More about Hotel Indigo Ottawa Downtown
Best Price for a CLEAN Hotel in Ottawa
by TripAdvisor Member CrazyFoodieGuy
My usual principal is when visiting a city, stay at the biggest, cleanest, and most luxurious hotel...which in Ottawa would have to be the Fairmont Chateau Laurier.
However, that being said, every once in awhile, we all run out of $$$ (ie...just spent $2000 going to NY a month earlier). This was definitely our case, but we didn't want to miss another year of skating on the Rideau Canal and having some Beaver Tails. Hence our budget was $500 for a fun 3 day weekend (which includes food, gas, lodgings).
We knew that there was a good chance of ending up at a grungy, old motel/inn.....so we were weary when we reserved Hotel Indigo for 2 nights for $275. When we arrived, we were relieved to find a perfectly clean place...which is priority #1 for me at a hotel. This may be because the Hotel is relatively new, so we'll see how they're able to keep up the cleanliness.
I do admit that the designs / colours are kinda kiddy and funky, but definitely not gross and old fashioned. Hardwood floor and showers are a nice added feature.
If you're on a budget, Hotel Indigo is probably your safest choice.....but if got some extra money then reserve le Chateau
One of the Better Choices in Ottawa
by TripAdvisor Member GlobalEyes
Hotel Indigo is a solid accommodation selection in Ottawa. It's centrally located, clean, contemporary in design and the service is good.
My room was spacious and new (still some elements from the original hotel though) - one of the few hotels I've stayed in with laminate flooring. The shower was quite good, there was a big screen tv and the king size bed was above average in comfort.
On the negative side, the noise level was pretty brutal. My room on the third floor faced a busy street with several bus routes running in the early morning. Hotel Indigo is only six floors, so I think even a top floor room would be noisy and tough on light sleepers. I recommend asking for a room facing the alley or even one of the rooms facing the inside of the hotel - especially if you need silence for a good night's rest.
And breakfast lovers beware, the hotel's restaurant, Phi, has a weak morning menu and bland food. Tim Horton's is next to the adjacent Marriott Residences and can be accessed via the elevators.
Awesome Hotel; Best Staff
by TripAdvisor Member TwinkleE
Visiting Ottawa in January is definitely not ideal where the weather is concerned, but this hotel really makes you love the place despite the cold. My husband and I could not stop commenting to each other how friendly and helpful the front desk staff was. Chrystal saved us a ton of money in transportation costs by finding out exactly which bus we could take to get to Scotiabank Place for a concert, instead of taking a cab ($14 roundtrip for 2, as opposed to around $100!). Khanda (sp?) didn't hesitate to look up information online for us regarding the hours that Parliament is open to the public, and when she couldn't confirm the information before we left the hotel for breakfast, she tracked us down at Tim Horton's (coffee, donut, etc. place) around the corner to tell us what she learned. Unbelievable!
The rooms are really nice-- very modern, comfortable, and clean. All are non-smoking. Hooray! I like that they don't fully carpet the rooms, using just a couple of rugs. This makes for a much cleaner floor and helps with dust allergies. The only problem we had was with the shower stall, which leaked water through the small opening between a couple of the glass panels. We wiped up the water and it was no big deal, but clearly the construction of the shower stall, at least in our room, was faulty. I've experienced this in a number of places around the world, so it didn't phase me too much.
We really liked the central location of the hotel, more in the center of the business district than the center of tourist attractions (right around the corner from the Lord Elgin), but some may prefer to stay right next to/near Parliament (Chateau Laurier, Westin). We walked to/by Parliament (5-7 minutes?) and the Byward Market (10-12 minutes?) every day without a problem. We also walked to the National Gallery and the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The latter is a bit of a hike and not for everyone, especially in cold weather, but as New Yorkers, my husband and I walk a lot, so we enjoyed the exercise.
The breakfast at Hotel Indigo was fine, nothing special. It's nice to see that Starbucks has some competition in Ottawa. You can get coffee, tea, bagels, donuts, and so forth at Tim Horton's as well as a couple of other places.
For lunch, we ate at Bistro 115 and Mamma Grazzi's Kitchen, both in Byward Market. The menu selections were very good at both places, but the food didn't impress us terribly. Our dinner at Social, however, also in Byward Market, was terrific. The preparations offered are very interesting, and everything we had tasted great. We were there on a Saturday night, and the place had a great vibe.
If you're still reading this review, let me remind you how fabulous Hotel Indigo is. You simply can't do better in Ottawa, especially at the price we paid ($119 CAD w/AAA discount). I'm sure in warmer months, the price is a bit higher. If my husband and I return to Ottawa, we will most definitely stay here again. Kudos to the staff for outstanding service and charm!
