Ottawa Marriott [Master Thread]
 

Any recent reports regarding the Ottawa (Ontario) Marriott? I did not see a thread dedicated to this property. There have been some harsh reviews recently on Trip Advisor. I know the place is being renovated, any info on when this renovation will be completed? What rooms (on what floors) have been renovated and what remain to be completed? What room should I ask for if I email the general manager?

Thanks for your help.

Personally I'd suggest the CY. It's in the heart of the Byward market. Walking distance to scads of restaurants, pubs, shopping etc.

I work down the street from the hotel and have been in there for lunch and dinner quite a few times. The renovations going on in the lobby are quite extensive right now and there are areas in the Merlot Restaurant at the top of the hotel that definitely need a going over. The area gets pretty deserted at night and therefore would recommend the RI or the CY if you want to be closer to the action.

As far as I know, the renovations are limited to the ground floor - the lobby and the former restaurant/bar. I don't think any guestrooms are being redecorated. If I recall, the work will continue over the winter.

Ask for a corner room - they are larger than the others. Some of the higher floors have very nice views over the river. Heidi (evening) and Lisa (breakfast) in the Concierge Lounge are fabulous. generally, the staff are very helpful and service is good.

How much time does anyone spend in the lobby, anyway?

Ottawa Marriott Renovations
 

Hello closecover. Thank you for considering us for your upcoming stay in Ottawa.

The renovations are restricted to the ground level where we are transforming our lobby and street-level restaurant.

Renovations will be completed by November 1st at which time we will be unveiling our new state-of-the-art open concept lobby as well as our day/night bar and restaurant, Spin Kitchen & Bar.

We look forward to welcoming you.
Ottawa Marriott Management

I'm considering changing hotels to stay at the Marriott. I'm currently at the Sheraton and it is quite outdated - the decor in the hallways and rooms is seriously from the 80s. No wifi. No upgrade. These kinds of things are important when your wife is with you and will be staying in the hotel while you're at work all day.

Looks like the Marriott is a better property but maybe not in the most happening part of town.

I just stayed at this property the weekend of March 5. I had no problems at all. If you want to walk right out the door and be in the market, then stay at the Courtyard. If you don't mind the 10 to 15 minute walk, then stick with this.

Room was your standard FS Marriott room. Lounge was closed on the weekend but I id receive breakfast vouchers. Staff and bartenders in the lobby bar/restaurant were excellent. If back in town again, I would stay there again without a doubt. I did not see any renovation work taking place so I assume it has all been completed.

First, welcome to FT!

Second, this thread was started 2 years ago so my guess is the restaurant renovation is done :)

But I just now noticed that as of a year ago they were offering brekkie coupons when the lounge was closed, so I'll update the exec lounge sticky w/ that date/info.

Cheers.

I can confirm the CY Downtown (at Byward Market) is right in the middle of the action with plenty of pubs & restaurants nearby.
As a low silver elite I got plenty of welcome gifts (breakfast for 1 person/1 night, bottles of water).

I can't compare with the FS Marriott but I can't say anything bad about the CY Downtown.

Just stayed there for a night last week. One of the worst full service Marriott's that I have been to. The evening snacks in the lounge are probably the absolute minimum required by the brand. The breakfast was better, however. I had problem with the hotels wireless connection that was up and down. Not impressed.

Just checked in an hour ago. So far very happy. Hubby is gold member and got an upgraded room and will get free breakfast in the lounge tomorrow. Lounge is closed on weekends and will get free breakfast in the second floor.

Is the 2nd floor the lounge (ie, is it open for breakfast only on Sat/Sun) or is there a restaurant on the 2nd floor? If a restaurant, is the brekkie cont'l only or full? If cont'l only, is there an upcharge to full & what is it? Please post & I'll update the exec lounge sticky. Thx.

Cheers.

different experience
 

Although it was few years back, post above called this as "one of the worst FS Marriot".

Recent experience was almost exactly opposite. One of the best stays in terms of hospitality of staff, facilities, food and location.

Great views of fireworks from top floor (ex revolving) panaromic empty restaurant. Decent facilities for kids (pool, game room, etc.) Easy waking to Parliament Hill. Outastanding staff in lounge (Ann was fantastic)

On non-working trips, lounge (both offering and staff) at FS Marriott seem to make a huge impact on overall experience, IMHO.

Was your stay on a weekend desi? If so, was exec lounge open? If not, what did they do re: brekkie? Please post & I'll update the exec lounge sticky.

Cheers.

It was weekday. There was full breakfast and also open in the evening for the usual fare.

The revolving restaurant at the top of hotel is neither revolving nor restaurant any more. It is rented out for wedding receptions, etc. There are also conference rooms in that top part. Hotel opens up this portion for fireworks viewing on canada day, new year's eve, etc.

