On our returning trip from Vermont – USA, our early morning flight had us departing from Ottawa International Airport. As a result, we needed a place to stay close to the Ottawa international Airport. We ended up at Ottawa’s newest Marriott hotel: the Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa airport. We will discover a brand new property with larger than expected rooms. The property would deliver everything we would expect from an airport hotel, and then some. Read on to see how our stay experience fared.

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This post is one chapter on a winter work trip within Canada. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Air Canada Aeroplan, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. For parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Review: Fairfield Inn and Suites, Ottawa Airport, Ontario, Canada

“A new Fairfield Inn that represents better than the brand it usually represents. The Fairfield Inn Ottawa Airport offered large spacious rooms, marked by nearby Ottawa International Airport convenience.”

On my way back from a Stowe Mountain Resort Vermont USA ski trip. I found myself with a very early morning departure from the Ottawa international airport. I was booked on an Air Canada Business Class Ottawa – Vancouver flight which departed at 6 AM. As a result, I needed an overnight hotel near the airport.

I usually stay in downtown Ottawa on my work visits. However, on this trip, I was aiming for convenience to the Ottawa International Airport and personal expense, over neighbourhood amenities.

If you’re visiting Ottawa, you might enjoy my other trip reviews of hotels in the Ottawa area:

• Sheraton Ottawa
• Marriott Ottawa
• Courtyard Ottawa Downtown
• Delta Hotels Ottawa

Booking the Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport:

There were a number of Marriott Bonvoy hotels within the Ottawa Airport area. The Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport is the closest hotel to the Ottawa International Airport, followed by the Hilton Garden Inn Ottawa Airport next door. The Residence Inn Ottawa Airport is also available just few miles down the road.

The Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport generally offers rates between $150 – $250 CAD ($109 – $182 USD) during the week, for a standard guest room. The highest rates appear to be mostly on the weekends, likely representing most of the users of this property being families and leisure travellers.

I booked through the Marriott Bonvoy website, which as a Marriott Titanium Member, entitled me to a complimentary upgrade to the best available room, including select suites, complimentary access to the Marriott Executive Club Lounge (of which there wasn’t one at this property), and a complimentary late check out up to 4 PM.

It is worth mentioning that there are only a few suites at this particular property. As a result, the likelihood of getting an upgrade into an actual suite (with a separate living room) is limited. The likely Marriott Bonvoy Elite upgrades offered will be a soft upgrade into a higher floor category, a better view or quieter area away from the elevator.

Marriott Bonvoy Redemption Opportunities:

The Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport offers competitive room redemptions with the new variable redemption rates. Marriott Bonvoy rates were between 18,000 to 25,000, which represents value on some nights but not on others.

If you value Marriott Bonvoy points at $0.008 a point, you’d have to spend more than $144 CAD room rate to come out ahead for a 18,000 point redemption, or $200 CAD room rate if you happen to find a 25,000 point redemption. While this represents reasonable value under certain circumstances, you’ll want to make sure that your redemption is value based in order to get the most out of your Marriott Bonvoy points.

Arriving to the Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport:

I had rented a car from Hertz at the Ottawa International Airport in Ontario, Canada. After returning from the Courtyard Burlington Harbour and two days of skiing at Stowe Mountain Report, we arrived to the Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa by rental vehicle at around 9:30 PM.

The Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport is located near, but not attached to, the Ottawa International Airport. While there is a short shuttle that runs between the Fairfield Inn and the Ottawa Airport, it was more convenient for us to transfer between the airport by rental car.

Aside from the airport itself, there isn’t much around the area in the form of restaurants. If you find yourself here without a rental car, you’ll end up having to use Uber Eats, taking the shuttle to the airport in hopes of finding some fast food that is open, or taking a taxi to another neighbourhood in order to get access to food.

We booked direct on the Marriott Website. We ended up with a paid night for about $180 CAD under a American Automobile Association (AAA) rate versus the regular rate at $205 CAD. We took advantage of a double elite night credit Marriott bonvoy promotion that would allow us to re-qualify for Marriott Bonvoy Elite status for 2024.

