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HI Ottawa Jail Hostel

75 Nicholas St, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Hotel amenities
HI Ottawa Jail Hostel
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94 reviews from our community

    Trip type
Traveller rating
    16
    36
    14
    10
    18
Date Rating
Brazil
1 review
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 May 2013 NEW

1 night for CAD$ 83.00 a couple for barely no sleep. Beds are very noisy and uncomfortable. Breakfest very poor. We were in 6 people and stayed in a 2 cell room, with 6 beds. Lights in corridor stay on all night and iluminate the room. If anyone moves, u awake because of the bed noises. Showers are fine. In... More

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2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 May 2013 NEW

We rented a private room and was surprised to find the price almost the same as a hotel. $107 tax included plus $7 parking. We decided to take it anyway, cool idea and good location. For a hostel, it's quality was pretty good but just not deserving of that price point. Considering I could have stayed in the Mariott a... More

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traveller315, General Manager at HI Ottawa Jail Hostel, responded to this review
17 May 2013

Hi Sue, Thank you for your comments. We are sorry to hear that your stay at the hostel did not meet your expectations. Had we known, we could have offered ear plugs or moved you to a room in a quieter location. The increasing popularity of our bar has brought upon us new challenges that we try to tackle the... More

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5 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 May 2013

I've been to this jail/hostel many a time over the years! You get to sleep in a jail cell and relive the history of this jail with the guided commentary of past prisoners and life there.It is an ideal place to meet fellow travelers as there is a communal kitchen available for hostellers.It is located next to the heart of... More

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2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 30 March 2013 via mobile

The jail hostel was in the perfect location of Ottawa close to shops bars and sightseeing - all within walking distance. We had a great stay although the hostel's Internet was very touch and go we had no connection on our level (9) and they also didn't provide much in the way of tourist information the best they could give... More

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milano
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
5 hotel reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 March 2013

I slept at the hostel with my wife and we have been woken up by a noise coming from the trash bin we turned the light on and we saw a rat in our trash bin that wasn't able to climb it back due to the plastic bag i went downstairs to call the night staff member, he took our... More

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traveller315, General Manager at HI Ottawa Jail Hostel, responded to this review
25 March 2013

Hello Rocenrol: Thank you for your review. All customer comments are important to us as it helps us to improve our services. I am sorry to hear that you had a poor experience in Jail. All of our staff work hard to provide the best possible experience for our guests. Our staff have been trained to solve as many problems... More

La Paz, Bolivia
Senior Contributor
27 reviews 27 reviews
22 hotel reviews
Reviews in 20 cities Reviews in 20 cities
20 helpful votes 20 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 February 2013

The hostel is spacious and has a very interesting story so it is worth a night or two. The four bed room was clean with enough space. The bathrooms were large and tidy with lots of hot water. Staff was friendly as well. Explore the entire hostel. It's quite spooky in a good way with lots of history.

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London
Senior Contributor
26 reviews 26 reviews
21 hotel reviews
Reviews in 19 cities Reviews in 19 cities
18 helpful votes 18 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 4 February 2013

I chose this hostel as I was going to Ottawa for the weekend and wanted to stay somewhere cheap and comfortable. I was also intrigued by the jail theme. It was lovely. When I checked in, I was upgraded for free to a 4 bed dorm from the 8 bed dorm I had originally booked, which was nice. The room... More

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Vernon, Canada
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 January 2013 via mobile

First off, the location of this hostel is superb! Taking the bus from the airport to the hostel is really easy and only costs $2.60 if you buy your tickets at the airport. Then, from the hostel, it is only a few minutes walk to Parliament Hill, Rideau Canal, Byward Market and all the shopping. The hostel, as a whole,... More

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See 5 more reviews by Shannon735 for Ottawa
Orange, Australia
Top Contributor
121 reviews 121 reviews
27 hotel reviews
Reviews in 42 cities Reviews in 42 cities
45 helpful votes 45 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 January 2013

Basically, I like this hostel, although I got a big trouble about my room key. They gave me a wrong key at check-in. So I got a new key at the reception, but the key didn't work, either. Then I got a new key again, but it didn't work. After that, they called for a locksmith and I was moved... More

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See 6 more reviews by misocutlet for Ottawa
Toronto, Canada
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
4 hotel reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 December 2012

Stayed here for 6 nights, and I can highly reccomend it! Located in the centre with free maps available from the desk made it very convinient. Kitchen is by far the best ive seen in any hostel and the staff were also really nice. The hostel itself is interesting due to it being a converted jail, making it a really... More

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Additional Information about HI Ottawa Jail Hostel

Also Known As:
Hi Ottawa Jail Hotel Ottawa
Hi Ottawa Jail Hotel
Address: 75 Nicholas St, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Region: Canada > Ontario > Ottawa
Amenities:
Bar/Lounge Free High-Speed Internet
Hotel Style:
Ranked #4 of 14 Speciality lodging in Ottawa
Price range (per night): RM111 - 285
Official Description (provided by the hotel):
Located in downtown Ottawa, the HI-Ottawa Hostel is within easy walking distance of Parliament Hill, the Byward Market and all the major downtown attractions. We offer a relaxing, friendly atmosphere, heaps of on-site parking, free wi-fi, linen and towels. A great place to hang! ... more   less 
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HI Ottawa Jail Hostel
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