If your family is looking for a spacious hotel room with a kitchen or kitchenette and free daily breakfast in Ottawa, The Carleton Suite Hotel might fit the bill.
This all suite hotel with its spacious rooms, complimentary breakfast and central location is a family-friendly option for those looking to be walking distance to the Rideau Canal, Parliament and ByWard Market.
I’ll be sharing my family’s experience at this hotel during a weekend trip to our nation’s capital for Winterlude.
RELATED READING: Top Travel Tips for Winterlude in Ottawa with Kids
We’ll also give a review of The Carleton Suite Hotel One Bedroom suite, an overview of the facilities and amenities and activities nearby.
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The Carleton Suite Hotel Review
When I was researching where to stay for an upcoming Winterlude trip, I knew I wanted to be walking distance to the areas where we would be spending the majority of our time.
I knew we would be spending a lot of our time skating – either on the Rideau Canal or at the Sens Rink of Dreams (just outside city hall). I also wanted to be close to a Sno-Bus stop (free shuttle bus) because we were planning on spending a day at Snowflake Kingdom (Jacques Cartier Park in Gatineau, Quebec).
The Carleton Suite Hotel is in the process of being renovated (due to complete later this year) and when I looked up the location and prices, I was pleasantly surprised it was an affordable hotel for our family of four.
We were worried about the renovations – would it impact our stay, would we be able to sleep comfortably at night? The Carleton Suite Hotel did not disappoint and exceeded our expectations.
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Carleton Suite One Bedroom Suite Review
Families have several different room options when staying at The Carleton Suite Hotel.
- Studio – King/Queen bed and a double sofa bed, one bathroom, kitchenette
- One Bedroom – Bedroom with 1 King or 2 Queens, double sofa bed, one bathroom, fully equipped kitchen
- Two Bedroom – Two separate bedrooms (one with a king, one with a queen bed), double sofa bed, two bathrooms, fully equipped kitchen
Our most recent visit to Ottawa had us enjoying a newly renovated One Bedroom Suite.
It was massive – probably one of the larger hotel rooms we have stayed in to date.
This spacious suite features a separate bedroom with a king bed, a sitting area with double sofa bed, large bathroom with two different entrances, a fully equipped kitchen (with fridge, oven, microwave, coffee maker and dishwasher), breakfast bar, desk, and a dining table.
There are closets, dressers and cabinets everywhere – storage is NOT an issue in this suite!
The washroom was larger than what we were expecting and we loved having two separate entrances to it – one from the bedroom, one from the main sitting area.
From the living / dining room area, our view was of office buildings. The view from the bedroom was better – we could see city hall and the Sens Rink of Dreams. This was great as we could gauge crowd levels before walking over for skating!
The kitchen is outfitted with a microwave, coffee machine, oven, fridge and dishwasher. There’s plenty of cutlery, dishes, mugs, cooking utensils and pots and pans for guests wanting to cook a few of their meals during their stay.
Paper towels as well as dishwasher detergent is also provided so you don’t need to bring that from home either.
Guests can enjoy complimentary tea, coffee and popcorn – all found on the counter as you enter the kitchen.
The Carleton Suite Hotel also offers guests a complimentary grocery shopping service. Guests write down their shopping list and the staff will pick everything up for you.
Also, be sure to take advantage of the Starbucks / The Rox offer. Every night that you opt out of housekeeping, you’ll receive a $5 coupon for food or drink at Starbucks or The Rox (restaurant).
Starbucks is located at The Carleton Suite’s sister hotel – Lord Elgin – and The Rox is next to the other sister hotel – The Metcalfe. Starbucks and The Rox are both less than 2 minutes walking from The Carleton Suite!
The beds and pillows were very comfortable – surprisingly even the sofa bed! My husband and son are fussy sleepers and very picky about the firmness of pillows and beds.
They were both able to sleep through the night without tossing and turning complaining about springs poking them in the back. HA!
Facilities & Amenities
The spacious suites are a big draw to this hotel but I also want to highlight some of the amazing facilities and amenities that allows guests a more comfortable and relaxing stay at The Carleton Suite Hotel.
Complimentary wireless high-speed internet is available to all guests.
There’s a 24-hour gym, 24-hour business centre, heated indoor pool and a large dining area where hotel guests can enjoy a hot buffet breakfast every morning. If you happen to need a bottle of juice or a bag of chips, you can purchase them from the check-in desk.
There’s a Tim Horton’s onsite – we grabbed soup and sandwiches one night for the kids and it was great not having to put on all our winter gear to get dinner. We just walked downstairs, ordered the food and then took it back to our room to eat.
Guests with cars will appreciate the heated underground parking lot. Parking is $25/night with in and out privileges. We didn’t use our car the entire weekend and walked almost everywhere we wanted to go. We took the complimentary shuttle to Jacques Cartier Park in Gatineau, Quebec.
The Carleton Suite Hotel is also a pet-friendly hotel for those who travel with their furry family members.
If you’re planning an extended stay in Ottawa, The Carleton Suite Hotel offers up to 25% off regular room rates.
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Daily Hot Buffet Breakfast Included at The Carleton Suite Hotel
Families will appreciate that a hot breakfast is included every morning of their stay. There’s eggs, sausages, potatoes, granola, cereal, yogurt, fruit, coffee, tea and juice.
The waffle maker was very popular the weekend we were there. Every morning there was a fairly long lineup for the waffle maker – there’s only one so that could be the reason why.
The dining area does get fairly busy on weekends as this hotel is popular for out of town sports teams. The weekend we visited, almost everyone enjoying breakfast at the same time as us was visiting Ottawa for a girls’ hockey tournament.
There was a bit of a wait for a free table but guests also have the option of taking breakfast back to their room if they don’t want to wait.
The Carleton Suite Hotel Location
The Carleton Suite Hotel is located in Downtown Rideau and is walking distance to Confederation Park, City Hall (Sens Rink of Dreams), Parliament Hill, Sparks Street, National Arts Centre, Rideau Centre (shopping mall), and the Rideau Canal.
If you’re planning on any of those places in Ottawa, I highly recommend you consider this hotel as it is less than 10 minutes walking to all of them. You’ll save on gas and parking.
Getting to The Carleton Suite Hotel from the airport is easy – it’s approximately a 20 minute drive from Ottawa International Airport.
There are some budget and family-friendly dining options walking distance from the hotel as well. Here are some of the places we’d recommend checking out:
Capital Diner – Right across the street from the hotel. There’s a weekday breakfast special for $6.99 until 11AM if you want something other than what is offered at the hotel.
Scone Witch – Savory and sweet scones available until 7PM on weekdays and 4PM on weekends. This is a very popular place for locals and tourists so we recommend heading there earlier in the day as scone selection is quite limited near closing time.
Johnny Farina – Pizza, pasta and classic Italian fare.
Shawarma Express – Lebanese restaurant specializing in sandwiches, salads and family platters.
Nando’s Peri-Peri Chicken – Restaurant chain specializing in South African flame-grilled chicken dishes.
Final Words
The Carleton Suite Hotel is a family-friendly mid-tier hotel that offers a lot of value for your money. The suites are spacious and the location is great for families wanting to be walking distance to some of Ottawa’s main attractions and near wallet-friendly dining options.
