Here are my thoughts about Sheraton vs Westin, and also for comparison purposes, non-Starwood properties.

The Westin is clearly the better Starwood hotel in Ottawa if money is not an issue. The rooms are very nice and worlds apart from the Sheraton. The Sheraton is an older hotel and will never be on par with the Westin. That said, they recently renovated rooms on high floors (Club rooms) so the Sheraton drawbacks have been mitigated but remains a couple of notches below the Westin.

While I always consider the Westin when I stay in Ottawa because it’s a solid property, I almost always end up booking elsewhere because I find it hard to justify the price premium. The Sheraton is almost always cheaper, and especially on weekends when the Sheraton can have very good rates. The fact that the Sheraton has a lounge while the Westin does not, in addition to being cheaper, makes a big difference for me. The service in the Sheraton lounge is great. One time I went there with my mom who has Celiac disease and they brought her a separate gluten-free plate. Lounge access has always been granted for 2 rooms. The offerings in the Sheraton lounge are not fantastic, but for sure above average for North American standards.

The Sheraton only has one suite room and it’s not advertised on SPG.com so one might not even know they have a suite in the hotel. You have to call to get it booked. The price for the suite is a bit below 2x the standard room rate. I have never been upgraded to the suite and I would not expect to since there is only one. At least at the Westin you can get an upgrade, but my success rate has been weak. I believe the Westin will generally upgrade Platinums to a suite when available, but the problem is that they do not have many suites. The Westin suites are great but I get upgraded so rarely that I do not really see it as a major plus compared to the Sheraton where I will never get a suite.

The Sheraton recently replaced all three of its elevators so the situation is working well now. The Westin however still has their horrible and unique system. Many people type in their floor incorrectly or type it in more than once when elevators are slow (making them even slower) so elevators will stop at many floors that they do not need to stop.

The Westin being connected to a shopping mall is great particularly in the winter. The neighborhood around the Westin is a bit more questionable as mentioned by some others earlier in the thread. Some mentioned that they always felt safe anyway, but you should note that in the last 2-3 years crime has really shot up in the By Ward Market. There are frequent stabbings and shootings involving gang members. So the area was safe before, but you cannot say it’s safe now. Note that the Westin is not in By Ward Market per se, but it’s not far so it night you’ll want to walk west rather than north east. I do not think the area of the Sheraton is immune either. One time I checked out of the hotel early morning and there were probably 10 police cars in the street behind the Sheraton and the street blocked to traffic.

Because the Sheraton is old, the sound proofing is not great, but I almost always get upgraded to the top floor where the noise from the street is more muted. Also the hotel will tend to put groups (including youths) on lower floors so there are more noise issues from hallways on lower floors, not top floors. Despite the Sheraton being old, the bed is very comfortable, on par with the Westin.

As others mentioned, the parking at World Exchange Plaza in front of Sheraton is free on weekends. I know there is a sign saying no overnight parking, but they also show overnight rates so it’s confusing if we can park or not. I often park overnight and never had a problem.

So overall I find the Sheraton to be a better deal than the Westin in most respects particularly when considering room rates.

If I want a more upscale hotel than the Sheraton, then I end up at Andaz far more often than the Westin. The hardware of Westin is great, but Andaz is an even newer property and even nicer. I would argue that the Andaz has replaced Westin as the best hotel in town. I get upgraded to suites or corner rooms at Andaz every time so I have a better success rate than the Westin. The Andaz rates are sometimes higher than Westin, sometimes lower, and on average I would say similar. The breakfast at Andaz wins hands down over the Westin where you need to pay to upgrade for hot food. The Andaz might not have Asia-style breakfast, but it is one of the best North American breakfasts I have seen. The roof top bar at Andaz is great. The Andaz gym on the top floor has great views of the city and while smaller than the Westin gym, I prefer the Andaz for the views. The only advantage of the Westin hotel in my mind (relative to Hyatt) is being connected to the shopping mall. Everything else, Andaz wins.

If I find the Westin to be generally a below average value proposition, it’s even worse at the Fairmont. Very expensive, small rooms, no breakfast.

For people who care about a lounge, then a competitor to Sheraton would be the Hilton, which is all around a nicer and newer property. The Hilton is generous with suite upgrades, which you cannot get at Sheraton. The only drawback is that the Hilton is not in Ottawa so if you need to be downtown then it’s a big minus and possibly a non-starter. The Marriott also has a lounge and being in town is perhaps a better comparison to the Sheraton than the Hilton. Unfortunately I have never been to the Marriott so I cannot provide a more complete comparison at the moment.

The other Starwood property in the Ottawa area is the 4P, which similar to the Hilton is in Gatineau. I have been to 4P maybe three times but is by far my least favorite option. If I want a cheaper hotel out of Ottawa center, I generally end up at the Double Tree Gatineau or at Hampton Inn Ottawa / Courtyard Ottawa East, generally even cheaper than 4P.