Albert At Bay Suite Hotel

Very large rooms and friendly staff. The hotel is renovated apartment building so the rooms are very spacious and nicely furnished. We enjoyed having two washrooms in our hotel room (one next to the bedroom and one off of the living room). The location is great for walking around and we weren’t disturbed by any noise from the hallway. Underground parking is a great bonus, especially in cold/​winter weather, and it’s included with the room. We didn’t have an issue finding parking like others noted, but I can see how busy the parking garage may get during the busy season.

This is a nice hotel conveniently located in the middle of Ottawa Ontario. There are lots of shops and restaurants to visit in the area, as well as being the capital of Canada. The businesses are open surprisingly late here and there are lots of markets and historical attractions to go see as well.
The hotel is nice and spacious, I have a living room dining room, kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom which are all separate rooms. Hotel and lobby are nice and in good condition; plenty of conference areas for training and business meetings. Only about 8 miles from the airport too, which makes it a nice destination to stay at if you are in Ottawa.
Price is a great rate, considering the USA and Canada exchange rate.

Super spacious suites, nice modern furniture and everything! Two full bathrooms with lots of towels, separate kitchen, living and dining rooms.
I would have given five stars if it weren’t for the limited parking and the worn out toilet seat in such a nice room.
I will come back here.

Just returned from a 5 days stay at the Albert at Bay. Lovely hotel, great room sizes. The staff was attentive and took care of any of our requests. Parking, as others have pointed out, can be a challenge, but even on a night where there were no spaces left, we parked in a «non» space and the front desk called in the morning when one became available. I would stay again and recommend highly.

The best Hotel I’ve been to so far. The rooms are massive, I was impressed how the kitchen and living room was separate from the rooms. The bathrooms was so clean and big. In general its a darn good hotel. I felt like i was at home. I will always check in at the Albert at Bay. However, I did find the underground parking very tight.

We (family of three) stay here every time we visit ottawa. Rooms are large, clean, and comfy. Hotel is central enough that you can take a cab or bus nearly everywhere. Lack of restaurants in the area is a downside, but that is not the hotel’s fault.

Albert at Bay Suite Hotel is located at… you guessed it, Albert and Bay in Ottawa. I came to Ottawa to attend a wake and funeral of a family member and the recommended hotel wasn’t very good (have been to before), so after much research, we decided to try out Albert at Bay.
First impressions, super clean and definitely modern hotel. My GPS has no problems finding it and we were able to check in quickly and efficiently. Now, I’m not used to Ottawa but many, if not all, of the streets are one way, so to get the parking garage, you have to go around the entire hotel to get to it. (NOTE: if you navigate to the parking garage area, there’s a laneway where you can park and go check in, so you don’t have to do this.) Not a big deal though. Parking garage is small (I didn’t quite figure out where the second level of parking was until we left) with some awkward spots but is well it and its easy to find your way around.
The room was spacious; I was staying with my brother so we had a room with two queens. The room included a very large living space, including a table to eat at and a fully equipped kitchen. For the price we paid, I was VERY impressed with the accommodations. A few things worthy of note: they give you some coffee and little snacks in the kitchen, very nice in case you’re planning to make your own breakfast in the suite. The beds each had personal reading lights installed on each side, so when my brother went to bed and I wanted to read, I could do so in the dark room. The alarm clock is Apple compatible, so my brother could charge his iPhone and listen to music as well. One last cool thing, the mirror in the bathroom had an anti-​steam section, so even after getting out of a hot shower, I could do my makeup and see in the mirror! And a plus, parking is free with a CAA membership (savings of over $ 20).
Overall, this was a great hotel. We didn’t pick it for the views (its right in downtown so there really aren’t many, although there was a nice sized balcony), it was a great price and had fantastic reviews. You can’t go wrong with this hotel, even if you’re staying more than the one night we did. This would be a great hotel for extended visits and if we come back to Ottawa, we will be back.

Spacious suites, clean and very functional. The service was great… every person I interacted with was very friendly. I was upgraded to a king bed at check-​in. :) I was in Ottawa with a few friends and took the opportunity to propose to my girlfriend. In conversation with the desk personnel, I mentioned that I had proposed. A few minutes later I received a very friendly and surprising visit from the desk-​person with a bottle of champagne and glasses… definitely a nice a surprise.

