The Chateau Laurier is still the preeminent hotel in Ottawa, even if the current owning company is allowing the hotel to rest on its laurels.

The Building

Built by Charles Melville Hays, president of the Canadian National Railway in 1912, and named for Wilfrid Laurier, then Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1919), the Chateau Laurier rises above Confederation Square like a French chateau gone slightly batty. As a building, it is one of the most successful examples of the chateau style in Canada (less blocky and more streamlined and elegant than a few of its sisters). Turrets, balconies and crenellated towers are all crowned by a magnificent copper roof. It will be even better when the roof oxidizes again, returning it to a soft verdigris.

Hays would not live to see the hotel open, perishing on the Titanic in 1912, a few months before the hotel opened its doors. There is a memorial plaque in the basement in his memory.

The Lobby

One enters a vast square hall, with wood paneling, a richly plastered ceiling and heavy iron chandeliers. There are reception and sitting rooms beyond, which may possibly be considered part of the lobby. The rooms are vast, cool and inviting. Little expense was spared on the renovations of 1991 which restored the public areas of the hotel. What had been cut up into a warren of little shops and airline offices has been returned to its proper state. The grand staircase of polished white marble winds its way to the 7th floor, but the elevators will probably be a faster way to get about.

The desk wasn't busy when I arrived at about 12:00 PM. The agent was friendly enough, but answered negatively about upgrading. Only after I offered to pay more was a suite offered. She did give me a slightly better rate, but I would still be paying $444.00 CAD (about $360.00 or so US) for a corner suite. I had booked a room at $420.00 CAD, so the difference was not substantial.

The Suite

Suite 540 is right by the grand staircase, though a good distance from the elevators. Be prepared to spend time wandering around the labyrinthine hallways. The hotel seems to go on an on, though it is still relatively compact. The wide hallways and transomed doors alone will transport you to another era.

The suite consisted of two long and narrow rooms and a bath. The drawing room and bedroom were paneled with plaster panels and painted a dingy pink color. I didn't really mind it so much, as the color went well with the green upholstery on the furniture. The furniture suggested the 1940's, though there were a few newer pieces in the mishmash of styles. High ceilings and windows overlooking the square and the Houses of Parliament made all the difference. The funny little desk looked like something out of a child's bedroom, but it had been outfitted with a halogen lamp and a modern desk chair. The television was concealed in an armoire. The heating system occasionally emitted groans of complaint.

The bedroom was also long and narrow, with a reasonably comfortable bed (they get major points for having feather pillows) and a good, well lighted reading chair.

Bath

The bath had been renovated in the no too distant past with a pile of marble and mirrors. Everything worked in here, and there were mounds of towels. Soap and shampoo were the standard Fairmont branded stuff, but they had added mouthwash as well. Plenty of hot water in here too.

Entree Gold Lounge

I did get a look at the room (the 4th floor is the Entree Gold floor here), even if they staunchly refused to let me use it. Never mind that I was paying more than the rate for the rooms on this floor.....I have used these rooms in other Fairmont/Canadian Pacific hotels before. The current lounge is housed in one of the Presidential Suites until the new lounge is completed.

The lounge offers complimentary continental breakfast in the mornings and free hors d' oeuvres in the evenings. Drinks are on an honor system, but are set out in handsome crystal decanters. Francois, the attendant, was pleasant and engaging, even if he couldn't let me use the room.

Dining

The main restaurant, Wilfrid's had a good looking lunch buffet set out, but it looked too substantial and I went elsewhere. The price was $24.95 CAD. I did return for dinner at 8:30. Though there was a reasonable (relatively) set menu for about $48.00 CAD, I went a la carte and ended up spending much more. The food here is good and the setting is agreeable, if less exciting than the original dining room might have been. The old dining room, the Adam Room has long since been converted into a ballroom. More's the pity, as the present dining room lacks much character. however elegant the table linens.

Bar

Zoe's Lounge is another grand room, if awkwardly so. Bearing the scars of the 1991 renovation, the room is still a great place to have a cocktail or three, even if the columns and much of the detail are not original (and are out of scale, proportion and so on). Never mind all that and enjoy it anyway.

Pool and Recreation

The (nearly olympic size) pool in the basement is monumental in scale. The room is on an epic scale as well and is decorated with pilasters and delicate plasterwork. An unusual feature, the ancient brass heat lamps above the chairs evoke another era, though the lamps no longer emit heating rays. Though the pool itself is well maintained, I was saddened to see that the locker rooms were dark and dismal, with warrens of passageways and old, tired metal lockers. They could really do better than this.

A fitness room is buried within the passages. The equipment is fairly recent, but the whole bespeaks the need for an overhaul. A local gentleman with whom I spoke at the pool remarked that Fairmont has not invested much in the hotel since their takeover of Canadian Pacific Hotels in 1999. I would see evidence of this in other places in the hotel.

Shops

A small and overpriced newsstand and a large art gallery are really all that is left of what was once a larger collection of shops and airline offices. Perhaps it is for the best that much of this space has been restored to the lobby and sitting rooms.

Service

The service is good, if perhaps not exactly enthusiastic. One gets the feeling that the staff are going through the motions of guest service without really trying very hard. The agent at the reception was pleasant enough, and I was impressed with Francois in the lounge upstairs. On the whole, though, many staff members were distant and preoccupied. There was no great feeling here that the hotel especially valued one's patronage.

Cost

In general, this place is more expensive than it should be, possibly due to their fortuitous location and the effects of a lingering reputation for grandeur. If you can secure a discount, you may do better than I did. Rates as low as $185.00 may be found on Orbitz or Expedia, but beware the sort of closet you might be given at these lower prices. The rooms vary wildly here, so do your homework beforehand.

Overall

A grand hotel which will soon need an infusion of both cash and service training. The Mobil guide only gives it 3 stars, which is about accurate. On the Epinions scale, it is perhaps worth 4, but merely for its history and location.


Chateau Laurier

1 Rideau Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1N8S7


Tel. 613-241-1414

FAX 613-562-7030

Toll free 800-441-1414




This is part of the Great Hotel Write-Off II, sponsored by jdhauer and Quasar

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Recommended: Yes