How a 105-room heritage icon in Old Montréal is future-proofing guest bathrooms with Cheviot’s Regal cast-iron tubs
At-a-Glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Property | Hotel Nelligan – 105-room boutique hotel in Old Montréal, housed in four 19th-century warehouses and named Travel + Leisure’s “Best Urban Hotel in Canada.” |
| Project | Full guest-room renovation, 2023-26 (rolling floor-by-floor schedule). |
| Products Installed | 70 Cheviot “Regal” cast-iron soaking tubs with titanium-dioxide enamel, plus matching solid-brass waste & overflow kits. |
| Procurement Channel | Groupe Achats YK Inc. (lead FF&E agency) working with Corner Collection’s in-house team. |
| Project Goals | • Eliminate routine tub failures and room closures • Lift guest-experience scores • Meet aggressive ESG and lifecycle-cost targets |
1 Background
Hotel Nelligan’s exposed stone walls and timber beams make it a Montréal landmark—but after two decades of heavy occupancy, bathrooms showed premature wear. Acrylic tubs were cracking, staining, and driving up maintenance tickets. Ownership launched a multiphase renovation to protect RevPAR and reputation.
Pre-renovation pain points:
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14 room-out-of-order (ROO) hours per room, per year, for acrylic tub fixes
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Guest reviews citing “dated baths” and poor heat retention
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Rising housekeeping chemical spend to keep acrylic surfaces bright
2 Challenges
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Durability vs. Design – Fixtures had to complement heritage aesthetics while surviving 250 000+ cleaning cycles.
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Tight Construction Rhythm – 18 rooms per five-week tranche, all through one service elevator.
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Sustainability Mandate – ESG policy required EU-manufactured product, ISO 14001 audits, and recyclability.
3 Solution
Cheviot proposed the Regal cast-iron tub package:
| Feature | Procurement Benefit |
|---|---|
| 7 mm cast-iron wall + TiO₂ enamel | Lifetime structural & finish warranty—no mid-life replacement budget |
| High thermal mass (≈ 135 kg) | Keeps bathwater warm 6–7× longer than acrylic—boosting guest comfort |
| Factory-fitted steel cradle | 40 % faster installation; no onsite frame-building |
| EU foundry, ISO 14001 audited | ESG compliance and full end-of-life recyclability |
4 Progress & Early Indicators
The renovation is still in flight (expected substantial completion Q4 2025), so live maintenance data are not yet available. However:
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Installers report zero defects during transport or setting.
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Fit-out time dropped by ~4 labor-hours per room vs. the acrylic baseline, freeing schedule float.
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Guest-satisfaction metrics will be benchmarked starting six months after each floor reopens.
5 Authentic Luxury & ESG Alignment
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People – European craftspeople paid living-wage rates.
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Place – Tubs poured and enamelled in the historic Małogoszcz foundry, Poland.
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Materials – Virgin cast iron, lead-free enamel, solid-brass fittings.
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Environment – Factory powered by 64 % renewables; all scrap re-melted.
Lifecycle modelling (20-year horizon) forecasts 58 % lower carbon footprint versus two acrylic replacements—a direct win for Corner Collection’s 2030 net-zero roadmap.
6 Take-aways for Hotel Procurement Teams
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Specify once, forget for decades—cast iron removes recurring tub-replacement spend.
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Installation efficiency matters—the Regal’s built-in cradle compresses project timelines.
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Sustainability and luxury can coexist—EU casting and ISO audits deliver audit-ready ESG proof.
Next Steps
Cheviot’s ROI calculator can project your property’s payback in < 5 minutes—just input housekeeping wages and nightly rates.
Email hospitality@cheviotproducts.com or message Jameel on LinkedIn for:
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A copy of the calculator
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BIM/Revit files for the Regal tub
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Sample scope-of-work language for your FF&E package
Cast iron isn’t just heritage luxury—it’s the lowest-risk path to healthier budgets and happier guests.
