The Fairmont Château Laurier is a 660,000-square-foot (61,000 m2) hotel with 429 guest rooms in the downtown core of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, located near the intersection of Rideau Street and Sussex Drive and designed in a French Gothic Revival Châteauesque style to complement the adjacent Parliament buildings. The hotel is above the Colonel By Valley, home of the Ottawa Locks of the Rideau Canal, and overlooks the Ottawa River. The main dining room overlooks Major's Hill Park. The reception rooms include the Wedgewood-blue Adam Room; the Laurier Room defined by Roman columns; the Empire-style ballroom and the Drawing Room featuring cream and gold plaster ornament. The hotel was designated a national historic site in 1980.
Château Laurier, 2010
Château Laurier looking southeast across the Ottawa River
Porte-cochère entry on Wellington Street
Château Laurier looking northeast at dusk
Downtown Ottawa is the central area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is sometimes referred to as the Central Business District and contains Ottawa's financial district. It is bordered by the Ottawa River to the north, the Rideau Canal to the east, Gloucester Street to the south and Bronson Avenue to the west. This area and the residential neighbourhood to the south are also known locally as 'Centretown'. The total population of the area is 5,501.
Downtown Ottawa in 2022
Downtown Ottawa is dominated by government buildings such as Parliament Hill (left) and The Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council (right).
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is one of several churches located in Downtown Ottawa.
Sparks Street is a pedestrian mall in Downtown Ottawa, closed off to vehicle traffic.