Vibe: Now almost 80 years old, with its Art Deco limestone exterior and chateau-like roofline, the privately owned Lord Elgin manages to sustain a connection to its storied past as one of the capital city’s hubs for the business and bureaucratic crowds. The Art Deco décor carries on inside to a long lobby lined with maple panelling and marble flooring is a great meeting place for locals, anchored by Grill 41 at one end and a Starbucks on the other.

Rooms: The 355 rooms are 180 to 270 square feet in size, extremely clean and well-maintained. Maple headboards and cabinets are paired with a muted beige and brown colour palette. Comfortable pillow-top mattresses and ample pillows—there’s a pillow menu, too—make for a sound sleep. A chaise longue provides a relaxing spot for reading or watching TV in the larger rooms. Well-lit bathrooms clad in Carrera marble feature a walk-in shower and natural, Canadian-made Truterra amenities.

F&B: At Grill 41 Restaurant & Bar, a club-table lounge area gives way to a square marble and wood bar, and on into a 132-seat casual dining room. Grilled meats and your choice of sauces is the order of the day here, with steaks, chops and skewers propped up with a selection of pastas, pizzas and other comfort foods.

HOW-TO: DRINK YOUR WAY AROUND OTTAWA

Extras: A 24-hour basement gym is attached to a 50-foot pool and whirlpool, its grey and white tiling amped up with brightly coloured Adirondack chairs and a street-side skylight. The change rooms have lockers and saunas (turn it on first before your swim).

Off-Site: On Elgin Street across from Confederation Park where the Ottawa Jazz Festival takes place each June, the Lord Elgin is a 10-minute walk from Parliament Hill, City Hall and the Rideau Centre shopping mall anchored by Nordstrom. Both the National Gallery of Canada and busy Byward Market are a 15-minute walk away. The National Arts Centre is across the street and the ceremonial Changing of the Guard goes right past the hotel each morning at 10am through July and August. Elgin is also a good street for pubs and restaurants, and lends easy access to several main thoroughfares.

Rate: $$
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Vibe: Old World grandeur starts right at the Château Laurier wooden, revolving front door and never stops. A hushed, museum-like atmosphere permeates much of the cavernous public areas and banquet rooms, with their turn-of-the-century furnishings, hand-painted ceilings, marble flooring, ornate plasterwork and vast yards of drapery. Photographer Yousuf Karsh once had his studio in the hotel, and a few of his most famous portraits hang in the lounge off the lobby, including a portrait of Churchill that made its way onto the British £5 note.

Rooms: The 426 rooms, including 33 suites, maintain a glamorous old-fashioned aura—elegant lamps, heavy curtains, comfy armchairs and solid desks and cupboards, maple bed frames and nightstands. The traditional look is augmented with ample textures and rich colours—taupes and soft grays in some rooms, bright blue and green stripes in others. Smallish marble bathrooms are bright and clean, with good lighting.

F&B: Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in Wilfrid’s Restaurant, where guests sink into plump armchairs and tuck into things like seared scallops, stuffed quail, prime rib and spice-brined duck. The breakfast menu includes a spicy Shakshouka alongside skillets and omelets, and a daily smoothie. The sleek and chic Zoé’s serves traditional afternoon tea before welcoming the cocktail crowd at 5 p.m. Find more casual fare there, including charcuterie and cheese plates, salmon and beef tartares, a succulent lobster roll and an outstanding steak.

F&B: OTTAWA COCKTAIL CRAWL

Extras: A health club on the lower level is equipped with state-of-the-art fitness machines and free weights, with personal training available on request. Massage therapy is also available, although there is no formal spa. A nautical-themed, 60-foot Art Deco swimming pool props up one end of the health club for your morning laps. Take the half-hour, self-directed walking tour of the hotel guided by iPads loaned out at the front desk.

Off-Site: Situated a few steps from the Rideau Canal, the Château is a five-minute walk from Canada’s parliament buildings, the ByWard Market area, Confederation Park where the Ottawa Jazz Festival takes place each June, the Rideau Centre shopping mall and Nordstrom, and the National Arts Centre. The National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian Mint are 10 minutes away.

Rate: $$$

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Vibe: Entering the Andaz ByWard Market is like stepping into the living room of a relaxed, very modern home. Unreservedly hospitable service is no-nonsense Canadian—unstuffy and unfussy, and in two languages. Each floor takes on a persona of a Canadian province or territory, with art curated by the Canadian Council Art Bank. Signature Andaz Salon events—lectures, exhibitions, live performances—connect guests to local cultural experiences.

Rooms: Two hundred residentially styled rooms champion Canadian design, materials and motifs. White walls, ceilings and linens, plus oatmeal curtains and carpets lend a fresh feel. Woolen and felt upholstery, moulded wood furniture, leather drawer pulls, and walk-in closets are simple yet sumptuous. Fun copper light fixtures do double duty as installation art. What looks like herringbone-patterned wooden flooring is actually tiling.

F&B: The hotel’s destination restaurant Feast + Revel showcases uniquely Canadian items like bison skewers, lamb poutine, Arctic char, scallops with smoked bacon and a varied duck platter that serves four. Besides a breakfast buffet, top morning items include a Vegetarian Breakfast with smoked vegan sausage and roasted mushrooms, and a Breakfast Poutine loaded with duck confit, kale, caramelized onions, cheese curds and rich gravy. Copper Spirits & Sights, the rooftop bar, boasts amazing views and is poised to become the new It spot for the city’s chic-seekers, with a patio that features banquette seating and open fire pits.

Extras: The 24-hour fitness centre on the 16th floor sports floor-to-ceiling windows for an optimum view while you work out.

Off-Site: The hotel is right in the thick of things, anchoring the east end of Ottawa’s historic ByWard Market area with its multitude of shops, restaurants and bars. It’s walking distance from Parliament Hill, all the major national museums and galleries, and Gatineau, Quebec.

Rate: $$$

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