I am a fulltime working mom, with three kids. When I travel, I want it to be convenient, relaxing, and worth my investment. My family and I went on a mini vacation/business trip to Ottawa, Canada in March 2022 and stayed at Cartier Place Suites. When you are a family of 5, finding a hotel that doesn’t want to separate you into 2 rooms, starts to get difficult. The world often seems to be built for families of 4 or less. When you travel with children, especially while they’re young, they need some space to spread out, and a cramped hotel room often is not enough space for the kids to spread out in. I truly love suite hotels for this reason. It’s a way to take a vacation while feeling at home. You have the ability to spread out and relax rather than cramming into 1 room, with 2 beds while living out of your suit case. In my opinion it is much more relaxing.
First Impression
We arrived at our hotel near midnight, and to my relief they are open 24 hours. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Once we arrived at the hotel, we signed in and were provided 2 room keys. Like, actual keys not cards, which I loved. I hate room key cards, they always get demagnatized. The room included a bathroom, a bedroom, a living room, a balcony, a breakfast nook, and a kitchen. The kitchen and bathroom had abundant cabinet space, and the bedroom had a dresser, and a closet, as well as a coat closet opposite the bedroom.
The bathroom was larger than my home bathroom, with a full sized tub and shower, and did I mention cabinet space? Sorry, I'm a little envious, we have no cabinet space at home, so it is lovely to have for the weekend. The shower has shower gel and shampoo dispensers, which were full, and a bar of soap at the sink. Bathroom linens were in the bathroom upon our arrival, and of standard quality. Toilet paper was also provided, and of standard quality.
The Experience
The beds were double size, rather than queen, which I am more accustomed to. They had standard linens, and blankets, and 4 pillows per bed. Beds were comfortable, and afforded a good nights rest. There was also a TV in the bedroom, which was nice.
The dining area and kitchen are somewhat small, but it is more than adequate for a short vacation, or a long vacation for 2-3 people. The kitchen is fully equipped with an oven, microwave, refrigerator, dishes, utensils, a dishwasher, and soap.
The balcony was a lovely touch. It is a bit small, with no furniture, and a city view. You could bring a chair outside and enjoy the fresh air if it suites you, for sure. I did like that it was a plexiglass enclosure, rather than bars. My kids being climbers, I definitely felt like it was safer for kids.
The hotel is in downtown Ottawa, so everything was pretty close. I would say nothing was more than 10 minutes away. I have seen a few busses around, but for the most part it seems everyone walks or drives. It is a bustling and busy city with an active nightlife and a lot of one way streets and limited parking. Its very similar to driving in Brooklyn or Staten Island, but not quite Manhattan.
Pros and Cons
Pros - Spacious, fully equipped kitchen, local to necessities, onsite restaurant, closets and cabinet space
Cons - Double beds, rather than queen, no breakfast available (and with a kitchen your family may expect you to cook)
We came here in 2022, and COVID-19 is still highly regulated in Canada, so the pool was closed during our stay, so I have no input on that part of the hotel.
Overall Rating
Let me be clear on my rating scale here, because I don’t want it to seem harsh. I rate 1-5 stars. If you ever have reviews at your job on their 1-5 scale, it's kind of like that.
1 star = falls below standards
2 stars= needs improvement, falls short of expectations
3 stars = meets expectations
4 stars = exceeds expectations
5 stars = entirely another category of awesome – way above target.
So essentially 3 stars is good, rather than mediocre.
Category | Rating |
Staff, environment and welcome | 3 |
Check in and out process | 4 |
Room set up, style and cleanliness | 5 |
Bathroom | 4 |
Bed | 3 |
Kitchen/Dining Facilities | 4 |
Distance from necessities | 3 |
Ease of transportation in the area | 3 |
View | 3 |
Kid Friendliness | 3 |
Overall Score | 3.5 |
Overall score is 3.5. I enjoyed our time in this accommodation while we stayed in Ottawa and would definitely stay at this hotel in the future.
Book your next Ottawa Vacation at Cartier Place Suite Hotel.
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