The most noticeable change from the exterior is the removal of the steep vehicle ramp that used to run parallel to Lyon Street and alienated the hotel off from the street. Guests now enter a completely redesigned lobby from the ground level.
A new open concept business centre has also been created with the intention of allowing corporate travellers to set up their laptops at new “community” tables as well as in “work hubs” near the new lounge and restaurant, Lift.
Last week’s evening gala attracted many of the city’s top tourism officials, as well as the general managers of competing hotels and meeting spaces, who were taken on a video tour of one of the renovated guest rooms that highlighted the upgraded decor and new amenities.
The Delta Ottawa City Centre is owned by the B.C. Investment Management Co., which is also conducting or planning similar upgrades to its Delta hotels in Victoria, Kelowna, Saskatoon, Montreal and Fredericton, according to Delta Hotels and Resorts CEO Ken Greene, who spoke at last week’s gala.
The hotel was previously a Crowne Plaza before it was acquired by Delta in December 2010.
General manager Peter Gillis said it was too early to see an uptake in bookings as a result of the recent renovations. However, he said he expects to see more business travellers passing through the doors of the downtown hotel, adding there is a new “buzz” inside the facility.
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