THE GOOD - Staff professionalism without pretense, CAA Diamond-level Service, attention to Maintenance/Housekeeping, and the quality/comfort of the Accommodations remain at the standard that consistently makes Sandman our #1 choice when staying in Ottawa. Dinner at Chop is an experience with an old-fashioned Pride of Hospitality found in only a few dining rooms in the country. Those who remember the Omega in Oakville or Moishe's in Montreal will understand the pleasure of an establishment that celebrates the Lost Art of Dining.
THE BAD - We always look forward to the indoor pool, especially during Winter stays, however during this visit every time we attempted to swim (a half dozen different times over the weekend), the pool area was dominated by a group of aggressive, entitled, undisciplined, unsupervised teenage water polo players (The 'Blue Knights') whose yelling, wrestling, splashing and violently whipping the ball about made for an unpleasant environment to even be near. Not that the weekend was ruined by any means, but certainly disappointing.
I understand that rationally the hotel is not to blame, and am I not naive as to the revenue stream provided by travelling youth sports teams for hotels such as Sandman, however I do believe that on weekends when a youth team is booked into the hotel some warning to guests when making reservations would not be out of order for those who may choose to book elsewhere.