Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Historic landmark Hotel in heart of downtown Ottawa: ideally located in the heart of downtown Ottawa - directly across from Confederation Park, the National Arts Centre and steps away from Byward Market, Rideau Canal, Ottawa Shaw Centre, Parliament Buildings and the Ottawa Rideau Centre. Guestrooms reflect Ottawa's elegance. From the tall picture windows, bold tulip inspired artwork and beautiful marble-tiled washrooms, you cannot help but feel pampered. Ottawa hotel guests enjoy the lap pool with adjoining whirlpool, sauna and fitness center.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Classic
Historic Hotel
Languages Spoken
English, French
Location
100 Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5K8 Canada
Lord Elgin
4.3 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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The Lord Elgin hotel garners praise for its prime location in the heart of Ottawa, with guests appreciating the ease of exploring nearby attractions on foot. Many travelers commend the cleanliness and comfort of the rooms, though some mention dated decor and noise disturbances.
While service is often described as friendly and professional, there have been a few disappointments, particularly with valet service. Opinions on value and amenities are mixed, with some guests finding the hotel affordable and others questioning the cost relative to their experience.
Location
Central
Atmosphere
Inviting
Rooms
Mixed
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Meticulous
Noise level
Noisy
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Satisfactory
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â If you need any accommodations.. just ask! They will help you with anything you need. Early check...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Smythe, General Manager at Lord Elgin
Responded Sep 12, 2024
Hello Quest, It was a pleasure having you stay with us. Thank you for choosing the historic Lord Elgin Hotel as your accommodation in Downtown Ottawa. We are very happy to see you've had a great stay, and you enjoyed our prime location, convenient amenities, and comfortable accommodations. It’s great to know that our early check-in, secure bag storage, and on-site dining added to your positive experience. We look forward to welcoming you back on your next visit to Ottawa!
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During a Club Med Discovery tour, I spent the night of 29/09/24 in this hotel and occupied room 801.
The hotel is in the heart of Ottawa, 5 minutes from the pedestrian street (Sparks Street) and 10 minutes from Parliament Hill. Ideal for walking around the city. The hotel is a heritage building, built in 1941 to compete with Château Laurier. It is also a bit in this style. Fortunately it has been renovated since its opening! That said, its style and decoration are quite dated and deserve to be a little more modern (to my taste).
The room I occupied is a large room, with queen bed, desk and chair, and an armchair. The view is city (overlooking an office building) without setbacks. The decoration is anything (a bit old-school). The bedroom is completed by a small bathroom with sink, toilet and shower cabin. The water pressure is quite low and it fat waits a few minutes to get hot water. It's clean, functional. The bed is comfortable. The room is quiet. As for the facilities, we have air conditioning, wifi, an empty minibar, a television without any international French-language channels (which is a loft in the Capital of Canada). I couldn't find a safe.
The bar is friendly and the bar-turner efficient and very friendly. The breakfast buffet is small but decent.
In short, a good place to spend one or two nights in Canada's capital.
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Had a wonderful stay here at the Lord Elgin. Close to everything. Rooms were a good size and linens on bed with comforter and mattress allowed for a great sleep. Restaurant food was truly flavourful. We loved our weekend here.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Smythe, General Manager at Lord Elgin
Responded Dec 17, 2024
Hello Carole, Thank you so much for your kind review! We’re thrilled to hear that you had a wonderful stay and enjoyed our central location, spacious rooms, and comfortable bed. It’s also great to know you had a positive experience with the restaurant and found the food flavorful. We’re so happy you loved your weekend with us, and we look forward to welcoming you back soon!
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Room #227 had bed bugs and we woke up with blood-smeared white sheets, we complained and got a cheese tray sent up!
We got moved to room #204 and tore the room apart looking for bed bugs and found a bunch of live baby bed bugs between the mattress & box spring. We have video of these but TA blocked our Youtube link. We got offered 2 breakfast buffets for free...
