The Best Luxury Hotels in Ottawa for Business Travellers

Ottawa is a city that serious business travellers tend to underestimate until they've spent real time there. It's the capital, which means government, policy, diplomacy, and the entire ecosystem of law firms, consultancies, and associations that orbit federal institutions — and that concentration of high-stakes activity has quietly produced a hotel market more sophisticated than the city's size would suggest. It's also a genuinely beautiful city, particularly in summer and fall, and the best properties here take full advantage of that.

Fairmont Chateau Laurier

The Chateau Laurier is one of the great hotel addresses in Canada and arguably the most politically significant — it sits adjacent to Parliament Hill, opened in 1912, and has hosted virtually every consequential figure in Canadian public life at one point or another. The castle-like exterior is unmistakable on the Ottawa skyline, and the interior lives up to it: grand proportions, meticulous restoration, and a sense of occasion that no other property in the city can replicate. Wilfrid's restaurant handles business dining with appropriate seriousness, and the location means you are genuinely at the centre of the city's power geography. For any trip with a government or policy dimension, staying anywhere else requires justification.

Arc The Hotel

Arc is Ottawa's best boutique hotel and has maintained that position through consistent execution rather than novelty. It sits on Slater Street in the downtown core, a short walk from Parliament and the financial district, with 112 rooms that are warm, well-designed, and genuinely comfortable. The service is attentive without being performative, and the bar and restaurant draw a loyal local crowd that gives the property an energy the larger hotels can't manufacture. For the business traveler who wants something more intimate than the Chateau Laurier without sacrificing quality or location, Arc is the answer.

Ottawa Marriott Hotel

The Marriott sits in the heart of the business district on Kent Street and earns its place on this list through sheer reliability. The meeting facilities are among the best in the city, the rooms are consistently well-maintained, and the location is practical for anyone whose itinerary is concentrated in the downtown core. It lacks the character of the Chateau Laurier or Arc but compensates with the kind of frictionless execution that a tight schedule demands. For a trip where the agenda is full and the hotel is primarily a place to sleep and work, this is a sound choice.

Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market

The Andaz occupies a glass tower in the ByWard Market neighbourhood and represents a more contemporary vision of Ottawa luxury than the heritage properties offer. The rooms on the upper floors have exceptional views over the city and the Ottawa River, the design is polished and modern, and the ByWard Market location puts you within walking distance of the best restaurants and bars in the city. For a business trip with any entertainment or client hosting dimension, the combination of room quality and neighbourhood access is hard to beat.

Hotel Zoe Ottawa

Hotel Zoe is a newer entrant that has quickly established itself as a serious boutique option in the ByWard Market area. It's intimate, thoughtfully designed, and brings a level of personal service that reflects its scale. For the solo traveler or a very small group that values quiet and attention over full-service amenities, it's worth knowing about — particularly for extended stays where the residential character of the property becomes an asset.

A note on neighbourhoods

Ottawa's business geography organizes itself fairly clearly around two centres. The parliamentary and government precinct — where the Chateau Laurier sits — is the obvious base for anyone whose work touches federal institutions, lobbyists, or policy organizations. The broader downtown core along Sparks Street and into the financial district is where the Marriott and Arc are positioned, practical for commercial and legal work. ByWard Market, where the Andaz and Hotel Zoe sit, is Ottawa's most animated neighbourhood — the best restaurants, the most street life, and a walkability that makes evening hours genuinely enjoyable. The two areas are close enough that the distinction is more about atmosphere than convenience, but for a longer stay it's worth matching the hotel to the character of the trip.