I have just completed another excellent stay here.  The regular suite was not available on hyatt.com; only the large suite was available.  The regular suite is normally the Globalist suite upgrade benefit (not the large suite) therefore I did not expect to be upgraded but I got a nice surprise at check-in because I was upgraded to the regular suite anyway.  I suspect that someone who was already booked in the regular suite was upgraded to the large suite, which created availability for the regular suite, and they upgraded me there.  Very generous and they made two customers happy!

Room

The hotel has been open for soon to be 2 years now, and everything is still in excellent condition.  The suite is not very large but the space is well designed.  There is a living room separated from the bedroom via a sliding door.  The views of the parliament are very nice from the room.  The living room has access to a powder room, while the bedroom has access to a full bathroom.  The main bathroom has a nice modern glass wall rain shower and a separate bathtub.  Of the 12+ hotels I have stayed in Ottawa, the Andaz has the nicest rooms in my opinion.  If I am nitpicking and try to find negatives, I would say that there is not much of a sofa in the living room.  It’s more like a cushion on a bench, and not comfortable since you are sitting at exactly 90 degree angle and despite the cushion it is quite hard for the back.  And the powder rooms lacks counter space – it’s just a sink.

Dining

They changed the breakfast menu slightly since my last stay.  I was disappointed that the “Farmhouse Eggs” is no longer on the menu.  A new option is the Vegetarian Market Breakfast which I enjoyed.  They now also have the “Breakfast Poutine” which might be the replacement for what used to be Farmhouse Eggs I guess, since both are prepared with duck.  Several other breakfast choices are the same as before.  The Globalist breakfast benefit continues to be that you can order whatever you want from the menu and they will just cancel the charge from the room bill. 

Amenities

The suite has very large bottles of shampoo, body wash, etc.  I would like to bring them home as I sometimes do in hotels have offer good quality shampoo, but I am more hesitant about taking a 237 ml bottle out of the room than a regular hotel-sized bottle!  The soap bar is also big like a brick.  Shampoo and soap are both produced locally.  The regular Andaz rooms (not the suites) have the small bottles and soap.  All rooms also have potato chips, chocolates, and soft drinks which you can take for no charge, and they get re-stocked daily.  You also get a glass of wine at check-in which you can drink in the lobby near reception or bring to your room.

Location

I like the location in Byward Market – there are lots of restaurants and shops around.  However note that there has been a recent increase in shootings in Ottawa which is unusual for what used to be a quiet boring city.  And the specific neighborhood of the Andaz has also witnessed its share of crimes between gang members, including sometimes in broad day light.  I have seen an area cordoned off by police a couple of times in the last year or so – probably there was some trouble and they blocked access while they investigated.  

Gym

I include a couple of pictures of the gym.  It only has one elliptical and the gym is a bit small, but Ottawa is not exactly a fit city so I have not found the gym crowded before. 

Overall

As I mentioned in my previous post, in my opinion the Andaz is superior to other hotels in Ottawa if you have elite status.  I do not think you can realistically expect a suite upgrade at the Fairmont without a suite upgrade certificate, and I doubt they will become generous overnight once they are fully integrated within Accor in July and that the certs do not exist anymore.  Suite upgrades are rare at Westin.  The Sheraton only has one suite in the entire hotel and it is not even for sale on spg.com.  The Hilton is also a good property but it’s in Gatineau not Ottawa.  I have not tried the Marriotts yet but I would be surprised if you can get as much bang for your buck as Andaz.  The breakfast at Andaz is also head and shoulders above the Westin where the platinum benefit is only cold breakfast, and you get no free breakfast at all at Fairmont as a platinum unless you booked a rate which includes it.