We got moved to a room on the 5th floor but we didn't stay there long enough for it to register in the memory as we tore the room apart again and found a dead bed bug between the left queen mattress & box spring. We got offered $100 off the room price.
We got moved to room #1019 and tore the room apart for a 4th time looking for any sign of bugs and we are finally able to enjoy a bug free room! The room had a beautiful view of parliament so I'm entertaining moving the review up by one star. Then, because they took 36 minutes to retrieve our car from the valet parking, we were late for a business meeting.
Edit: Cheese tray was tasty if you liked blue cheese and the location of the hotel is amazing. 2nd Edit: one member of our party had over 200 bites on him by staying at this hotel. They are still angry and red over 1 week later.
If you stay here, take great care in the room and check between the mattress & box spring and do not put your luggage on the bed or touching the walls.
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Date of stay: October 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Smythe, General Manager at Lord Elgin
Responded Nov 3, 2024
Dear Jarvis777, I am sorry to hear that you were not satisfied with our response to the bed bug issue that you reported with your initial guestroom. As per our protocols, we immediately offered the member of your party who reported the issue somewhere else to sleep at no charge, which he accepted. The next morning, we also provided you with a different room to move to, offered to have your items dry cleaned, and made numerous other offers which you declined. Every room that you stayed in was thoroughly inspected after your move by a third-party professional pest control company that has been in business for over 30 years and NONE of them showed signs of activity. We did have each room treated as a precaution, as is our protocol. All of our guestrooms are inspected daily for signs of insect activity and if there is ever even a suspicion of activity, we call in the third-party. We have clear and detailed protocols in place and our team receives training to ensure that each situation is handled with care. I would be very interested in speaking directly to the individual who reported over 200 bites as that was not reported to us or documented during your stay. Please have them contact me directly at dsmythe@lordelgin.ca. I would also like to add that none of our guestrooms have views of Parliament, due to the hill and numerous tall buildings between our property and Parliament hill, although many do feature wonderful views of Confederation park.
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from the time I pulled up I was blown away. Steve helped unpack and took my wife's bags up to the room hung up the wardrob bags suit cases etc. She had no cash and he was so gratious. After I unpacked he left such an impression on us I said I would find him later + tip him. Found him 2 days later and made it right. The woman who cleaned our room was great also. I said just change the towels don't bother with the bed. she asked 3 thimes if I was sure. My wife came up an hour later and she checked with her as well to make sure she was good with my call. These folks all went above & beyond.
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Date of stay: June 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:Â The staff were all so genuinely pleasent, their hiring practices should be studied! From the...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Smythe, General Manager at Lord Elgin
Responded Jun 6, 2024
Dear W339KGdavidc, Thank you for sharing your feedback from your stay at the historic Lord Elgin Hotel. We are happy to hear that our team was able to provide you with an enjoyable stay. I hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back on your next visit
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I stayed at the Lord Elgin for a conference as the main hotel was full and I'm so glad I did! I loved the historic building and location, which was within easy walking distance from my conference activities. I knew I would be taking some virtual meetings in my room so I called in advance and was given a quiet room on one of the renovated floors. The room itself was nicely updated with all of the usual amenities. I also appreciated having an electric kettle for tea in the room, as well as a bathrobe and slippers. All of the staff I encountered in the hotel, including front desk, housekeeping, and room service, were polite, friendly, and professional. My meals from room service were terrific and they had no concerns making me custom orders as I was eating light following a period of illness. I would definitely stay at the hotel again when in Ottawa.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: October 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Smythe, General Manager at Lord Elgin
Responded Dec 17, 2024
Hello SansSouci11, It was a pleasure having you stay with us. Thank you for choosing the historic Lord Elgin Hotel as your accommodation in Downtown Ottawa. We are very happy to see you've had a great stay and hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back soon!
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Stayed at this hotel as part of a group booking for a conference. The rooms are hit and miss with some being old and in need of refurbishment and some being in better shape. A few hours after checking in I discovered bed bugs in my room. An employee came and verified that there were indeed live bed bugs, and said they would have a pest control company come and check the room the next day. In the meantime I was given a new room and one night's stay was refunded. They also offered to take a few items of clothing to be dry cleaned at their cost, and sent a note of apology.
