I was in Ottawa for work and decided to see the "best" and book a stay at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with the customer service. Very rude front desk personnel and unwilling to help. Travelling from out of town, I had needed to check in an hour early so that I had sufficient time to shower and change into my suit for an interview. Repeatedly told I wasn't able to and offered no alternative.

I recommend if you are coming to town to stay somewhere more accommodating. It's a lovely hotel but annoying problems like this really spoil the experience.

I would highly recommend this hotel for its amazing location, its history and its beauty.

This hotel is over 100 years old and is rich in history. The lobby is very impressive as are the staff who I found to be very friendly and helpful. The turndown service and complimentary bottled water are well appreciated.

I only ate breakfast in the hotel as there are many excellent restuarants within easy walking distance. But the breakfast was excellent with a choice of buffet or a la carte, and was not overly expensive for the class of hotel.

As is normal for a Fairmont hotel the rooms are luxurious and the beds are fantastic. However the one draw back is that being an old hotel, the bathroom is very small (did the Victorians not wash??). My room is also in need of some basic maintenance, paint was peeling, electric outlet cover needed repair, a couple of bathroom tiles were chipped, headboard rattled every time you moved in bed and the switches on all of the lamps were challenging. They lose a mark for this but this is still an excellent hotel.

This is fantastic location if you have business in Ottawa as most government buildings are within easy walking distance. There are always taxi's right outside and the fare to/from the airport is about $40.

I agree with many other reviewers that it is a very historical and convieniently located hotel. But as an expereinced business traveler I was disappointed. The rooms have standard features, and mine had even been recently renovated. The bed was comfortable, but the rest of the furniture was very frumphy. The bathroom is very small and the door opens with onl a could of inces of space between it and the toilet. The shower was large but the shower head was very generic and not up to par with what you would expect to have at a hotel of this caliber. the closet was large, but the space was not used well, withonly one rod to hang clothes on. In the rest of the room there were only four small drawers avaialble and two of those were in the nightstands! The room had visable dust everywhere, so steer clear if you have dust allegies. The daily cleaning service was sub-par. I think the only thing the maid did was make the bed, replace towels and put out any needed toiletires. No tidying up was done as I have see at all other hotels. The biggest disappointment was the room service. The food arrived quickly but was very bland. I had a $26 cobb salad, which was average, a $27 ceasar salad with chicken, very boring even for a ceasar salad, and a $23 omlete, and i had to recall the roomservice to get the toast the steward forgot. The food at any of the cafes is much better so if you are able to eat else where, do so. I couldn't be cause of time restraints. I had to stay here because this is where my company made reservations at, but I wouldn't volunatarily choose to stay here again.