Lounge is on top floor of the building with excellent views but it is not in this 360 degrees top part mentioned above.

I agree with desi on this property. The last time I stayed here was in mid-2014 however I have stayed previously here 2-3 times a year for the past 3 years and it is my goto property in Ottawa.

While it's not the most up to date FS, it is more than adequate, and the nightly rate usually reflects that making excellent value for the location. The staff is great there, and the last time I was there on the weekend was given full breakfast in the resto without upcharge as plat.

The concierge floor rooms are generally better (top 3-4 floors) and the views are great of the Parliament Hill buildings and the river.

Yes, I was here last week. All very good and comfortable. Lounge Food is minimum but it's big with excellent views. Being right on Sparks Street means there's plenty of food options if you don't want to eat in

Any recent reports? Construction noise?
 

Any recent reports from folks who've stayed at the hotel? I've read recent reports over at Tripadvisor of lots of noisy construction in the area. Anyone experience this? And any sense of which parts of the hotel to request to minimize the noise?

Thanks for any advice.

Stay Report - 9/29 - 9/30

Location: The hotel is located in Downtown Ottawa at the intersection of Queen and Kent Streets. For touring Ottawa the hotel is really well located. You're an easy walk to Parliament, ByWard Market, the military museum and a large number of restaurants and bars. The area around the hotel is fairly sleepy on the weekends but there was never an issue getting an Uber. YOW is about 20 minutes away.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Travel/Ot...IMG_2438-L.jpg

Hotel: The hotel is an older, 1970s style hotel with even the closed revolving restaurant on top. There's a large lobby which has a Starbucks and a restaurant and bar. There's also an indoor pool and fitness center. Despite being a large hotel there was never a wait for an elevator.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Travel/Ot...IMG_2436-L.jpg

Check In: We arrived at 12:30 and unfortunately were unable to check in but were able to store our bags. The agents at the front desk were always friend and helpful.

Room: As a Platinum I was upgraded to a corner King. My brother and his wife who are only Gold were not upgraded. The rooms here are not renovated and have old furniture and fixtures and horrendously tiny bathrooms. On the plus side the bed was comfortable, it had outlets near it and the wifi worked well. I also had a balcony I could go out on.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Travel/Ot...IMG_2471-L.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Travel/Ot...IMG_2473-L.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Travel/Ot...IMG_2472-L.jpg

Lounge: I'm happy to report the lounge is open weekends. Weekdays breakfast runs from 6:30 to 9:30 AM and weekends 7:30 AM to 11 AM. Appetizers are Monday to Saturday 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Breakfast featured scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, cold cuts and cheese, breads and cereal. Appetizers had cheese, fruit, crackers and one hot dish. There was no alcohol.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Travel/Ot...IMG_2475-L.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Travel/Ot...IMG_2476-L.jpg

Overall this hotel is pretty decent if a little old. Location wise it works very well.

Visiting Ottawa for the first time. We will be there July 4 through 8. Like to stay at a Marriott property. I am gold. Will this be a good property for a tourist? or should I consider other Marriott properties? I read some recent reviews. It seems that the property is still dated and bathrooms are still tiny.

Downtown Ottawa is quite compact so for all hotels downtown they are all fine, location-wise. I prefer Westin's location and Marriott is a bit out of the way, but it's still only 15 min walk between them, so we are splitting hair.

If you want a Marriott property, I think Sheraton is the best value. Rooms were partially renovated recently and has a good lounge (although as Gold you won't get access). Delta and Marriott are similar, both have a lounge but rooms are aging and small bathrooms, although I have not seen Marriott myself, just relying on reviews and pictures. Delta is usually cheaper so I suspect it's better value than Marriott but cannot be sure. If money is no object then Westin has the best rooms for sure, but often I find the price premium is not worth it. Finally, in my opinion the worst of them all is Courtyard although similar to Marriott, I have never stayed there so take my opinion with a grain of salt. Prices at CY are very high, sometimes 2nd behind Westin despite being the lowest quality brand of them all which is puzzling so I never even bothered to try it. Sometimes CY is more expensive than the Andaz across the street which is absolutely ridiculous.

So if you have money to spend, go with Westin. If you want value, I suggest Sheraton. Avoid CY. Marriott/Delta would be ok.

thanks.

If you are able to get a corner room with a balcony, those are spacious and have been attractively updated. The bathrooms are small, however. As mentioned upthread, Ottawa is small and easy to navigate on foot. If you have a car, the CY East has free parking and is ~10 minutes from downtown. I have stayed at many Ottawa hotels, as I have family there. The Delta rooms are 70's vintage, even their suites. The Sheraton has been refreshed, the Westin is good, as is the Andaz (but by Hyatt). All, except the CY East, are within walking distance of Parliament Hill and/or Rideau Centre, Byward Market.