So, although I live in Ottawa, I’m currently living hotel to hotel while being barred from my home for a few days. Since I really have zero desire to pay full price for a hotel we did all our booking via hotwire. I have to say, for the price we paid — $ 80 all inclusive, I’ve never been more happy with a hotel.
We arrived really early, 12PM, hoping our room would be ready but not expecting much. We were informed it wouldn’t be a problem, woohoo! The lady at the front desk was completely sweet, and told us on our way up that the hotel was gorgeous and we would love it, and she was totally right!
We entered the hotel to see it was about as big as my apartment — you can decide if that either means my apartment is pathetically small or the rooms here are huge. There was not one but TWO bathrooms, why would i need two bathrooms? Either way it was nice in the morning when me and my guest didn’t have to fight for the shower. The living area was also really nice, and there was a full kitchen.
The hotel was impeccably clean and they used really nice bath and body works shampoos and soaps. The bed was extremely comfortable and there was two 30 inch flat screen televisions. The location is really great, central enough that you’re minutes away from bars/​clubs but not central enough that you have to listen to the noise that goes along with being close to bars/​clubs.
Definitely would stay here again, definitely recommend this place to anyone.

My husband and I enjoyed celebrating our anniversary in Ottawa, and staying at Albert at Bay was great. The staff was very helpful and courteous, and the suite was clean and comfortable. The location was convenient, near bus lines to the airport and other parts of the city. It’s also an easy walk to a number of attractions.

I’m assuming that this building used to be apartments, because that is how big the suite is, that I was in. The double paned/​double doors out to the balcony were excellent for keeping noise out.
One of our group had been here before but in another type of suite and it seems they vary, so if you want the couch in the living room to be a pull out — be sure to ask. We didn’t and so didn’t get one.
The cleaners were fairly haphazard about replacing items like shampoo and coffee and didn’t vacuum, which surprised me. But they were friendly and very quick to restock when asked.
The hotel does not offer body lotion — first time |’ve encountered that in a hotel, so I had to buy some. A small thing but annoying!
Beds were comfy and the kitchen well stocked with new appliances.

This was my home for two months over two separate stays, each in a different room. I feel like I got a pretty accurate impression of the hotel, the staff, and the city of Ottawa.
The hotel is located in downtown Ottawa at the corner of Albert Street and Bay Street, hence the name. The location is great, with many major museums, Parliament, Ottawa River Pathway, Byward Market, and Rideau Canal in walking distance. Additionally, it’s close to Sconewitch for your morning muchies.
The rooms are large with full kitchens containing full size frig, microwave oven, stove/​oven, dishwasher, toaster, dishes, pots, and silverware. Large LG flat screen televisions are in both the living room and the bedrooms (this is a nice touch). Some hotel rooms have single bathrooms while others have two (one with a nice glass door shower). Most windows and sliding doors are doubled which is good for insulation and for low noise (you can hear some street traffic, but it’s not disrupting). Room width balconies have decent views of Ottawa and were in the process of being remodeled during my stay (construction noise after 8AM was annoying, but understandable). On the eleventh floor there is a nice, clean, well kept workout room and there is also a laundry area which takes tokens (expensive tokens!). On the ground floor there is a very handy small 24hr convenience store with a cash machine, an Italian restaurant with salad bar, and a British pub with a large selection of scotch and outdoor seating during warm months. Finally, at the bottom, there is a very convenient underground parking (some spots are a bit tight),
The staff are great. The girls at front desk are friendly and helpful. It’s nice to be greeted with a smile when you are a long way from home. The maids are also polite and very flexible on when the clean your room.
This place is nice and not overly fancy. Think of a Toyota vs a Lexus. For my tastes, it was great. I really enjoyed my stay and I would have no issue returning to Albert at the Bay. The staff of the hotel and the pub really made me feel at home.
I recommend it.

A solid 3.5÷5 rounded up to 4 for the benefit of the doubt
(seasonal issues may be resolved soon + comparing to the Ottawa hotel scene)
³⁄₅ on a less forgiving a scale.
Positives:
Location is ideal if you want to be central but not on Rideau per se.
Very large luxurious suites. Perfect for long stays and large parties
Suites strike a fine balance between hotel luxury and homey comfort.
Great pricing ESP through Expedia/Hotels.ca ($ 133/​night at 11^th hour)
Smallest suite still affords you two full bathrooms (one with a shower and one with a bathtub), a kitchen with ware/​utensils/​appliances, a spacious sitting/​dining, a seperate bedroom area and a balcony. (My apartment’s smaller than this!)
Quickie convenience store downstairs was great for toothbrush run. Pub/​Resto en bas aussi.
Negatives:
Downstairs entrance partly barred off by construction. Eyesore/​Nuisance.
Front desk reception needs to be more professional. They were very laidback and nonchalant about everything.
$ 50 (cc) or $ 150 (cash) refundable deposit for incidentals. Be warned.
Balcony was barred off due to ‘construction’ that has apparently been going on since Jan 2012! (See notice in pics). That’s a long construction season.
One toilet ran a bit and one shower didn’t warm up much. Plus TV froze a lot (no inclement weather so don’t know if that’s a provider issue or something the hotel could improve upon)
Terrible views if you care. I didn’t.
Overall– despite the negatives, it was an enjoyable stay and the size and stateliness of the suite made up for the hiccups.
I RECOMMEND: Asking for a room with a view and higher floor even as you book (call after online rez).

