5 Tips For How To Afford The Chateau Frontenac Quebec City?

There’s no denying that the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac is one of the most expensive hotels in Quebec City… but it doesn’t have to be.

If you want to stay at the Chateau Frontenac Quebec City, I have some tricks to help you pay less for your stay.

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

fairmont-chateau-frontenac-quebec-city-pinterest

How Much Is One Night In The Château Frontenac Québec City?

A night at the Chateau Frontenac will range from $220 to over $1000 for a basic room (as of April 2024).

And that room rate doesn’t include the additional 15% tax from Quebec AND Canada, and a mandatory $30 resort fee that’s added to every night of your stay… which I do not understand at all… just add it in to the room rate if you want to charge an extra $30 non-negotiable charge.

But on the other side, there are a few bonuses included in your stay that you wouldn’t get at any other hotel. For example, a game room, tours, and even some seasonal activities are free of charge for guests.

Related

What To Know Before Splurging On The Fairmont Château Frontenac

fairmont-wood-room-key-to-the-chateau-frontenac-with-a-bed-and-lamp-blurred-out-in-the-background

Bonus Tip: Include Fairmont Activities In Your Money Savings

Look into what activities are included in your stay when booking the Chateau Frontenac, because you might actually “save” money. Or at least, you can see it as a way to reduce the total cost of staying at the hotel.

For example, if you were already interested in a walking tour of Quebec City, you’d have to pay for separate tickets if you were staying anywhere else (like for this tour on Viator). So it would cost you for the activity AND a hotel.

But since a walking tour of Quebec City is part of your stay at the Fairmont, you can basically remove the cost of the tour from your room rate.

See the going rates for tours in Quebec City

Quebec City Walking Tour →

Guided tour of the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec →

See more Québec City organized tours with Viator.

walking-tour-from-the-chateau-frontenac-walking-behind-our-tour-guide-dressed-in-1800s-costume-in-old-quebec

How To Stay At The Chateau Frontenac Quebec City For Less

There’s no point in breaking the bank just to stay at the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City.

But if you are interested in staying at the most photographed hotel in the world, the key is to know when and how to book…

1. Book Quebec City Luxury Hotels During Low Season

Booking in low season will cut the Chateau Frontenac prices in half… if not more! This is when you’ll see some of the lowest rates for the hotel (I’m talking closer to $220 / night).

The only problem? You don’t really want to visit Quebec City during low season… Let’s just say, there’s a reason why it’s low season!

Low season in Quebec City is either in the fall or spring. Even though winter is low season travel in most of Canada, this isn’t the case for Quebec City.

immense-chateau-frontenac-quebec-city-from-below-as-it-towers-above-you-with-an-ominous-looking-sky

Winter brings a magical vibe to the city, with the Christmas Market and Carnival.

So that leaves Spring and Fall to visit… and those seasons don’t really exist in Quebec!

Spring and Fall are the worst months in Quebec; it’s rainy, grey, and all around miserable weather.

There aren’t leaves on the trees so even Quebec City looks a bit drab. So don’t expect the best, most beautiful Quebec City photos if you plan to visit during low season in order to cut Chateau Frontenac prices in half.

You might also be interested in…

My digital and printable packing guide on Etsy. Filled with packing planning prompts for your next trip!

creepy-chateau-frontenac-lit-up-at-dusk-with-a-leafless-tree-in-the-corner-in-the-spring

Booking The Fairmont Quebec City In The Fall

It’s still very tricky to find a lower rate at the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City in the fall.

September to October also bring a unique look to the city with the changing of the leaves, and it’s beautiful to say the least.

So there’s a very small window after the leaves fall and the beginning of winter in Quebec City.

We even tried booking a stay in November without any luck (even the hotel staff thought November would be low season). And it might be, at the very beginning of the month if you get lucky!

That’s because November can see the first snowfall in Quebec City. And as I mentioned, snow in Quebec City brings a totally different, but absolutely gorgeous, look to the city!

And the Christmas Market is already in full swing by the end of November. So you might get lucky with a lower rate, but when we tried to book in November, it was still $1000 / night…

fairmont-chateau-frontenac-in-quebec-city-towering-above-the-colourful-rooftop-buildings-in-lower-town-on-a-fall-day

Best Luck Booking The Fairmont Quebec City In The Spring

The Spring in Quebec City is by far the worst month to visit, but it might be your best chance to stay at the Fairmont for a reasonable price ( this is when I was able to find the best Chateau Frontenac prices!).

We ended up booking at the end of March (on Easter Weekend actually) but the rates were fairly normal. We were able to book a two night stay for less than the price of one night in November.

I noticed that the prices stayed low throughout April all the way until May (when the weather starts to finally warm up again!).

But I will warn you, March is not pretty in Quebec City. There’s no snow, or leaves on the trees, and most activities are still closed for the season.

chateau-frontenac-in-the-spring-with-melted-snow-and-muddy-grass-not-looking-the-best

2. Book A Courtyard Room At the Chateau Frontenac (A.K.A. No View!)

Another way to save on Chateau Frontenac prices is to book a room without a view… well what the hotel considers to be no view anyhow.

