The Metcalfe Hotel by Gray Collection

Character and identity

The Metcalfe is a 106-room modern boutique set inside a five-story atrium right in downtown Ottawa, blocks from Parliament Hill. The ground-floor lobby reads industrial-chic and open-plan, with the rooms ringing the atrium above. Expect larger-than-average guest rooms with hardwood floors, jetted tubs, spa showers, 42-inch TVs and ergonomic desk chairs, plus an indoor pool, a 24-hour gym, a spa, and a relaxed restaurant and bar. There's also an attached Starbucks downstairs. The service register is friendly, straightforward and unfussy, which fits a property that trades grande dame ceremony for contemporary ease.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The pitch here is space, location and seamless practicality at a price well below Ottawa's grande dames, not romance or culinary ambition. Book it if you're in town for meetings on the Hill or want a low-friction downtown base, and request an Executive Room with the jetted tub and Metcalfe Street view. Plan to eat elsewhere.