Introduction Interest in a hotel review of some random Courtyard in North America is probably limited, but I thought some comments about the Platinum breakfast might be useful, plus my outsider’s view of the Courtyard brand. I come from the Starwood side although I have been ramping up my Marriott stays recently now that my Starwood status is recognized on the Marriott side. I booked a 5-night stay at Courtyard Ottawa East with points for a rock-bottom 10k pts per night before August, and with 5thnight free it brought the net cost down to 8k pts per night. This property went up to 17.5k pts per night in August. I had been to that hotel before but I was interested to see what the breakfast benefit would be post August with the merger. Location The location of the hotel can be good or bad, depending on one’s purpose for being in Ottawa. You have to pay a premium for the convenience of hotels near the airport, you have to pay a premium for the convenience of hotels downtown, but this hotel is neither of those locations. It is about a 45-min walk to downtown and a 25-min drive from the airport. The location is only favorable if you attend an event at the convention center, which is attached to the hotel so you don’t have to step foot outside to go to meetings which can be great in the winter. The convention center is also interestingly attached to a Hampton Inn hotel (both hotels have the same owner) so the Courtyard – Hampton Inn combo makes for a good mattress run option between the Marriott and Hilton brands, if needed. Cash rates at the Courtyard are not particularly cheap because they host lots of guests going to the convention center. I would guess these folks get special corporate rates, unlike rates which can be found on Marriott.com which someone like myself would have to pay. So unless you have an event there, you will most likely overpay because you’ll have the convenience of something you do not need. At the very least, since the hotel is not centrally located, you get free parking on site. Room The rooms are actually quite decent since this hotel is not very old (2010 construction). Rooms are clean, in good shape, spacious, and I like having a microwave and mini-fridge. In the bathroom I appreciate having a separate shower from the bathtub. The bedroom has a sofa-bed which can be useful if you stay there with children. I also think the rolling table gives good working space in addition to the fixed table. One of the few negatives about the room is that the bed was not particularly comfortable compared to other Marriott options such as the Sheraton Ottawa and Westin Ottawa hotels downtown where I always sleep well. The other negative about the Courtyard if you are Platinum: they don’t give upgrades as far as I know. I never got one here, although it was always on points redemptions. I would note that I never asked about a suite either because it was never important to me at this hotel. Perhaps post August, paying guests can get suites, but at least based on my limited experience we can forget about upgrades here. Some of the suites are “boardrooms” with a big table and many chairs so I suspect those rooms are kept for guests who are part of large groups rather than for Platinum travelers on their own. Dining Before August, at this hotel you could choose between a Starbucks coffee, a snack item, or welcome points. It was only one coffee/snack per stay, which was very stingy. Now it has improved because it’s $10 credit per night so for my stay I got $50. Don’t get me wrong, I do not mean to complain about something which is clearly better than before, but my opinion is that it remains short of the competition. First off, the hotel cheapened out by providing 10 CAD credit (exchange rate 1.30 so