The staff were very nice, but my issue is that a) there were no mattress encasements on the mattresses of either bed in the first room. The mattresses just had a thin protector and then just a flat sheet (not even a fitted sheet). Encasements should be standard, especially in a higher end hotel! There was an encasement on the bed in the room I was moved to. b) There didn't seem to be any protocol in place for my luggage or other belongings. This risks moving the bed bugs from one room to another, and then into a person's home. I had the wherewithal to keep my luggage in the bathroom after I changed rooms to check for any signs of bugs, and to wrap everything in plastic bags before putting it in my car. I was able to wash and dry the clothing on high heat at home, but ended up throwing out the suitcase as a precaution. So that was $180 gone. Bed bugs can happen anywhere, I understand that, but a hotel this size really needs better protocols in place for what to do when it occurs.
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Date of stay: October 2024Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Smythe, General Manager at Lord Elgin
Responded Nov 3, 2024
Dear cdntravel_lovr, I am sorry to hear about the issue that you experienced with bed bugs during your stay. Such incidents are not common at our hotel and we take each one seriously. As you mentioned, we do have protocols in place to ensure that the situation is handled with care and to the satisfaction of our guests. We immediately offer a room move to a new room and have the original room inspected by an experienced third-party pest control company and treated whether or not there is any activity found. We also offer dry cleaning for any clothing that you would like to have professionally cleaned during your stay. After your check-out, we have your new room inspected and treated as well. We have been working on encasing all of our beds and we are currently planning on replacing all mattresses in the hotel in December, at which time they will also all be encased. Based on your feedback, we are also preparing a document that our team can share with any concerned guests about the best practices that you mention with your luggage. We are dedicated to ensuring that all of our guests are satisfied and a member of our team will be reaching out to you shortly. I hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back on a future trip to Ottawa so that we can prove to you that your experience was an outlier and so that we can provide you with an enjoyable and relaxing stay.
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The Lord Elgin hotel is situated in the heart of downtown Ottawa. It is a very short walk to Parliament Hill each morning. The changing of the guard parade goes by the front of the hotel so one day I followed them and was able to enjoy 40 minute concert by the RCMP band, the hotel is clean and includes a nice restaurant that we ate in. The room We stayed in was lovely. We had three windows in our end room. The reason I gave four rather than five stars because on the ninth floor there All three windows looked onto a flat rooftop, which wasn’t very pleasant As there were buckets and little weeds growing out of the gravel surface on the roof. Looking past the rooftop, you could see parliament Hill through two windows and the Canada building through the other. I would’ve preferred to be able to see the street and watch the parade go by each day. The staff at the reception including the bell hops, as well as restaurant, cleaning and maintenance staff were all friendly, helpful, and most accommodating. I really enjoyed being in the hotel while my husband attended a conference. I was able to use the workout room, the pool, the restaurant, and enjoyed relaxing on the couches in front of large windows and reading a book. I would come back here again, no doubt!
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Smythe, General Manager at Lord Elgin
Responded Sep 4, 2024
Greeting, Thank you for sharing your feedback from your stay at the historic Lord Elgin Hotel. We are happy to hear that our team was able to provide you with an enjoyable stay. I hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back on your next visit so that we can earn 5 out of 5!
