Ontario, Canada
New hotels in Ottawa
Ottawa's hotel scene has been remarkably quiet for a national capital — until 2025 and 2026, when a cluster of new openings arrived almost at once.
Now open in Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario
Moxy Ottawa Downtown
A 1913 warehouse façade wrapped around a brand-new 22-storey Marriott lifestyle tower.
Open · July 2026
Ottawa, Ontario
Alt Hotel Ottawa Airport
Germain Hotels' design-led airport formula lands right inside Ottawa International's terminal walkway.
Open · April 2026
Ottawa, Ontario
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa
Canada's first fully integrated Hard Rock resort, complete with a guitar-smash grand opening.
Open · July 2025
Ottawa, Ontario
AC Hotel by Marriott Ottawa Downtown
Marriott's European-minimalist brand plants its flag on Rideau Street, one new tower in a three-hotel run.
Open · April 2025
Ottawa, Ontario
The Metcalfe Hotel
A 1909 YMCA that spent a decade as a Hotel Indigo drops its IHG flag to become Ottawa's newest independent boutique hotel.
Open · September 2022Coming soon in Ottawa
Iconic hotels in Ottawa
Ottawa
Fairmont Château Laurier
This Châteauesque landmark beside Parliament Hill opened in June 1912, weeks after its visionary patron, Grand Trunk Railway president Charles Melville Hays, died aboard the Titanic while returning for the opening ceremony. A National Historic Site since 1981, it hosted Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash in 1968, a stay that inspired Nash's song 'Our House.'
Learn more →
Ottawa
Lord Elgin Hotel
Opened in July 1941 to house wartime government and military personnel, the Lord Elgin was designed by Ross and Macdonald, successors to the firm behind the Château Laurier, and its steep copper roof was reportedly requested by Prime Minister Mackenzie King to echo Parliament's own. Still locally owned after more than 80 years, it remains one of downtown Ottawa's best-known addresses.
Learn more →Ottawa's hotel scene has been remarkably quiet for a national capital — until 2025 and 2026, when a cluster of new openings arrived almost at once. Marriott's RIMAP-led push into the ByWard Market, Hard Rock's first fully integrated Canadian resort, and Germain Hotels' new airport property have together added hundreds of new rooms across very different price points and purposes, from downtown lifestyle stays to a casino resort and a terminal-connected airport hotel.
What to do
A weekend in Ottawa
Base yourself in the ByWard Market, Ottawa's densest concentration of restaurants, bars and now hotels, and walk to Parliament Hill for the Changing of the Guard (summer only) and a stroll along the Rideau Canal — a UNESCO World Heritage Site that becomes the world's largest skating rink in winter. Spend an afternoon at the National Gallery of Canada, a five-minute walk from the ByWard Market hotels, then close the day with dinner and drinks back in the market itself.
A full week
Add a day trip to Gatineau, Quebec, just across the river, for the Canadian Museum of History, then dedicate an evening to Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa in Gloucester for its live music venue and casino floor — a different kind of night out from the downtown core. Museum-lovers can fill several more days with the Canadian War Museum, the Canada Science and Technology Museum and the Diefenbunker, while a bike ride along the Rideau Canal pathway or an outing to the Gatineau Park hills rounds out a longer stay.
Neighborhoods
ByWard Market
Ottawa's historic market district is now also its hotel district: AC Hotel by Marriott Ottawa Downtown and Moxy Ottawa Downtown both opened here within about a year of each other, putting new-build and heritage-conversion hotels a few blocks apart amid the market's restaurants, bars and produce stalls.
Downtown / Parliament Hill
The seat of federal government and the Rideau Canal frontage sit just west of the ByWard Market, easily reached on foot from either of the two Marriott properties tracked here; none of the hotels in this guide sit directly on Parliament Hill itself.
Centretown
Ottawa's central business and residential district, south of Parliament Hill, has no newly opened hotel from this guide — it remains served mainly by longer-established properties.
The Glebe
A leafy, café-lined residential neighbourhood south of the canal, popular with visitors who want a quieter base; none of the hotels tracked here are located in the Glebe.
Gloucester
In Ottawa's south-east, the Rideau Carleton Raceway site has been transformed by the arrival of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa, a destination entertainment resort built around gaming and live music rather than downtown sightseeing.
Ottawa International Airport area
Alt Hotel Ottawa Airport opened directly inside the airport's terminal walkway, the only hotel in this guide built specifically for transiting travellers rather than downtown visitors.
Which hotel for your trip
Business travellers
AC Hotel by Marriott Ottawa Downtown is the clearest fit: understated design, a proper business-hotel amenity set (pool, gym, five meeting rooms) and a ByWard Market address within walking distance of the Rideau Centre and the convention circuit downtown.
Younger travellers and design fans
Moxy Ottawa Downtown, wrapped around the retained façade of a 1913 warehouse, suits guests who want personality and a social bar-as-lobby scene over full-service amenities — its compact rooms are built for sleeping and going out, not lingering.
Nightlife and casino visitors
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa is a destination unto itself, pairing a 150-room hotel with an 1,800-plus-seat live venue and an expanded casino floor — best for guests planning their trip around a show or a night at the tables rather than downtown sightseeing.
Early flights and layovers
Alt Hotel Ottawa Airport, connected directly to the terminal by an enclosed walkway, removes the need for a shuttle or taxi entirely — the obvious choice for anyone with an early departure or a long connection.
First-time visitors focused on sightseeing
Stick to the ByWard Market cluster — AC Hotel or Moxy — since both put Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal and the National Gallery within an easy walk, without the Gloucester or airport commute.
Frequently asked questions
What new hotels have opened in Ottawa recently?
Between 2025 and 2026, four new hotels opened in Ottawa: AC Hotel by Marriott Ottawa Downtown (April 2025), Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa (July 2025), Alt Hotel Ottawa Airport (April 2026) and Moxy Ottawa Downtown (July 2026).
Where is the best area to stay in Ottawa for sightseeing?
The ByWard Market is the strongest base for sightseeing, putting Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal and the National Gallery of Canada within walking distance — it's also where AC Hotel by Marriott Ottawa Downtown and Moxy Ottawa Downtown are located.
Is there a hotel connected to Ottawa International Airport?
Yes — Alt Hotel Ottawa Airport, which opened in April 2026, connects directly to the airport terminal via an enclosed walkway, making it the only hotel in Ottawa with true gate-to-room access.
Is Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa within walking distance of downtown?
No. It's located on Albion Road in Gloucester, roughly 20 minutes from downtown Ottawa and Parliament Hill, and is best suited to guests centring their trip on the casino and live music venue rather than downtown sightseeing.
What makes Moxy Ottawa Downtown different from a typical new-build hotel?
It's built inside the retained 1913 façade of the heritage-designated Major Building, a former warehouse — an adaptive-reuse project rather than a hotel rebrand, since the building had no previous hotel use.
Are there any luxury hotels among Ottawa's new openings?
The most recent wave of Ottawa openings tracked here skews upscale and lifestyle rather than ultra-luxury — AC Hotel and Moxy are both upscale-to-upscale-casual Marriott brands, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa is an upscale entertainment resort, and Alt Hotel Ottawa Airport is a design-focused, moderately priced airport hotel.