This was the second time I stayed at this hotel. For some reason, the rate dropped $ 50 overnight (great for me since I booked the following day). Comparing the rates to the other hotels in Ottawa for the same weekend, the rate was probably one of the best for it’s class.
I’ve stayed in Ottawa a few times in several hotels, and while I’ve generally had good experiences in all of them, I have to say with the combination of the downtown location, the price, the size of the suite, and the comfort, this has to be my all round favourite. And unless you’re looking at getting something at the much, much higher end, this is the hotel for you.
The above is a summary of my experience, below is a bit more detailed.
Noise: I came in the weekend, pretty much left the room by 10 am, back around 9 pm. According to a notice in my room, there was some construction during 9am-​5pm. I can not say how quiet or loud it was.
Comfort: To be honest, I can’t find anything to complain about. If you are going to Ottawa with a family, this is the best hotel in my opinion. There is a suite available with two double beds, on top of a sofa bed out in the living room. The four of us never felt cramped at all. The kitchen, storage room and the two bathrooms made life incredibly easy.
Parking: For a downtown hotel, it is expected not free. About $ 20/​night, but we checked in Friday night, and checked out Sunday afternoon. The hotel lobby told us that there was no parking payment required on the streets during the weekend, and we always found a spot close to, or right in front of the hotel. On one occasion, I had to circle the block about 3 times till I found a spot.
Internet: Average hotel speeds, ran youtube with a bit of buffering time. I just ended up using my BlackBerry to tether.

Stayed here recently for one week on vacation and yes, the suites are huge and ours had two bathrooms. The staff are very friendly, hotel is clean but OMG the street noise monday to friday during rush hours is really, really annoying.
The glazing in the suites needs to be upgraded as the noise from car and bus traffic is truly aggravating. We also found the sound proofing between suites to be an issue, you know you have sound problems when one reaches for an alarm clock going off but it’s not yours ! While laying in bed we could hear the guest in the next room clear as day, as we awoke every morning to his alarm clock, phone ringing, safe being closed and the very loud Ottawa rush hour traffic. (Our suite happened to be above the bus stop, although it was 12 floors below)
Wi-​Fi reception was very good, fast and reliable. The TV when 1^st turned on goes to a preview channel that was extremely loud in volume, that is something the hotel needs to address.
Would consider staying here again but try a rear facing suite next time. Even though the view at the rear of the hotel is lacking at least you’re not exposed to the deafening noise of Ottawa buses and traffic. (Parking is $ 20 a day extra)

After living here for three months this year, I have plenty of things I could say about this hotel, but I’ll keep it simple.
The rooms are very big, with a living room separated from the bedroom, plus a full kitchen. Some rooms even have two bathrooms. Over the course of my stay, the rooms have been continuously updated: new TVs, headboards, lamps, couches, curtains, and more! (It was actually kind of exciting to come back to my room and see what got replaced that day!). Although, I think they’ve finally finished with all of the upgrades.
The exercise room is actually quite good — each treadmill/​bike/​elliptical has a little TV screen, which weirdly gets more channels than the rooms do… but there’s no pool. Oh well.
The hotel staff was always very friendly and helpful, and most of them got to know me on a first-​name basis. They always helped recommend good local bars and restaurants.
I did have a few issues during my stay, (like I said, I *lived* there for THREE MONTHS this year!), but pretty much all of it was related to all the work that they were doing to the rooms (which should be a non-​issue now). The only other thing was the small underground parking ($ 19/​day) would get very filled during events (Race Weekend, Capital Hoedown, etc), but you can park next to the Scone Witch a block away if it’s an issue. Also, any other problems I did have were taken care of by a quick call down to Taylor or Stephanie at the front desk.
The hotel is located a few blocks outside of the main downtown area, but it’s just a short walk to Parliament Hill, and ByWard Market is maybe 15 minutes away on foot.
Wireless internet was free and fast — no issues streaming video or anything like that.