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This is an older hotel in a great location. The decor and amenities are somewhat dated but adequate and the service with the bell staff, reception and room attendant was professional and friendly. Our room was comfortable; I asked for a bath tub and got a very old style shallow bath that was disappointing. The pool in the basement is a nice addition. The worst part of this stay was our Christmas Buffet experience in the hotel's restaurant, 41. This space is actually the bar area and very small. There is no formal dining room, which I think is a seriously missed opportunity. There should be a bar and a dining room if they pulled together all the additional rooms and spaces they have. The buffet was badly done with food left out for hours-they were running it when we arrived at 2:30 and we had a 6.00 reserve. The food was actually terrible and when we got to the dessert there was hardly anything left!! This was the very first time we ever went elsewhere for Christmas dinner and it was a disaster. Cheap food-I think the potatoes were powdered, the uniform slices of turkey breast seemed like pressed meat-no actual turkey being carved? Nothing really special and certainly not worth $79 per person. I did talk with the front desk about this experience and we were given a refund but our Christmas Day was for ever a bad memory. I was surprised at my first approach at the front desk on this issue was answered with an explanation that the restaurant was not operated by the hotel?? I had to speak with the manager of the restaurant. However, the following morning I was told I could have a refund. I found my photos of the terrible empty platters and pickings of left overs and I think texting these did help my case. The hotel does need to think about this restaurant operating in its lobby.
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Smythe, General Manager at Lord Elgin
Responded 3 weeks ago
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We truly appreciate your feedback and are pleased to hear that you found our location convenient and our service professional and friendly. We always strive to provide a comfortable and welcoming stay, and your comments help us identify areas for improvement. We sincerely regret that your Christmas buffet experience did not meet your expectations. We understand how important holiday celebrations are, and we are truly sorry that this occasion was disappointing for you. Your concerns regarding the food quality and service have been noted, and we will be sharing this feedback with the restaurant team to ensure improvements are made. Additionally, we apologize for any confusion regarding the restaurant’s operation and appreciate your patience in resolving the matter. We are glad that our team was able to address your concerns. Your feedback regarding our dining setup is also valuable, and we will take it into consideration as we continuously look for ways to enhance our offerings. We sincerely hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future and provide a much better experience. Please feel free to reach out directly if you have any further concerns.
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I recently spent 3 nights in a parkview double queen guestroom at the Lord Elgin while on a business trip to Ottawa and thoroughly enjoyed my stay here!
The rooms look like they were recently updated and the bed was quite comfortable. The room I stayed in was also front facing on a higher floor and I found it was spacious and bright with a view of Confederation Park. Apparently if you book a classic category room these are on the backside of the hotel so they may not get as much light (useful to know if you need to work in your room and prefer natural light). The only minor gripe was that I was in a connecting room and there is really no sound barrier. I could hear the conversations of the guests in the next room through the door. Thankfully my neighbours were not loud night owls, but it was Winterlude so it could've gone either way.
All staff that I encountered throughout my stay were pleasant and helpful. Parking is by valet (in and out privileges) at a cost of $39/day and they were always prompt with service. The Forty One restaurant onsite offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Location is excellent as it's central to most things and it felt safe at night. It's no more than a 15 minute walk to the main business district, Sparks St, Parliament, Rideau Centre, Byward Market and other tourist spots. It's central enough that there's lots of choice for meals too. Little Victories Coffee Roasters is a great coffee shop a 3 minute walk from the hotel and you'll find the Rabbit Hole, a restaurant and cocktail bar/speakeasy worth visiting nearby as well.
I wouldn't hesitate to stay here again for business or personal reasons.
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:Â Opt for a parkview room on a higher floor. Corner rooms may also offer more space.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Smythe, General Manager at Lord Elgin
Responded Mar 28, 2024
Dear Crystalc153, Thank you for sharing so many details from your experience at the historic Lord Elgin Hotel. We are very fortunate to have so many wonderful independent restaurants, coffee stores, and stores nearby and I appreciate that you have mentioned these places that truly make Ottawa a one-of-a-kind city to visit. We are looking forward to welcoming you back on your next trip to Ottawa!
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You can check-in at any time. We always have staff at the Front Desk 24/7. You will have to use the intercom on the left hand side of the centre door to buzz them as we lock our front doors over night as part of our security protocols.
There are more places to choose from in the Ottawa area.
PRICE RANGE
C$194 - C$287 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
lord elgin hotel ottawa, lord elgin ottawa
LOCATION
CanadaOntarioOttawa
NUMBER OF ROOMS
355
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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