Since [MENTION=757]flyme2[/MENTION] is bringing up CY East, just for clarification purposes in my previous post when I said CY I was referring to CY downtown, not to be confused with CY East.

CY East is not my favorite hotel, but at least prices there are not ridiculous like CY downtown. The drawback is that at CY East you are a bit out of the way but if you have a car, yes it can be considered.

So why don't you tell us how you really feel. ;-) A bit harsh, but I will agree that the Ottawa hospitality and F&B landscape is not the most stellar. I've stayed at dozens of hotels there over the years and none are what I would deem aspirational. That being said, hotel rates are, for the most part, generally less than their counterparts in the downtown cores of YVR, YYZ and YUL. Both the Marriott and the Delta are 70's vintage buildings with unwieldy infrastructures that were never that great to begin with. The rooms could be readily renovated, and some have been, but the bathrooms and plumbing would require a serious commitment of resources to enlarge and modernize them to today's standard. In my experience, this is the case in many Northeastern hotels built in that era. Bathrooms were designed to be functional and nothing more.

I have two kids under 8 and they have never been to Ottawa. Which brands of Marriott families of hotels would be the newest and best to stay at? Price is not a factor but just want a comfortable and prefer newer hotels.

Thanks

I'd recommend the Westin. It's right in the heart of the Parliament and Byward Market districts, easy walk to most tourist attractions, and is a well kept property, if a touch dated. The phrases "sleek and modern" and "Ottawa" never go in the same sentence. Don't plan for a long stay, not much for smaller kids to do.

None of tbe Marriott properties are going to blow you away. As mentioned, the Westin is probably the best of the bunch. The Marriott used to be a Radisson, the Sheraton was previously a Four Seasons converted from an efficiency apartment building. While the remainder aren't really FS, they are newer builds. If you are not married to Marriott, I like the Andaz.

Ditto the Westin. Ask for a view of Parliament.

The Marriott was a Holiday Inn in 1977, when we stayed there on our honeymoon. Marriott closed the revolving rooftop restaurant - the only thing that made the place stand out. The hotel was a little "tired" even pre-pandemic.

Correct.The Ottawa Marriott Hotel[1] (formerly a Holiday Inn, then a Radisson Hotel) is a hotel located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on the north-west corner of the intersection of Queen Street and Kent Street. It was built by Campeau Corporation as part of the second phase of the Place de Ville complex. Upon its construction in 1971, it was the tallest building in Ottawa, but the title was short-lived when the neighboring Tower C was completed in 1972. As of 2013 it was the sixth tallest in Ottawa and eighth in the National Capital Region.
The Radisson then moved a few blocks over to 402 Queen St. and has since disappeared from the Ottawa market. Coincidentally, that property is now a Holiday Inn.

Book 3 nights and the 3rd will be reimbursed upon check-out


https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...1-10-10-a.html

Westin is the best Marriott if money is no object, but is arguably one of the worst Marriott in Ottawa if you consider what you get vs what you paid for (perhaps second to last, ahead of CY Downtown). The comparison to Andaz is probably the most striking, Andaz >>>>>> Westin in pretty much all regards, yet Andaz is similar price if not cheaper. So if I really needed Bonvoy night credits I would definitely pick Marriott, Sheraton, or Delta, save a bunch and accept that my room will not be "wow" by any stretch of the imagination. But I would not pay for Westin on my own dime, and even less so if being Bonvoy elite because Westin frequently disregards upgrades while Marriott has a lounge and will provide hot breakfast unlike Westin, unless they changed something recently.

I actually agree with escape4. The Westin, IMHO, has two advantages: It's location at the Rideau Centre and its newer(ish) hard product. Apart from those, its QPR is weakest amongst the bunch. I've stayed at almost all of the Bonvoy properties in Ottawa, in their current and former flags, Back in the day, when Starwood ruled, the Sheraton was my go to Ottawa property due primarily to its Executive Lounge. That is no longer the case, and I will usually stay at either the Marriott or the Delta. I like breakfast at the Marriott's restaurant, but prefer dinner at the Delta's. I prefer the corner rooms with a balcony at the Marriott over any room or suite in either of those two hotels. Suites are usually two regular rooms with the connecting door and bed removed with little or no regard to design. The Executive Lounges at either the Marriott or Delta are both similar, IMHO, and wouldn't really play a role in swaying my decision on where to stay.

For those looking for lounge access in Ottawa, be sure to check opening days and available services at those hotels with lounges. Canadian hotels have been slow to recover from reductions and the summer season is slower in Ottawa, providing little incentive to speed up restoration.