Most of my experience with hotels seems to be with ultimate tournaments in various cities across Ontario and beyond. The Albert at Bay was easily the most pleasant in recent memory.
First of all, the suites are massive. Four of us were sharing a two bedroom suite, and not once did I feel cramped or that space was lacking. Aside from the two decent sized bedrooms, the suite has a living and dining room, a fully stocked kitchen and a decent sized balcony.
Secondly, the rest of the hotel is very well kept. The lobby was very clean, the staff courteous and the amenities sufficient for what we needed. Considering the amount we paid for this hotel, I was impressed with the level of cleanliness and service we received.
The only downside was that none of the three lamps in the second bedroom had light bulbs upon arrival, and two of them did not even have readily available.
Also, the wifi code we were given upon check in was not valid for the entire length of our stay, which I found a little strange. Fortunately, when I inquired about this to the front desk, they were more than happy to give us a new one.
Overall, we had a very positive experience with this hotel, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a longer term stay in the downtown Ottawa area.

Keep in mind that I have no idea what this place cost since I didn’t see or pay the bill…
But the rooms were big. There were two of us in one of these suites, and really you could easily put 4 people in there comfortably! I’m not even counting the «living room» and «dining room» areas that we didn’t even use. The kitchen was a nice touch as well. This would be a great place for a group of people to do a long term stay. As someone traveling on business for only a week and eating out for every meal it seemed kinda wasteful. Free wi-​fi in the rooms was a nice touch but I didn’t use it since I didn’t bring a computer with me. There is a business center with 2 computers, though they run a little slow and seemed to often have kids playing on them.

If you’ve seen any of my hotel reviews before, you know that my basic stance is this — it’s just another hotel. We start at 3 stars and adjust as needed. Albert at Bay is nice enough, but just a bit too aggravating for my liking.
The rooms are huge — they’re basically small apartments. Kitchen, large living area, bedroom, and a den. I basically could have slept in a different room each night I was staying there. The wifi is free and relatively quick. And the bed was relatively comfortable.
But the front desk service was lacking. While my checkin was relatively painless (once the clerk got off the phone and finally dealt with the people in front of her), every other dealing with the front desk was an aggravation.
For starters you need a code to access the wireless that’s generated every time you ask for one. Rather than just giving me a code that’d be good for the entire week when I called down to ask for one, I was given one for a single day, one for two days the second time, and only on the third time (the charm I guess) was I given a code that was programmed to work for the entire week.
When I went down to get tokens for the laundry room, the process took no less than 10 minutes. I’m not exactly sure what the clerk was typing into the computer, but it certainly seemed like she was updating her blog («21Jan: Have this guest who keeps asking for things. Why do these people always make me do my job?!»).
I rented a car starting the Thursday night of my stay and needed to be able to park it. The process of adding the car to the room (and having my key reprogrammed) took a good 20 minutes and I had to reexplain to the clerk a good half dozen times what I was trying to do.
The capper was when I went to check out on Saturday morning. The clerk who sold me the tokens took my cash for the tokens but also charged it to the room. As a result I had an extra $ 15 charge added. I asked the clerk to remove it and he said he couldn’t. How is a hotel clerk not authorized to handle something that petty? It’s $ 15. Instead it had to be forwarded on to accounting who was going to contact me later. After three days of silence I finally called the hotel and was informed the charge was reversed. Thanks for the heads up!
Moral of the story? Decent rooms. Stay away from the front desk.

Being only my wife and I at this hotel I felt like we underused this place. By far this is the largest hotel suite I have been in. We had the standard room and it was probably 700 sq ft. It had a full kitchen (stove, fridge, microwave), a dining room, a living room, a separate master bedroom, huge closets and a big balcony. The master bedroom itself was probably 15×15. I am sure that this place was at once an old apartment building that was bought out and renovated into a hotel. The décor in the place was also nice and clean.
My wife and I paid about $ 140 per night for the room with a CAA discount with parking included. She told me it was one of the cheapest places around for being so close to the parliament buildings/​downtown.
What impressed me (although I never made use of it but should have), was that they had a pillow menu. In your bedroom there are 2 different types of pillows, and then there is a handout of a list of 5 or 6 other pillow types that you can request from the front desk if you want them.
Attached to this place is a restaurant and a small pub. We went for a drink late Halloween night on our way back to the hotel, and there was live music (not sure how often that happens), and the pub was a nice little nook to have a beer and some food.