A new Fairfield Inn opened near Ottawa airport in November.  I have stayed several times at Hilton Garden Inn right next door.  I don’t recall staying in a Fairfield Inn brand hotel anywhere before so some of my comments below reflect my lack of knowledge of the brand.  My takeaway is that HGI and Fairfield Inn have different strengths so it’s good to have choice now.  

Location

HGI and Fairfield Inn are the closest two hotels to the airport (1.5km) so they are the most convenient for a quick layover, the others being a longer shuttle ride from the airport.  Previously the only Marriott choice near YOW airport was a Residence Inn which is 6km away.  The Fairfield Inn shares the shuttle bus to the airport with the HGI hotel.  Last time I stayed at HGI they had a van without a trunk so luggage had to go in the very back, taking away limited seating space for customers and there was a sign warning guests that they would be limited to only one suitcase.  I did not have this issue this time around: an unmarked Yukon XL came to pick us up rather than the previous van.  

Room

I booked the basic king room and was upgraded to the 1-bedroom suite.  Both my original room and the suite have a sofa bed in addition to a king bed so you can sleep 4 people in the room.  The suite is more akin to a junior suite because the living room is not completely separated from the bedroom; there is a small wall on each side to mark the separation.  I would have been fine with the basic room which has a good size (42 sq meters) but I was glad to get the suite which is even bigger (53 sq meters).  At Hilton Garden Inn, Diamond members typically do not get upgrades even guests who have stayed there countless times, myself included. So Fairfield upgrading me on my first stay was a nice gesture.  

The HGI has stayed in good shape and also has a new wing with more recent rooms, but Fairfield is a new hotel so overall it looks more fresh and I prefer just about everything to the room.  Not only you have more space, but the bathroom is better thanks to the dual bathtub and separate shower, unlike HGI where most rooms have an old-style shower in the bathtub rather than a stand-alone shower. Both hotels have a mini-fridge and a microwave.   

Dining

Breakfast is one factor where HGI is better than Fairfield.  Fruits at Fairfield were very limited: only fresh cut melon in addition to whole fruits such as apples (HGI has lots of fresh fruits including berries).  Hot options were ok but nothing remarkable. There is no table service at Fairfield unlike HGI where you can get made-to-order omelets for example.  The overall feeling at Fairfield for breakfast is “cheap” with cardboard coffee cups rather than regular mugs at HGI, in addition at Fairfield guests are expected to bring their dirty dishes back to a discard area which is in contrast with full table service at HGI. Fortunately the restaurant at Fairfield is very large and there were very few guests when I was there so they do not have a problem of people leaving behind dirty and messy tables, at least not yet until hotel popularity picks up.  I guess the so-so breakfast is to be expected from a hotel that offers free breakfast for all guests: quality suffers in these circumstances.  It is different at HGI where guests must pay for the breakfast and as a Diamond guest you can it for free so you get more value for the money if you have elite status.  

The breakfast area is almost more a working area than a typical restaurant.  There were convenient power plugs available at several tables so I could see some people making good use of the restaurant as a working place when getting tired of staying in their hotel room.  

Overall

Overall there are pros and cons of Fairfield compared to other options near the airport, but I can recommend it and I will return when the price is right.  Fairfield is a good fit for people who care most about a large(r) and modern room, less so for people who value a good breakfast.  Prices at Fairfield YOW are comparable with HGI YOW for most dates.  I generally find flexible rates lower at HGI but pre-paid rates a bit lower at Fairfield.