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| - The Palais des congrès de Montréal is by far one of the best convention centers I have visited. I attend about six academic conferences a year for work, and good fortune has taken me to Montréal twice now, with both conferences being held in the Palais des congrés, which has several clearly labeled entrances on all sides: one with direct access to Chinatown / Old Montréal, another a straight shot up the hill to hosts of hotels, and of course the building also houses the Place-d'Armes Metro orange line stop for quick connection to anywhere in the city.
Both times I have stayed at the Hyatt Regency Montréal, only two blocks or so from the conference headquarters. Of course, when I'm spending all day inside breathing recycled air, I do prefer to get outside whenever I can, but winter in Montréal has a mind of its own. For particularly frigid days, I take the underground passage through the Complexe Desjardins shopping center.
The Palais des congrès houses several shops, cafés, and restos, and there are several others within walking distance (for example, you absolutely MUST hit up Olive et Gourmando!), so it makes taking a quick break during sessions a breeze. There's a Tim Hortons here, but as you may already know, this chain does not take VISA, which is super inconvenient for me because the corporate credit card I travel with is in fact a VISA.
[Sidebar: honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what the hell a Tim Hortons is; is it a coffee shop? Fast-food joint that also serves coffee? Is it like a Dunkin Donuts or a Hardees? Well, I suppose it doesn't matter: since I can't purchase anything there anyway, I just hit up Café Dépot or Café République in Complexe Desjardins to get my morning coffee fix.]
What else is great about Palais des congrès is its high ceilings, huge floor-to-ceiling windows, and public art installations. It feels spacious and airy, even in winter. I also greatly appreciate that security here is so competent. Any given day, there are several conventions happening in the same building---often on the same concourse---but there is always someone there to make sure people who don't belong there don't get in, and that those who do, get to where they should be going. And everyone here is courteous and bilingual.
The restrooms here cannot be beat! Not only are there WCs with multiple stalls on each concourse level, but there are also sub-concourses---mezzanines, really---featuring nothing but restrooms! Between sessions, there's often a line at the WCs on the main floor, but just head down half a flight of steps to get to the cache: never lines, always paper, very clean, plus they have those supersonic hand dryers.
I also really like they there are recycle bins basically everywhere there are trash cans. Exhibitors can also rent a recycle bin for their booth, and the show contractor's porter will empty it at the end of the day, which is a rarity in the US.
My only complaint would be how long it takes to get from one concourse to the next. The escalators and elevators often seem to be under construction or receiving routine maintenance, and it can be confusing any way, determining which set of escalators / stairs / elevators to use for easiest access to your convention's location. But, honestly, sometimes it's a relief having to walk a good distance during a convention, particularly in the climate-controlled mezzanines of this building, which offers great views of the city from essentially all sides.
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