Copper Spirits and Sights — Restaurant in Ottawa

As a legally trained professional, I am compelled to issue this review as a matter of public interest and reputational accountability concerning an incident of egregious misconduct at the Andaz Rooftop Lounge in Ottawa, Canada. The episode in question involved sustained mistreatment by two female staff members—namely, a blonde bartender and a female manager (described as having brown hair and a large build). Their conduct jointly amounted to targeted harassment, deliberate dissemination of false information, and a manifest abuse of positional authority.

Fabrication and Provocation by the Bartender

The sequence of misconduct was initiated by the blonde bartender, whose demeanour throughout was conspicuously dismissive, discourteous, and intoxicated by an exaggerated sense of self-importance. She furnished the manager with demonstrably inaccurate and misleading accounts of my conduct—statements which were objectively false, inflammatory, and appeared designed to provoke confrontation. The deliberate communication of disinformation by a staff member acting in the course of employment raises concerns of vicarious liability, as articulated in Canadian tort jurisprudence.

Her conduct was neither isolated nor incidental. Rather, it suggested an intent to escalate a non-issue into a formal confrontation. Such behaviour, if unchecked, threatens the integrity of service provision and corrodes public trust in the establishment’s oversight protocols.

Managerial Harassment and Dereliction of Duty

Acting upon the bartender’s false narrative, the manager approached me with a tone and posture that were unambiguously hostile. Her conduct, involving raised voice, accusatory language, and refusal to engage in rational dialogue, constitutes harassment under section 7(2) of the Canadian Human Rights Act, RSC 1985, c. H-6. Furthermore, this may engage the threshold under section 264 of the Criminal Code of Canada, which criminalises actions likely to cause a person to fear for their safety.

As occupiers of the premises, the management owe a duty under Ontario’s Occupiers’ Liability Act, RSO 1990, c. O.2 to ensure that all patrons are treated with dignity, respect, and freedom from psychological intimidation. That duty was breached.

Gender Disparity in Staff Conduct

Notably, male employees present at the bar were uniformly composed, respectful, and professionally courteous. This stark contrast further underscores the disproportionate hostility demonstrated by the female staff members involved. It is regrettable that within an establishment purporting to represent a luxury hospitality experience, such discriminatory and unregulated aggression is permitted to prevail.

Public Petition for Termination

Given the seriousness of this misconduct, I hereby call upon the Hyatt Group and local hotel management to take immediate and public disciplinary action. A formal internal investigation ought to be commenced, and the two staff members identified herein—whose conduct has severely tarnished the Andaz brand—should be removed from their positions. This review stands as a public petition for the termination of both employees. Continued retention would be interpreted as institutional endorsement of their conduct.

Conclusion

I urge prospective guests to exercise vigilance. The experience I endured—stemming from disinformation, harassment, and managerial abuse—was entirely antithetical to the standards of any professional hospitality operation. I reserve all rights to escalate this matter to external regulatory bodies and legal forums should the management fail to issue a formal public apology and...

Recently visited the Andaz rooftop bar for the Canada Day event and am not enthused about the level of hospitality my party received. Our first disappointment of said events literally started at the door. A promo for the night offered free entry for guests who arrived before 8 pm - something our party decided to capitalize on. Having arrived at 7:35 pm, we thought we were in good shape to enter for free, unfortunately we hit a lineup after stepping out of the elevator on the rooftop floor. It was apparent that there was some disorganization at the front of the line - completely harmless. Due to the hold up we were left waiting in line for 20 ish minutes, when finally arriving to the front at 8:01 pm exactly. This is where my entire party was met with an unsympathetic $20 cover. I explained to the hostess that my party had actually been in line for 20 minutes patiently waiting so that we could enjoy the night without paying a ridiculous cover, and while she recognized our plea, was unwavering in her stance to charge us $20. We dealt with our misfortune, still excited for the cocktails and view atop the Andaz. It was quite busy as we walked into the bar, so we grazed for 20-30 minutes waiting for any sitting area to become free so we could prepare to view the fireworks, still an hour away - this was especially hard to come by as the event itself was 'exclusively first come first serve' and the online promo made it very clear that absolutely no reservations could be made prior to. Finally coming upon a booth, our party settled in, ordered food and drinks and began to enjoy the night with friendly neighbors. This was short lived. Sharply, the hostess and THE MANAGER approached us. Before addressing us at all, the manager threw a 'reserved' plaque in front of our faces, pointed her finger and motioned us to leave. Obviously unpleasantly surprised we questioned her request, having earlier been explained that reserving a table was impossible. The manager seemed immediately defensive, sharply noting that the table 'was reserved NOW', and we had no choice to move or leave the rooftop altogether. I'm still quite shocked with the tone she used; we genuinely seemed to have offended her or her role in the hotel by asking why we had to move. The 'friendly neighbors' we met at our table were more so annoyed by the confrontation as they had been staying at the hotel for a 3-day stay-cation specifically to view the fireworks (spending lots of money in the process). The manager was persistent in demonstrating how hot tempered she could be as she continued to talk down to both parties - pointing her finger in any number of faces, responding with snide, unapologetic comments and degrading any level of hospitality that the hotel had previously showed the 'friendly neighbors'. Disheartened, our table mates decided to return to their hotel rooms to salvage their Canada Day celebrations, while our party wasn't as lucky. We left our table and continued to search for any room left on the now chaotic balcony. The only saving grace for the evening was the several 'old fashioned's' I ordered to lighten the previously squandered mood. I would have hoped that an event catered at a hotel would focus more on hospitality and client relations, rather than their regard for power differentials between manager and guest. I will be happy to spend my money next year on a friendlier atmosphere instead of $17 cocktails and aggressive...

The potentials are there, but this place requires major management changes.

We had a reservation on a Sunday morning for brunch and were very excited about it due to several positive referrals.

Positives were:

1. View was great.
2. Food was good.

Problems were:

1. There was almost no service. We had no server for about 15 minutes. We were sat with no cutleries, no napkins and had no idea how this brunch buffet works. For a brunch that occurs once a month, I would expect them to take this quite seriously and be more attentative. But nope, the servers barely made their rounds to check how the guests were doing. I have to say though, they were all nice when talking to me. But the service is minimal.

2. The buffet: The style was supposed to be that there is a cheese table and a light breakfast table with granola, yogurt and sweets. Then they either occasionally walk aroundwith trays of hot finger food, or bring a tray to your table if it is not busy. On the day I came, it was not busy. So after I went to bug them about service and cutleries, they brought us a tray with 10 small pieces for 2 people. The food was delicious; but after that tray was brought out, that was it. The server never asked if we wanted another one, nor told us what else there was.

3. The buffet tables with cheese/granola/sweets were never refilled during the entire time I was there. There were even no plates and a guest lady had to use granola bowl to get her cheese and crackers. I had to go to find a random server/whoever looked like they were working there to ask them about plates... how is this acceptable?!?

After getting tired of having to nudge them about every single thing, we lost our appetite and just paid and left. For $45 each person for brunch, I expect a way more professional service than what I received. I was there to enjoy the view, the food, the music and the environment. I wasn’t there to remind people about their job nor was I there to cater the buffet and have to remind them to keep it full. It was not even a busy day.

Andaz and Copper, I am seriously disappointed. I think Copper bar meant well and the idea was great but at least for the brunch, there needs to be something done to the service.

Will not come back...