Deco furnitures and a Bauhaus bathtub in another room. The former Honeymoon Room of Madame Ambrose, which she kept in honour of her late husband for many years, has been turned into the most popular Family Suite. After all, who doesn't like to take a selfie in the oval mirror and post it in Instagram? What is more, the linen of every room are locally designed and made in natural fibres and dyes. Besides, the personal care products are also from a local brand reputed in organic, natural ingredients and essential oils. "We go green and support local in our everyday practice. As a firm gesture to environment protection, we do use recycled paper products in rooms and our cafe. Flours, eggs, honey, maple syrup, coffee, cocoa, and tea in our cafe are all from local purveyors, from farm to table." From a tasting portion of a Peruvian chocolate featured by Hotel Ambrose, I have found lovely fruit notes like cherry and plum. "After immigrating to Quebec, this purveyor starts his own chocolate business with direct trade to cocoa growers." Direct trade is beneficial to everyone: growers can earn a better living; guests can enrich their enjoyment with a reasonable cost; and most important of all, it is a sharing of culture." No wonder Hotel Ambrose wins the favour from future elites of legislation and jurisdiction who see the hotel as a

resort for their circle. "We don't have an elevator, nor are we wheelchair accessible. However, we are honoured to receive law school students and their parents during convocation, F1, Jazz festival, and the beginning of new school year." It is hardly 11 a.m. but the annex is already full. "Guests can stay until 11 p.m. when we closes." The annex is also a powerhouse of events with music and appetizers, where professors, students, musicians, local artists, and craft people frequent. "This is part of our sharing of culture." "We welcome our guests in to a home, but we also try very hard to get our guests out of hotel to explore the city. This has been another important mission for us. We are in a walking distance to many natural, cultural, historical, and fine dining spots. There are various ways of enjoying Montreal." To make communications and understanding with the city and the region, for Hotel Ambrose, is ultimately essential during the stay of their guests. The Hotel has her own recommendations for guests to dine. Guests can also receive discounts from Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. There is even a package including a Breakfast in Bed according to North American tradition and a spa in Bota Bota thereafter. Since it is walking distance to Mont Royal, a picnic with a bottle of Quebec wine and a basket of Quebec delis sounds perfect in the summer breeze. It is tempting for me to check the list one by one as a small ritual to welcome the summer picnic. I wish I could also see you around.

在蒙特利爾，濃濃的歐陸風情讓人「酒不醉人人自醉」。 這 一 次， 我 們 打 算 聽 從 業 主 的 忠 告， 帶 上 一 瓶 魁 省 本 地 莊 園 佳 釀， 挽 起 編 織 食 籃， 從 Hotel Ambrose 出發，上皇家山曬太陽，享受草地野餐。 Ambrose酒店地處蒙特利爾市中心Golden Square Mile區， 酒店林立的舍布魯克大街身後，門前小街蜿蜒直上皇家山，跟政要 搖籃——麥基爾大學法學院相距咫尺。它是一家文物酒店，開設在 兩幢相連的歷史建築裡。酒店的主建築在百餘年前屬於 Madame Ambrose 和她夫君的私宅。這對夫婦屬於蒙特利爾乃至整個北美 最富庶的階層，圈中人包括蒙特利爾麗思卡爾頓酒店的創建者。後

來，男主人在二戰期間仙逝，成為富孀的 Madame Ambrose 將 大宅改為「Ambrose Travel Lodge」接待旅人與學生，據說廣受 歡迎。在 1970 年代，主樓和旁邊的大宅由一位富商接手，繼續以 旅屋酒店的形式經營。2011 年，現任業主夫婦決定接過這兩座深 具歷史價值和意義的建築物，銳意將充滿了 20 世紀初設計之美的 建築保存修復，並重整成擁有 21 個房間，一個咖啡館，一個偏廳， 一個花園的 Ambrose 文物酒店。 酒店的每個房間都具備獨特的個性，同時也保留著建築原有的 細節和特色。業主和設計師精心蒐羅了不同時代，不同樣式的設計 傢俱，根據每個房間的個性設定和建築特點進行搭配。在這個房間