A Fabulous Stay
by TripAdvisor Member TorontoDotty
My daughter (a university student in Ottawa) and I stayed at the Hotel Indigo for 2 nights. Our goal was to visit the Parliament Buildings, Art Gallery and the market, and do some shopping, all without the use of a car. As well, we wanted to have a relaxing time together. This hotel surpassed all of our expectations. We took advantage of room service for breakfast both mornings. It was prompt and ,as everyone else has mentioned, was delivered by friendly, courteous staff. Upon arrival, we were allowed to check in early. Since I had taken the train from Toronto, this was a great feature. We had lunch in their cafe after unpacking...delicious. I think I was most surprised and pleased by the location. Stepping out the front door of the hotel, you can look right up the street and see the Parliament Buildings. I didn't expect the hotel to be so close to all of the city's best sites, restaurants and shopping. As one would expect, since this hotel is located right downtown, traffic noise is noticeable during the early morning hours, even from the 6th floor, which is the top of the building. However, being able to open the windows was a definite plus. Lighter sleepers might request an inner room, overlooking the lobby. When I left , there was a taxi stand right out front to take me to the train station...no waiting at all. Although we did not have a tub or fridge in the room, both are available in limited numbers at the hotel. I would certainly return to Hotel Indigo and perhaps request these 2 amenities on my next visit, to enhance the experience.
Nice boutique hote in Downtown Ottawa
by TripAdvisor Member greatslave
I stayed at the Hotel Indigo for one night as I had a conference in the hotel the following day. From the outside it doesn't look like much but the inside lobby is very cool. The centre of the hotel is open from the lobby to the top floor with cool blue lighting accenting the interior. The lobby has nice furniture and is decorated in a modern fashion. The staff were excellent - very friendly and able to assist with my requests about where to find food late at night, allowing a late check-out, arranging taxis, etc. The hotel has free internet in the hotel and conference rooms which is a big plus.
The room I stayed in was a 1-bedroom suite. The bed was comfortable with nice linens. There was a flat-screen TV in the bedroom and in the living room. There was a full-size ironing board and iron in the closet. The large mural of birch trees on the bedroom wall was different but fun. The floors were dark laminate hardwood, a bit cheap looking, but nice none the less.
The bathroom was a bit small but had a large shower (no bathtub unfortunately) but was clean and in good shape.
The food provided at the meeting I was at was also very good - excellent soup, sandwiches, and fruit trays.
The hotel is within walking distance of everything in downtown Ottawa and there are a number of restaurants nearby.
Overall the hotel is modern, comfortable, has very good customer service, and is reasonably priced. If you are looking for a decent hotel in downtown Ottawa that is a bit different consider the Indigo. I travel about 80 days out of the year so I stay in a lot of hotels and I would certainly return here.
Fantastic hotel room, great staff
by TripAdvisor Member Oceanne
One of the best hotel I stayed in in Canada.
The staff at the reception is really great, whoever is on duty, which is extremely rare. They deserve a particular mention.
The lobby is very nice and the rooms are fantastic. Good size, very confortable, nice deco - I love the bed with the many pillows, the flower duvet cover, the colours; it was a beautiful corner room.
The bathroom with both a spa-inspired shower and a bath tub with jets was fantastic too.
And, quality linens and towels :-)
For business or tourism, I will return when in Ottawa.
And I hope such Indigo hotels will flourish everywhere :-)
Location location
by TripAdvisor Member BrisbaneAussieGuy
Booked this hotel as was most reasonably priced ($140CAD) one closet to the Winter Festival parks and the canal. Room was really nice, clean and modern. Free internet use in business room. Location was great and the staff were very friendly.
Interesting Interior Decor
by TripAdvisor Member Toptraveller4
This hotel had an interesting design which really appealed to us. Nice clean lines with bold colours. We had arrived quite early so the front desk staff stored our luggage and gave us several suggestions of what was within walking distance. They were always courteous and helpful. The hotel's location was very convenient; just 5 short blocks from the parliament building, and a bit further to the shopping area (Rideau Center, ect). We had a lovely corner room, that was quite spacious and the bed was very comfortable. The indigo touches (including the phones) and the great wall mural made it very unique. The floors were new laminate which we preferred over wall to wall carpets (easier to clean). We would definitely stay there again.
Small, pricey and noisy - can find better in Ottawa
by TripAdvisor Member Dilbert450
Went to the Indigo for a business trip and although the look of this property is astounding, it seems all the energy has been put in the design and not in the comfort of the guests.
- Rooms are very small and do not leave a lot of space for working. Not a big plus for an hotel in the business district. I've been in boutique hotels before but this one is the smallest I've ever seen.
- The building is designed with an open court in the middle, so noises from the ground floor are heard throughout the hotel. Adding to this, maids continuously "slam" the heavy room doors when cleaning the rooms. I was in my room working from 7AM to 10AM and heard dozens of slammed doors. If you're trying to sleep a little late in the morning, forget it. When I told that to management, their answer was "Oh, it's the clients who do that". However, I left the room twice in the morning to find each time a maid not making any effort to stop the doors from slamming. (I spoke to someone who went to the hotel a few weeks ago and she experienced the exact same thing - and the exact same comment from management.)
- My big new plasma TV in the room... didn't work. A very kind staff member went to my room in minutes, however, and solved the problem - disconnected wires. (Another person who visited the hotel earlier this year had the same problem.)
All in all, a so-so experience - on the plus side, the hotel was very clean, the bathroom was nice and the staff was friendly, but you can probably get a better deal at the Sheraton a few blocks away - older, but less expensive and good quality.
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