The location of the hotel is good, in a quiet street, not far from all the sights. We had a room on the 15th floor with a good view of downtown Ottawa. The room was nicely furnished and we would have been completely happy with it if it had not been for the noise, not from the street, but from within the hotel. Next to our room was a door with the inscription 'disposal'. We do not know if this was the rubbish disposal system, but all the time we heard a strange noise like the fan of an aircon system. We turned our own aircon off, but the noise was still there. Although we found this quite disturbing we were still able to get a good night's sleep; the beds were very comfortable.
The breakfast was disappointing. They do not have a buffet but you have to order a la carte. We ordered continental breakfast and just got one croissant each and some fruit salad. So we had to order toast and butter in addition, and they charged us separately or this. They also charged us for the orange juice. So we ended up paying $ 32 for one croissant each, some toast and butter and some fruit salad and orange juice. This is what I would call a rip-off.

This hotel is good value, in a decent location, and with large rooms with a kitchen (microwave, fridge, sink, crockery etc).

When we first arrived, there was not enough crockery, cutlery and towels for the room. This was rectified, with three visits by the bellman. We also could not gain access to the car park with the pass provided, which was a nuisance, and on departure, were told 'it was not normal' to leave our car for a few hours while we shopped. Given it was '24 hour in-out access' we didn't feel it was as advertised.

That said, the location was good - near to the canal, the city hall and Rideau Centre, the room was very large, and suite-like, and it was very good value really. Just a bit of a shame about some of the service.

It's a good option for families wanting semi-apartment living.

This Holiday Inn at 111 Cooper St. is situated on the street next to the Town Hall and is therefore very centrally located. A month ahead, I had reserved a room with two double beds and kitchenette through the Holiday Inn website for the decent price of $113 + tax. The catch: non-refundable advance payment. From the 417 Highway, the 15-storey hotel was easily accessible (5 minutes away from the highway). The indications given on the website were good.

The people at the desk were polite and friendly. I was offered parking (indoor or outdoor) for $10/day. I refused as I knew that parking on the streets was free starting Friday at 5:30 p.m. until Monday early morning. The room on the 11th floor was clean and spacious. In addition to the two double beds (with good mattresses), there was a sofa-bed, a large t.v., a coffee table and a desk. The bathroom was standard with all the usual trimmings and enough towels. Getting hot water was not a problem. The kitchenette offered a small fridge, a micro-wave and a 2-ring burner. Basic utensils, cups and plates were provided for three people. No pots or pans or cooking utensils were available which could pose a problem for unaware travelers. Also, there were no table and chairs in the kitchenette although the space had obviously been planned for it. So we had to use the coffee table and couch as our dining room. We were not disturbed except for a couple of anonymous phone calls in the middle of the second night. Breakfast was available in the restaurant downstairs but we did not use it as we had brought our own food.

Both the Parliament and the Rideau Shopping Center were less than 10 minutes away on foot. The Fine Arts Museum and the By Market were about 15 minutes away. Even the Museum of Civilization was within walking distance (30 minutes). Less than 5 minutes away, there were plenty of restaurants and miscellaneous stores on Metcalfe St.

In short, this hotel offered excellent value for the money.

Something to try near the By Market: The Tea Party at 119 York St. This shop sells a wide selection of teas. It also offers high tea, consisting of your choice of tea, 1 ½ sandwiches (6 triangles: 2 cucumbers, 2 tomatoes/pesto, 2 spinach/cream cheese), a couple of mini-biscuits and 4 small portions of the desserts for sale at the counter. Price:$12/person. While not as elegant as the high tea served at the Chateau Laurier, the food was home baked and fresh.

We arrived on the Sunday before the Civic Holiday in Ottawa. We managed to get an above-ground parking space and although we were a little bit early for check-in (4pm), we didn't have to wait very long for our 11th floor room to become available. The room was huge! It had a living room section, two double beds and ample closet space. The kitchenette with mini-fridge, microwave, sink and dishes was wonderful for our three day stay (saved money on breakfasts by buying cereal and milk and eating that meal at the hotel.) It was quiet, clean and had nice views. The bathroom was a little tired looking and could have done with a refurbish, but it wasn't bad. The only quirk: the big curtains did not close in the room, which wasn't really a problem for sleeping since we were 11 stories up, but for those who like total darkness, that was a bit strange.

All of the staff had perfect English and there were no problems communicating. The hotel is about a 10 minute walk from Parliament Hill and maybe 15 minutes from ByWard Market. It's nice not to require a car to get around to most major attractions. The hotel is on a quiet residential street with other hotels and very little traffic. I'd definitely stay here again.