The Westin Ottawa

We checked in late on Friday Oct. 17th. We were assigned rooms 1228 and 1208. Room 1228 overlooks what looks like the mechanical area of the hotel. So, it is not a quiet room by any means. But nothing compares to waking up to TWO fire alarms! One at around 1:50 AM. The other at around 3 AM. Both alarms did not require evacuation. After the second alarm I called the front desk to inquire I was told that the manager on duty was trying to figure out what was happening. I requested compensation for a sleepless night. I was offered a free breakfast per guest for one day. We are here for two nights. So, I am expecting a bit more. Since we have not had a good night's rest. The room as I said overlooks some roofs and mechanical looking equipment. As I type all I hear is something like a leaf blower. And a very loud motor whine. You can hear toilets flushing. And since everyone was woken up by the alarms, there were a lot of toilets flushing. It seems that everytime a toilet flushes it triggers a whining sound in the building. So, thus far, our stay has been absolutely terrible. I can't comment about the location as we arrived late last night. We are here for a wedding. The Westin is the venue. Fingers crossed it gets better from here on. It has thus far been a very loud expensive experience.

The Westin Ottawa is in a great location — right in the center of the city and close to many restaurants, shops, and attractions. Our King room faced Parliament Hill, which made for an interesting and historic view, especially as descendants of enslaved people visiting such a symbolic oppressive space. That said, the “upgrade” we received wasn’t much of one. The room was clean-ish — not terrible, but not impressive either. Unfortunately, I’ve come to notice a pattern across many Marriott properties: dirty walls and floors, random stains, showers with mildew, and low-quality bedding (think 200-thread-count sheets). The Westin Ottawa wasn’t an exception to that trend. The hotel room was aged and dated, and would benefit from a good clean. On the bright side, I used Marriott points for this stay, so my $100 cash spend felt well worth it. If you plan to stay here, I’d recommend doing the same — it makes the experience much easier to justify. A few practical notes: Valet parking is prohibited for ball teams, which seemed unnecessary and inconvenient. Parking costs $30 per day with no in-and-out privileges, which adds up quickly. The front entrance is always crowded, so patience is a must. The hotel connects directly to the Rideau Centre mall, which is convenient if you plan to shop, but not particularly useful otherwise. The breakfast buffet was tasty and well-prepared, though pricey at around $40 per person. Finally, a heads-up for families: while there are plenty of restaurants nearby, we were surprised to discover that most (about 90%) don’t serve children — something worth knowing before planning meals out. Overall, a decent stay for the location, but far from luxurious. I’d recommend it if you’re using points or looking for convenience — not if you’re expecting a premium Westin experience.

When checking in at 3 pm they found us a room available which was great! The elevators and card access can at first be tricky to use but we did appreciate the security. Room was large with a great view of the Fairmont and Parliament Buildings. We were there for one night en route to Quebec. The room had older furnishings but the beds were nice and ac worked well! We had the buffet included in our room rate. The buffet was lovely with a great selection! Hotel and wait staff were very helpful and based on location and overall amenities we would definitely visit again!

Good: room was clean, location was very convenient Not so good: room dated, was on parliament side and would hear road noise all night even with earplugs, drapes gap in the middle so light comes in, when I checked in at night the front desk was empty. After standing there a couple of minutes I asked the woman at the concierge desk if anyone was working the front desk. She came over asked for ID and credit card and handed me one key. No "welcome to the Westin" no, "thank you for being a titanium member" no asking if I wanted points or breakfast, no directions to the elevator, no information about where the restaurant is or hours. I was shocked and said to her "wow, usually hotels say welcome, thank you for being a titanium. Would you like points or a welcome gift". She just stared at me. Got to my room, no welcome note. Usually there's a little note and token gift. The next day I go to breakfast and they hand me a bill because "I chose 1000 points" nope actually told the front desk woman I wanted the breakfast. Seriously least hospitable Marriott I've ever visited.

When we first entered our room there was a very strong mildew smell. So bad, I knew there was no way I could sleep easily with the odor. They moved us to a room on the 23rd floor and this room also smelled of mildew, but not as bad. We stuck it out for three nights with no ill effects. Everything elso was fine, including location and services, but the mildew smell will stop me from staying here again.