裡，古董法式拉門成為床頭的背景牆，跟當代風格的法式浴室拉門 交相輝映；在另一個房間，視線的中心點可能是當代新壁爐與來自 20 世紀 30 年代的壁爐架以及爐架上的古董擺設，搭配現代主義時 期的沙發椅；再上一層樓，途經維護良好的 1910 年大宅明火壁爐 和兩旁的書架，我們在另一個房間裡找到了Art Deco時期的傢俱， Bauhaus 風格的浴缸；Madame Ambrose 當年的蜜月套房被修 繕為家庭套間，聽說十分搶手，不少賓客喜愛在壁爐架上的蛋形鏡 前，拍下自己的晨妝倩影。值得一提的是，所有房間的布草均出自 本地設計師之手，盡可能選用天然染料和有機棉；酒店的身體護理 產品也選用了本地一個堅持使用有機，自然原料和精油的品牌。 「支持本地業者，愛護地球、環保、綠色，不單是概念，也是 我們身體力行的日常。我們不但在房間，甚至在大堂咖啡廳用的所 有紙品，都要選擇可再生原料；我們選用的麵粉，雞蛋，蜂蜜，楓 糖漿，咖啡，可可，茶飲，全是本地製作，原材料也是農場 / 產地 直供。」酒店負責人給我嚐了充滿了櫻桃、李子芳香的秘魯單源巧 克力，「這位秘魯廠商直接向可可種植農採購原材料回魁省加工， 既能幫到種植農提高收入，我們也能以合理的價錢享受高品質的產 品。最關鍵的是，我們讓本地文化成為了客人的親身體驗。」 酒店眼光和出品如此獨到，難怪未來的律政菁英們視此地如 寶，不是小圈子裡的自己人，決不輕易帶上門。酒店負責人說：「儘 管我們沒有電梯和無障礙通道，然而法學院學生們時常佇足於此， 他們的家長更是喜愛在此居停一夏，從畢業季，F1 賽事期間，爵 士音樂節，到開學季。」上午 11 點，我見酒店偏廳裡已然座滿，「他 們每天可以在這裡待到晚上 11 點。」偏廳也是一個熱門活動場所， 會聚了大學師生、本地音樂家和藝術家們，這群蒙特利爾的燦爛花 朵，他們的知性、優雅及智慧在音樂、小吃、繪畫、暢談裡閃閃發 光。「這也是我們文化推廣的一部分。」 「可是，千萬不要光待在酒店裡呀！我們很努力地把我們的客 人『趕』出去，希望他們能夠享受蒙特利爾，享受這裡最精彩的文 化，藝術，自然環境，以及在其中找到無限樂趣。」酒店的其中一 項努力，是在城市中心為有眼光，有品味，有追求的客人提供一個 符合他們需求的落腳點，讓他們能夠盡情沈浸在這個城市裡，通過 色聲香味觸五種感官，與文化對話。這可以是根據酒店精心定製的 路線，逐一拜訪附近的酒吧餐廳，探索當地融會兩大洲精華的飲食 文化；也可以到酒店合作夥伴——蒙特利爾大美術館花上一天；還 可以是先享受北美傳統的床上早餐，再啟程前往老港的 Bota Bota 水上 Spa；又或者，帶上本地莊園特供的葡萄酒，按照本地人最喜 歡的方式，曬太陽和野餐。 初夏未至，我打算先按圖索驥熱熱身，並期待和你相遇。

鳴謝酒店提供照片和文字資料來源 Photo and text resource: Hotel Ambrose Hotel Ambrose Add.: 3422, rue StanleyMontreal, (Qc) H3A 1R8 Tel.:(514) 288-6922 Fax.:(514) 288-5757 E-Mail:info@hotelambrose.ca