There are three room views at the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac: river view, city view, and courtyard view (a.k.a. no view). But I actually really enjoyed my courtyard view non-view!

The river view will be the priciest, followed by the city view, and then finally the courtyard view.

The courtyard view faces inwards towards the hotel. The hotel is set up like a maze with all these inner courtyards, so you can have a room on the inside of the hotel (don’t worry, you still have a window, you’re not a complete shut-in).

Don’t look at your courtyard view as a negative though, see it as a perk. The reason you’re booking the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac is to stay at this century old hotel, and be surrounded by it!

courtyard-view-through-two-bay-windows-at-the-chateau-frontenac-with-a-cat-looking-out-towards-the-turret-of-the-castle

The best way to do that is with a view of the hotel itself… with a courtyard view.

I loved being engulfed by this beautiful hotel all around me. I looked out my window and saw the tower and the red bricks of the Chateau. I felt like I was transported to another time, and I loved it.

But, I’ll be honest, the view wasn’t perfect: two of my three windows were obstructed by a giant vent… which wasn’t so nice to look at. But my room was on the third floor, and the vent wasn’t that tall. So next time I would try to ask for the same room, but on a higher floor (the fourth to the sixth maybe).

The other downside of having a courtyard view is that other rooms with the same view can definitely see into your room, especially if you’re on a lower floor.

Of course take all of this with a grain of salt because there are over 600 rooms in the hotel, so not every room will be the same.

But as I said, you are paying to stay in the hotel, so might as well see the hotel from your room. You can see the river and city from anywhere, but you won’t get those courtyard views if you aren’t staying in a courtyard view room!

looking-out-onto-a-giant-brown-vent-blocking-our-couryard-view-in-the-fairmont-chateau-fronteanc

3. Only Stay At The Chateau Frontenac With A Fairmont Promo Code

They ALWAYS have a deal on Fairmont hotels directly on their website.

If you don’t book with one of the Fairmont promo codes, you’ll just be losing money otherwise.

The Fairmont promo codes typically offer a percentage off your stay, with some other bonuses.

For example, I was able to get 30% off my stay for being a Quebec Resident, so I was stoked. And on top of that, I had 20% off at Fairmont restaurants.

But even if you aren’t a Quebec Resident, they had the Sugar Chic promotion at the same time, which offered 15% off your stay, as well as free maple taffy!

incredible-hallways-and-elevator-with-gold,-pink,-and-black-decor-at-the-chateau-frontenac

4. Take Advantage Of Discounted Rates For The Best Chateau Frontenac Prices

On top of the promotion code offered by Fairmont hotels, you might also be able to take advantage of Fairmont’s discounted rates.

There are discounts for CAA / AA members, Government, Military and Veteran, and seniors (55+).

If you don’t fit into any of those categories, don’t worry, you can sign up for their membership program: Accor Live Limitless, and get a discounted rate that way.

They tend to give an additional discount for members, either a lower rate, or supplemental rebate.

For example, one of the promotions gave only Accor members a discount at Fairmont restaurants and at the spa.

By becoming a member, you also get some perks while you’re at the hotel as well (like higher speed internet).

screenshot-of-fairmont-website-showing-a-dropdown-menu-of-special-rates-for-different-people

5. Do Research and Book Through The Accor Website

As I said, there’s often a deal on the Fairmont and ACCOR Websites.

And if you find a better deal somewhere else, you are able to contact Accor to match the rate and they’ll give you an additional 25% to 10% off.

Keep in mind though, they may find a loophole to deny you the lower rate. For example, their deals always include free cancellation up to a certain date. So if the cheaper rate doesn’t include free cancellation, they won’t match it…

So it’s easier said than done to get your price matched, but it’s always good to know!

gold-with-floral-decal-check-in-desks-at-the-hotel-fairmont-chateau-frontenac-

How To Find The Lowest Chateau Frontenac Prices?

The best way to find the lowest Chateau Frontenac prices is with the help of Google.

Google gives you the price chart for two months in advance. So you can see the rate for every night over the next two months. They give you the average, so you can see it’s a lower or higher nightly rate.

On top of that, you can actually compare prices from different sites, like ACCOR, Fairmont, and third party sites like Booking.com on Google.

google-screenshot-showing-fairmont-le-chateau-frfontenac-prices-for-the-next-week-in-a-graph showing the price range for every night

Never Book The Fairmont Quebec City Through Spam Sites

When booking the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac, if you see a rate that’s too good to be true, it’s probably because it is!

The two main spam sites to keep an eye out for are Traveluro and GoSplitty.

We almost booked through Traveluro because it had an insanely good rate for the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa once. And it might have been fine, but it might not have.

And as it turns out, it is somewhat legit.

They do have these lower rates, but they also aren’t guaranteeing you a stay. I’ve read stories where people’s bookings were cancelled last minute, if it even existed at all. Other times though, there were not issues with the booking.

So it’s a 50 / 50. If you want to guarantee a room though, don’t book through one of those sites.

And Google shows these sites, so it’s important to be aware and avoid them.