Quarantine hotels in Montreal: prices, refund possibilities, tips

From this article you will learn:

• rules and up-to-date program updates;
• what are the conditions of accommodation in a quarantine hotel;
• quarantine accommodation rates in Montreal hotels;
• which hotels refund a portion of the room rate;
• useful sources on the subject of quarantine hotels.

Quarantine hotel program rules

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Government of Canada has mandated that everyone who crosses into Canada by air must take a coronavirus test, with the test results waiting at an approved quarantine hotel near the airport of arrival. The only way to avoid this measure is if the person arriving is vaccinated with a government-approved vaccine. The rule takes effect from 5 July 2021.

Quarantine hotels offer special accommodation rates for guests awaiting test results. Staying in a hotel is compulsory, and you need to book and pay for the hotel before arrival in the country. Reservations and payment receipts will definitely be checked with border guards, so print a confirmation or have an email or a screenshot ready to show to the government official at the border.

According to official rules, if rooms are not available for the dates you choose, you must change your flight to a date when a government-authorized hotel will be available. Therefore, we advise you to buy your tickets and book your hotel at the same time. Moreover, only people staying in the same room can stay in the same family. If you do not adhere to the rules and do not provide proof of pre-booked and prepaid accommodation in a quarantined hotel, you could face fines of up to $5,000 CAD.

Application for entry to Canada

All travel information, quarantine plan, possible COVID-19 symptoms, and contact information must be listed on the ArriveCAN app (available for iOS and Android). Travellers will be required to present the ArriveCAN receipt when entering Canada to Canada Border Services officers.

On July 5, a new version of the app will be released that will allow you to download proof of vaccination (when the vaccination was given, where, type of vaccine). This is guaranteed to keep you out of the quarantine hotel.

Quarantine tariff

It is mandatory to book a room at a quarantine hotel at the special GAA rate (in some NGAA hotels). This is a fully prepaid non-refundable rate and includes taxi transfer from the airport to the hotel, accommodation and meals.

Not all hotels can be booked online at this rate; a number of hotels accept reservations by telephone only. If you wish, you can also reserve and pay for the mandatory three-day hotel stay through the central reservation line by room:

• 1-800-294-8253 is the line for North America;
• 1-613-830-2992 — international line;
• Hours of operation: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET, 7 days a week.

If a negative test result is obtained before the end of your mandatory three-day quarantine stay, travelers are allowed to leave the hotel for any other location for further self-isolation. However, the balance of your stay is non-refundable in most hotels, but we have found exceptions to the rule, we will tell you about them next.

Rates and return options at quarantined hotels in Montreal

Immigrant.Today has conducted a thorough survey of quarantine hotels in the province of Quebec. The table below shows the current rates and the possibility of a partial refund if the test results come back earlier than three days.

Refund procedure for unused nights in a quarantine hotel

We personally went through the refund procedure when we invited a relative. She was accommodated in DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, the cost with all taxes was $1 150 CAD. On the second day, the results of the COVID-19 test became known and after the second night of stay we checked out of the hotel. The management promised to refund part of the money to the credit card within a few days.

That's what happened, the cost to stay in a quarantined hotel in Canada was $767 CAD, here's the card statement:

How to bypass quarantine hotels?

At this time, the only known way to legally circumvent Canada's quarantine policy is to come to Canada by car from America. If you have a U.S. visa, you can fly into the U.S. and then order a taxi to bring you to Canada. If you choose this method of crossing into Canada, you will also need to take a coronavirus test and be quarantined for 2 weeks, but no quarantine hotels.

Useful resources

Along with a successful vaccination campaign, the situation in the country is changing for the better — restrictions are gradually easing. We hope that quarantine hotels will soon become history, but for now it is reality, we share with you the resources where the most up-to-date information about the program appears:

• official Canada website;
• the Facebook community about quarantined hotels;
• Channel PR-visa vs COVID-19 on Telegram;
• Canada immigration website Immigrant.Today.