Alt Hotel Ottawa Downtown

Location: Highly praised for being in a central city area, near subway stations, and close to attractions like the canal and restaurants.(based on 4 reviews)

Overall I like this hotel and probably would stay here again, but there were a couple of weird things in my room. The hotel in general has a very hip, boutique feel to it, and clearly they are trying to be 'different' than just a big mass-market hotel chain. I like that. They have an absolutely perfect location in central Ottawa for exploring and walking to Parliament, and many other sites and businesses. My room continued the weird design. It was decent sized, with one wall of exposed concrete. The bed was incredible, providing a solid sleep. Nice comfy 'sling' style chair. Desk. Nespresso machine. Good amenities. But then there was a bare spot on the wall with an art label (title and artist) on it. Was this some funny commentary about a bare well being art? Or did somebody seriously take an artwork off the wall and not replace it? The shower had a narrow, tall window that looked onto...a nook beside the bed with the coffee machine. A bit creepy. But worst of all--and again maybe just my room and bad timing--the hot water didn't work. The first day I just passed this off as bad timing or it needed more time to heat, but the second day it was the same. Not ice cold, just tepid. I mentioned to the staff so they could repair it, and without expecting it they discounted my bill a bit. That was a very nice gesture, and I appreciate that. But still I can't really give a top rating to a room without good, hot water. (And one would think this would be checked by the staff during cleaning.) The hotel's bar and café were quite good. It's again a bit odd design, having them conjoined, but the bar offered a great happy hour--really well-made and unique cocktails. The café in the morning provided a good espresso. So, that was my experience. It's a very unique hotel, great front desk staff, great bartender. Just the room had some odd quirks to it.