Hello everyone,

I would like to share with you my experience of staying in my new Home while visiting Ottawa – Hotel Novotel Ottawa. This Hotel is located at 33 Nicholas street. The staff is bilingual and welcomes guests “en Francais” and “en Anglais”.

Some history

Novotel belongs to the AccorHotels group based in France. This group was created in 1967 and has its headquarters in Paris. They operate in over 92 countries and operate/franchise more than 3,800 hotels. Some of their brands (from economy to luxury) are Ibis, Motel6, Mercure, Pullman, Sofitel and, soon to be, Raffles and Fairmont (last two hotels are part of FRHI, but soon will be merged with Accor). Accors’ philosophy “Feel Welcome”, is simple and very important for guest satisfaction .

The Novotel is perfectly located in the heart of the city, in a very short walking distance to the Shaw Centre and the delectable and amusing Byward Market area. I was very happy to choose this hotel as a number of attractions, restaurants and bars were seconds away from my doorstep. Everyone will find something there that appeals to them. The Hotel is located around 10 minutes walking distance to the Parliament Hill, the main attraction of the city.

Hello / Bonjour, welcome to Novotel : )

We arrived around 2:30 pm after about 4.5 hours driving from Toronto. Upon entering the hotel we were welcomed by some very nice front desk agents. The Check-in process was smooth and filled with delightful conversation. The spacious lobby was decorated with  a modern/minimalist style (a personal favourite). There were 3 computer stations equipped with Mac computers for internet use and a large touchscreen with tourist information, as well as stands with city maps. As we know, the hotel lobby is our first impression. Novotel is doing a great job on this.

#739

We had a room on the 7th floor. I booked a King Superior Room with a very large and comfortable bed. The only problem I had is that the bed sheets were great conductors of static and I couldn’t touch my phone while in bed as it was biting me…

My lovely room!

The room was very clean. Simple and perfect for 2 adults. We had a telephone, flat screen tv, little working area with a chair, safety box, hair dryer, sofa and armchair. There were a lot of lights, but the only problem were the locations of outlets. There was an outlet located only on one side of the bed which made charging a second phone inconvientient  as it had to be plugged in on the other side of the room. A lot of hotels have outlets built into the nightstand or table lamp which is very convenient nowadays. Wifi in the hotel is for free and on every floor they have really good shoe polisher machines next to the elevators. Really useful if you’re heading for an important meeting.

I need a hot shower….

Last weekend in Ottawa was very cold… for me ;). All I dreamed about was a hot shower. My washroom was small but very comfortable. We  had a large shower, toilet and a sink with decent counter space to put all my cosmetics. I was really impressed by the Hotel’s Fair Trade Cane Sugar Shampoo from Paraguay. They smelled really beautiful, and worked very well with my hair. This shampoo is Eco labelled and under Accor’s  Planet 21  program. In this program AccorHotels has 21 commitments focusing on changing production and consumption with important goals to protect our planet, people and environment. Please read more details on the link above.

Some amenities

Novotel offers 6 meeting rooms for up to 150 people. If you’re looking to accommodate a conference, family meeting or a party for employees, you should contact their Event Manager, who will take care of all the details. As the Hotel’s promise is “From Welcome to Goodbye, from Request to Arrival. We care at every step”. Personally,  I believe them as I literally felt like I was at home far away from home. Their dedicated staff will help with every question and request. While having some free time, guests can go to the swimming pool, sauna, whirlpool or enjoy nice weather at the outdoor patio. They also have 24 gym facilities, and parking ( $23 per night). In Novotel Ottawa, you will find the very popular   Albion Rooms restaurant. There, you can have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and try the best of Ontario Craft beers, wines and much more. Make sure to try the Elk Burger ($19).

Every day is a food day!

As I am a huge fan of nice and tasty food, my favourite part of the day is breakfast time. I didn’t know what to expect in Novotel, but when I went to the restaurant I was sure that I wouldn’t leave hungry. Fresh bread, eggs, sausages, pastries and much more were offered for their guests every morning.

Decoration of the breakfast room, was very rustic with a lot of nice details, like books on the shelves or wood prepared for a fire. All the waitresses were very nice and it wasn’t overly crowded but consistantly busy. It felt a little bit like being in my grandmother’s kitchen with a lot of tasty dishes. If you stay in Novotel, make sure to eat their “Pain au Chocolat”! Delicious and fresh!

Thank you Novotel for this amazing stay! Hope to see you again!

 

some extra information:

Hotel’s wesite – http://www.novotelottawa.com/ourhotel/ourhotel.shtm

Albion Rooms – http://thealbionrooms.com/our-vision/

Follow them on Twitter – https://twitter.com/novotelottawa

…. and on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NovotelOttawa/?fref=ts

Prices starts at $122 and go up to $200 but every thing depends of the season.