The Westin Ottawa

I was in Ottawa for a conference. The immediate impression of the hotel was that it was impressive and classy. The hotel staff were all fantastic. The room was also nice, clean, stylish, EXCELLENT view, and a huge TV... but there were several things that annoyed me: 1. The desk had a thick glass surface. It looks ok, but it forced me to buy a mouse pad since I use a laser mouse with my laptop, which was quite annoying. 2. WiFi is only included if you join their "SPG" club. Is it really that difficult to just give their guests WiFi from the start? I constantly saw people staying in the lobby just to use the truly free WiFi, so being able to get free WiFi by joining SPG was apparently not that obvious. 3. No ceiling lamp, but I know this is how almost all hotels in North America does things. 4. The shower didn't have a hose, but just one of those heads that sprays from above. The controls didn't allow you to adjust the water flow either. None of this is stylish, just impracticle. None of these things are critical of course, it's just that I've stayed at many much cheaper hotels that have had much more practical rooms.

This was a family trip, with two adults and two kids. The room had plenty of space, but the beds in our room were narrow and made for uncomfortable sleeps. Also it took 20 minutes for us to check-in. If there is going to be a substantial volume of guests, as one would expect on a Friday evening, more staff should be allocated to the front desk.

View of Parliament Hill and Rideau Canal was spectacular. Bed linens, room decor and amenities were top shelf!

It's always a pleasure staying at the Ottawa Westin. On this trip, just for fun, we decided to stay in one of the rooms with a treadmill, exercise ball, and free weights. The treadmill initially looked out of place in such a nice, neat room. But I must say, we used the treadmill several times in our short stay. We loved having the option of "going for a short run" in front of a television, in an air conditioned and PRIVATE room. This was a very smart move on the Westin's part -- Well done! We loved our stay, as always. We would recommend the Westin to friends, family, and strangers! See you again soon, Westin Ottawa.

Great