By Jonathon Schaff, Travel Correspondent

Stylish Escape in the Thick of Montreal Nightlife

Some time after the last of the Saturday-night dinner guests have departed and the plates have been cleared away, the outdoor terrace of Opus Hotel Montreal’s Koko Restaurant + Bar erupts. Under the terrace's white canopy, the sonic schemes of live DJs infiltrate crowds of interlocked figures aglow from their dancing and phosphorescent drinks. The sound of the revelry floats through the walls of the building, the first poured-concrete building in North America, and those of its adjoining modern concrete addition. Collectively, its these two structures that make up the distinctive hotel, forming a dichotomous framework that parallels the Opus Hotel Montreal’s dual lives: throughout the week, a stylized retreat for businesspeople and sightseers; on the weekend, an entertainment hub where jetsetters alight to commingle at one of Montreal’s most adrenalized nightlife destinations.

A stylish corollary to the opulent on-site restaurant, the Opus Hotel Montreal’s spacious lobby is meticulously outfitted with leather divans, fresh flowers, and textured abstract paintings. The central aesthetic is minimalism, a design concept that makes its way up the corkscrew concrete staircase and the tangle of ironwork curls that constitute its bannister—relics from the original avant-garde structure—and into the hotel’s 136 guest rooms. There, walls awash in electric grapefruit, plum, honeydew, or orange hues contrast with sable-toned bed frames and the natural light pouring in through the bevy of windows. In the bathrooms, the pressure-perfect streams of the glass-walled walk-in showers compete for bathers’ attention with the separate soaking tubs, which are deep enough to comfortably subsume an adult male or fully grown mannequin. King beds beckon drowsy travelers, and in junior suites, a separate sitting area sports a full-size sofa. On Friday and Saturday nights, the award-winning Koko Restaurant + Bar transforms into a nightclub on the first floor—though the club's music may reach rooms on lower floors, Opus Hotel Montreal provides complimentary ear plugs and takes requests for quieter rooms.

Underneath the lobby, a hallway art gallery showcases the work of local artists, and Koko Restaurant + Bar —in the hours prior to its nightclub metamorphosis—showcases masterpieces of nouveau sushi and exquisite Italian fare. Warm nights bring diners to the terrace, a mélange of purple-and-gunmetal couch seating and a few scattered tables, and the chandeliered interior casts refracted golden light onto shrimp and smoked-prosciutto sushi rolls and the parmesan-and-dijon crust of the rack of lamb. In the morning, an in-room breakfast might include the oven-born bounty of nearby St-Viateur Bagel, a tasty foundation to a day of urban exploration.

Montreal’s Entertainment District: Vibrant Festivals Tucked Between Trendy Neighborhoods

The siren song of European fashion and the smell of freshly baked bread coax hotel guests to the Boulevard Saint-Laurent, known as The Main, on which the Opus Hotel Montreal sits. Ambling northwest, adventurers encounter the Plateau neighborhood and its fanciful restaurant, gallery, café, and boutique façades, each vying for the attention of shoppers in looping French script. Fortunate travelers will encounter a short line outside of Schwartz’s, where guardians of an 83-year-old secret recipe spice, marinate, and smoke their world-renowned meats for a combined 10.5 days. Stomachs filled to sandwich capacity can be resuscitated with a self-guided tour of the Plateau’s private residences, many of which sport Montreal’s characteristic snaked staircases, artisan balconies, and ornate cornices.

Old Montreal, a 20-minute hike from the hotel door, merits its reputation as a displaced slice of Europe. Surprisingly expansive, the neighborhood’s bricked avenues twist and turn like perjuring witnesses, and a designated pedestrian zone recalls the city as it once was: cramped, bustling, and brilliant. Out-of-towners are advised to negotiate the labyrinth, which can be difficult to navigate even with a map, on its own terms. Around a bend awaits the Rue des Artistes, a narrow strait populated by painters hawking their wares, the unfurled smoke of their pipes forming an ephemeral cloud ceiling. Nearby, street performers juggle and pander to the gathered crowds for tips and plaudits. The city’s hottest dining destinations set up shop here, including Le Local, an ultrasleek restaurant that serves up formidable French fare with a laundry list of ingredients in every entree.

Every summer Sunday from noon to dusk, the city of Montreal congregates atop Mont Royal in a celebration of life, love, and inclusion known simply as Tam Tams. Citizens of all ages gather to take in the spectacle, which concentrates around the mountain’s famous angel statue. Upwards of 30 musicians wielding the drums for which the festival is named form a circle in a concrete hollow. Nearby, tightrope walkers balance between trees, and past the hill fully grown men and intrepid children don armor and engage in recreational combat, using duct-tape-blunted swords and halberds and kicking up dust on their well-tread battlefield. Tam Tams are just one of the dozens of festivals that call Montreal home; savvy travelers will consult a calendar before booking trips.