Hilton Garden Inn Ottawa Airport — Hotel in Ottawa

I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Ottawa Airport and was very disappointed with the service, especially at the front desk. When I first checked in, the lady at reception — a Black woman wearing a headband (mentioning this only to identify the staff member I interacted with) — was unfriendly, unhelpful, and did not seem interested in listening to guests. Being in a service role, she should be kind, willing to explain all available options, clearly communicate differences in bookings, and make sure she meets customer expectations. Instead, she simply booked my room without confirming details, even though I had asked for breakfast to be included.

I only found out later — by asking another staff member — that my booking did not include breakfast. When I went to have breakfast, the selection was very small compared to other Hilton locations I’ve stayed at. Within 10 minutes of sitting down, someone placed a bill on my table for $17 per person (around $57), even though my booking was supposed to have breakfast included. After questioning it, they realized I didn’t need to pay — but the interaction made the experience uncomfortable and gave the impression they were trying to get extra money out of pocket, which is not acceptable when breakfast is already part of the booking. That same staff member then suggested I pay a “service charge,” even though no actual service had been provided.

Later, I tried to extend my stay or book another night, but the hotel refused, despite it being a quiet Thursday with plenty of rooms available. They also would not allow early check-in for me to book another room. Compared to other Hilton hotels, the lack of flexibility and friendliness stood out in a negative way.

To be fair, the room itself was clean, modern, and well-maintained, and the housekeeping team seemed to do a good job. However, due to the poor front desk service, the attitude around billing, and the disappointing restaurant experience, I would recommend looking for another hotel in the area unless you specifically need the airport...

Before making this review, I stayed in this hotel a total of four times to ensure a balanced review.

Each and every time, the staff at the front desk were courteous and nice. They welcome you and attended to your needs quickly and efficiently.

The hotel itself is great. Love the fact that there are two sets of elevators on either sides of the building. This way you don't have to walk all the way down and around around the hall when you are in a room further away from the main elevator.

As such we parked on the other side and leaving was a breeze by exiting the side door to load our vehicle.

The buffet at the restaurant is good, there is something for everyone and if you want something in particular you can also order from their a la carte menu. On Canada Day, they buffet had pancakes and French toast which are normally a la carte menu items. Lots of options.

My only issue with anything there has always been the apple juice.....it is sickly sweet. Like drinking pure sugar (in my opinion) so I have to dilute with water before consuming.

The rooms are generous in size. This last visit there was a wet bar which was great as we ordered in some dinner and the space came in handy.

The beds are very comfortable. We are big on hotels and always before settling in we wipe down and check all the rooms we stay in for bed bugs and general cleanliness. Room check passed with flying colours.

We wiped the floors in the bathroom and when we turned over the cleaning pad to check, not a shade of dirt which ensures us their room attendants do an amazing job.

We were most impressed with the shampoo/conditioner situation in the bathroom. Nice big bottles attached to the shower walls and bathroom sink. This is how it should be done instead of those dinky small bottles that creates waste.

Speaking of room attendants and staff, everyone was very polite and friendly. They always greeted you as you walk by.

Great stay and as long as the rates are reasonable. This will be our main Go To...

I am a Hilton Honors member and I stay at various Hilton hotels wherever I go. I flew into Ottawa Thursday morning and I wanted to be close to the airport because I was just there for a hockey game. Parking was fine (tight spots) and check in was seamless and we were given room 312. The first thing we noticed was the room smelled stale. Not sure how else to describe it but stale is the only way I know how. It was also stifling hot in the room, so we realized the hvac was off, so we turned it on to 21c and figured it would cool off and the air circulation would help the smell. Next, the room decor looked like a 1980’s motel. Old, old and very old room. This is by a long shot the worst Hilton I’ve ever stayed at from a decor perspective. Carpets look like they are about 30 years old. We only spent about 10 minutes in the room and we had to leave to make certain appointments so we had no time to address any issues and we hoped the smell and temperature would fix itself by turning on the AC.

We didn’t get back to our room until about midnight after the game. The room was still stifling hot, even though the AC was on at 21c for about 11 hours. The room still smelled stale. However, since it was already midnight, we didn’t not ask for a new room because we felt by the time we packed up and moved to a new room, it would be past 1am and our flight was at 6:30am. So, we chose to lower the temp to 17c and hope for the best. Unfortunately, the temp didn’t budge. We spent 5 very uncomfortable hours “sleeping” before we had to leave for the flight.

Also, little things like no working USB charging, very basic TV. Shower was very mediocre. Room was very large which was nice but I would never stay here again. I think we paid over $300 for the night. Wasn’t worth more than maybe $80. Motel quality. Sorry Hilton but this place is way below...