Hilton Garden Inn Ottawa Airport

We’ve stayed at this hotel many times over the years while visiting our daughter at Carleton University, but the property and its management have been getting worse. This visit was unacceptable at full price, and we won’t be back. The pool and hot tub had so much chlorine that it burned our eyes and bleached our bathing suits. In the room, the shower pressure was awful and the bathroom fan was painfully loud. At 2:00 a.m., children were screaming and running in the room above us, with no staff stepping in. Our own room was reasonably clean. The breakfast setup captured the state of the place. With the main area under construction, we were seated elsewhere and only then told we needed tickets, which we hadn’t been given at check-in. When I went to the desk to explain how dismayed we were, nobody apologized or offered compensation or a discount. Staff reluctantly wrote one ticket, then said breakfast from poorly presented, unappealing trays would cost another twenty dollars. That felt insulting after paying full price for the room. Arriving at the hotel was chaotic. The front desk was overwhelmed while construction workers cut tile and moved through guest areas, with dust and debris everywhere and no attempt to shield guests. The whole lower level smelled strongly of wet dog. The front desk staff seemed more interested in loud, inappropriate personal conversations than helping guests. There was no professionalism, urgency, or accountability. The place feels like it’s coming unglued, with construction mess, poor communication, indifferent service, and no consideration for guests despite full-price charges. It used to be convenient, but now it’s disorganized, unpleasant, and not worth the money.

The room was clean and the Wi-Fi was fast, but I wouldn’t stay here again. The hotel needs an update, even allowing for the breakfast area work. At 4:30 pm, while the hotel wasn’t busy, the items they had for sale looked like the photos. Whoever is managing the place needs to do better.

We were in room 436, which was huge, with two queen beds and a couch. Extra pillows and linens were easy to find in the cabinet, though there weren’t any drawers for clothes. The room was clean. The bathroom was fine, but the lotion dispenser was empty and the shower pressure was almost nonexistent. The old TV’s guide button didn’t work. The pool area was okay and had an accessible lift. There were no towels when we arrived, but the front desk brought some promptly. At check-in we didn’t get the meal tickets we’d purchased, and a very aggressive young woman gave me a hard time about paying for breakfast. Francois at the front desk sorted it out and gave us the tickets, so I could get a simple breakfast for the kids. There was no airport shuttle, but Francois also gave us a taxi chit and getting to the airport went smoothly. The stay was fine overall, and the hotel is close to the airport.

We booked two queen beds for my husband, our 1-year-old, and me, so we’d have room for a crib and a comfortable setup. We got there around 3:30 PM for the 3 PM check-in, but were told no cleaned or available two-queen rooms were ready. They gave us a king deluxe as an “upgrade,” though it felt like a downgrade. Breakfast wasn’t included in our room rate, which added an unexpected cost. The room also had no bathtub, just a shower with extremely low pressure, so bathing our baby was difficult. The sheets smelled strongly of bleach and felt itchy and uncomfortable, not good for a sensitive toddler. There were no slippers or bathrobes, which seemed like basic things to be missing at a hotel with a pool. When we took our 1-year-old swimming the next morning, we found a large clump of hair floating in the pool. That left us concerned about cleanliness and maintenance. Our window wasn’t properly insulated, so cold air kept coming in, and we could clearly hear planes landing nearby, presumably because of the airport. The hallways were noisy throughout the stay, making it hard to rest with a baby. This was far below what we expected for a family trip. The comfort and cleanliness problems made it stressful, not relaxing. I hope management deals with these issues, but I can’t recommend the hotel, especially to families with young children.