Arriving to the Property:

The Fairfield Inn Ottawa Airport was looking dark and wintery when we arrived well after dinner. We found free parking on the property and headed inside to check in.

The lobby was nicely decorated for a Fairfield Inn. The lobby contained lots of spaces for sitting and gathering, which is terrific considering the hotel is pretty much around nothing else around other than the airport.

The Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa offers a large buffet styled breakfast included with every room rate. While we didn’t get the opportunity to enjoy the breakfast (thanks to our early departure), it’s worth mentioning that this is provided free of charge.

We had a fairly average check in experience. We were provided with a welcome bonus of 500 Marriott Bonvoy points as a Titanium welcome amenity. With an early departure at 4 AM, we were not able to take advantage of the included breakfast. However, we were offered a take away breakfast bag if we were interested.

Self parking was free at the hotel. Given the airport location, we had a small parking pass that was required for the dash board.

The Room: Studio Suite – 1 King, Sofa Bed

We had booked a base Guest Room – 1 King room. Our Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status got us a complimentary upgrade to a Studio Suite on the top floor.

Our assigned room #718 was located near the elevator, which was convenient given we had lots of ski equipment I had to take care of and store appropriately.

The Studio Suite room was a large 582 sq foot room that plenty of space to roam around in. The Fairfield Inn Studio Suite Room was probably the largest standard sized hotel room that I had stayed in for quite some time.

The Bedroom Area:

Immediately upon entering the room, we found a giant king size bed. The Fairfield Inn had crisp white linens that offered a comfortable sleep experience.

I was actually really surprised on how spacious the room was. Even with all our ski equipment and gear spread around the room, the room had heaps of space. It would be perfect for a family that had children sleeping on the couch, since there was enough room for everyone.

The reverse of the room featured a smaller closet and a wet bar. The wet bar offered a small sink and contained the ice bucket, along with a small refrigerator. There was a small Keurig coffee maker on the wet bar with a variety of Van Houtte Coffee pods.

The television area also offered a functional luggage rack space that was large enough to accomodate several suitcases. This was super handy as most luggage racks only have enough space to accomodate one bag.

Like with most Marriott properties, the bed and linens were super comfortable. Despite being located close to an airport, there was not a lot of airport noise with windows being well sealed and sound proof. The bed was of good quality and I had a sound, but short, sleep.

The Living Space:

The second half of the studio suite offered a second television and sofa bed seating area. The sitting area of the room was also large and spacious. There was a large window that offered airport grounds and parking lot views.

The Bathroom:

The room offered a single vanity sink, which was a little surprising given the size of the room. While the bathroom only offered a single sink, the bathroom was spacious enough

While the hotel was marketed as a Fairfield Inn and Suites, there were only one or two suites located on our floor. Instead, there were many more “studio suites” located ont the floor.

Food and Beverage:

Much like all other Fairfield Inn’s, there is no on site full service restaurant at this property.

Typically, there is a breakfast served in the lobby. While we missed the breakfast hour, there is a large space available for those looking to enjoy the included breakfast.

Around the Property:

The property offered both a gym with free weights and an indoor pool. The gym offered a few treadmills, elliptical cycles and free weights.

There is a small indoor pool and hot tub. This is a small space that is designed to entertain children and young adults instead of actually getting in much exercise.

As I had mentioned earlier, there is not much food and beverage in the immediate neighbourhood. Aside from the fast food counters of Subway and Tim Horton’s at the Ottawa International Airport which is accessible by shuttle, there isn’t anything walkable from the hotel. If you are without a car, you’ll be reliant on Uber Eats or Skip the Dishes to deliver food to the property.

My Thoughts of the Fairfield Inn Ottawa Airport:

In general, the Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport represented a good value for an overnight stay near the Ottawa international airport.

The highlights of this stay were the modern appearance of the hotel rooms and it’s lobby, the larger than expected Studio Suite room, and the convenience of being close to Ottawa International Airport. While I can’t think of many things wrong about this property, the fact that it is located miles away from any other restaurants is perhaps it’s only disadvantage.

I would easily stay again if I needed an overnight stay near Ottawa International Airport.

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If you have stayed at Ottawa International Airport, was the Fairfield Inn and Suites at the top of your list?

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