Honeymoon Planning

My entire travel planning with Ottawa Travel &Cruise Center was amazing. Julie, manager, was very helpful and very engaged in my travel booking and provided plenty of useful information and advice which were of great value during my travel experience.

Thank you Julie for your wonderful support!
Happy to recommend to others.
I would definitely use this agency again especially Julie!

Unfriendly and arrogant. Walked in thinking will start planning a family vacation and get some ideas. I was there for good 10-15 mins...was not even offered to sit, no smile, not welcoming, every questions answer was be specific or will have to charge you. They almost came across don't bother me and very indifferent. Sad to still find employees like this who show no respect to the customer driven industry or reflects values of just being a human.

Very good shopping experience and all the service staff are very polite.

Fantastic personal service.

Family vacation to Mayan Riviera.

Melissa was great. She asked all the right questions, and suggested different options for us. We already had an idea of where we wanted to go, and she was able find better departure times, and direct flights to Cancun that we're not readily available online.

She made sure we knew that when flying to Cancun, and using Air Canada vacation, that the transport would be outside, and we needed to look for AC logos, and to ignore all the people inside trying to direct you to other buses. This was helpful, and kept us at ease as we were able to find the proper bus once outside the terminal.

She also followed up with us to wish us our best before our trip, and once we returned. Always wanted to know how we we're and did/would make our experience better.

FYI, the fee was very small for the service 28$ per adult, nothing for the kids.

Highly recommend Ottawa travel at the Hazeldean Mall, and especially Melissa. Will definitely use her services for future family trips.

Cheers, Jay

My fiancé and I started off having a great experience with Melissa Ottawa Travel, there was always open communication in regards to travel plans for our 35-40 guests, who we would speak to for the wedding planning at the resort and finally having to reschedule due to COVID. In March, we were sadden to learn that during a lockdown Melissa decided to find another job. So we expected the same type of customer service from the next Travel Agent Lisa. When we didn't hear anything from Lisa within a couple months of her taking over we decided to reach out as we had questions. Eventually Sharon did reach out to let us know that Lisa was out of the office and would contact us May 26. By May 30th we reached out again to Sharon. Lisa did finally respond that she would get in touch by phone with a day or two. She did not. At this point I decided to involve Sharon being Lisa's manager. Sharon made an excuse for Lisa in regards to the lack of communication. Fast forward to June 21, I asked for an updated pricing as things had changed. Two and a half weeks after the request, we sent another email with a follow up and received another excuse as to why Lisa could not communicate any type of information with us. Final payments had to be made by the end of Aug.
By July 7th, my fiancé and I were so frustrated by the lack of communication and excuses we decided to cancel our wedding with the resort and any business with the company. Both Sharon and Lisa had an excuse as to why there was no information being passed on (even a simple email saying " we still don't have an update Air Canada Vacations" would have sufficed. We are still waiting for a refund for ourselves and our guests and have still not heard from anyone from the company.
I would not recommend travel with Ottawa Travel & Cruise Center at all.

Update: I have reached out yet again for information in regards to our guests and our refunds eight days ago and have yet to hear back from Lisa or Sharon. It has now been several weeks since any type of communication and we continue to be extremely disappointed.

The website does make this place look a lot better than it is which felt like a catfish moment. The room was clean but dated. Our door had a bunch of old drill marks and holes from old lacks and they were quite sharp and should be looked at or filed down. We booked in saying we were travelling with a baby and they gave us a room on the second floor with access by stairs. Main floor would have been more convenient with a baby. The hot tub was under renovation when we went which was too bad. Breakfast was pretty good. Standard egg and sausage type but tasty. Check out and check in was easy. Our room didn't have a view but the canal was right behind and very pretty.

The room required some work like the cabinet drawer kept sliding open. That same cabinet needs a good cleaning and paint job. The fridge is in another cabinet in which the cabinet floor was damaged.
The toilet and shower ate in a separate room from the sink. There is only one towl rack in the shower area. It would be nice to have an extra towel rack by the sink and hanging hooks in the shower for clothes.
The laminant flooring is dark gray. We found that the floor was extremely dirty (as our feet were black after walking bear foot upon entering) and informed reception of the fact.
Seems to be a lot of parking. An airport shuttle van is available with 20 minite notice.
Breakfast was good.
There were balconies available; however we did not have one.
There is a guest laundromat. Good prices too.

Perfect little stay over hotel for short term. Clean, quiet with a relaxing outdoor setting. Large Adirondack chairs at the water to sit and rest. Outdoor patio to enjoy a meal from their on site restaurant. Special requests for dinner are addressed with care and staff welcome you like family! Very nice place to stay if you are just passing through.

We had the pleasure of being helped by Fredric, and he was absolutely wonderful! He assisted us with moving all of our luggage and belongings from one room to another, and he did it with so much patience, kindness, and professionalism. His customer service is truly outstanding! He’s a people’s person, very friendly, and made the whole process so much easier for us. Thank you, Fredric, for going above and beyond and making our stay so much more comfortable!

A wonderful experience. The room was great. Dog friendly.
A lot of grass to walk with the two dogs on the property.
The view of the Rideau Canal from our room and on the property was beautiful.

They serve a continental breakfast and let us sit on the side patio with the dogs even though the patio was not open.

I stayed here 3 years ago and it was a great experience, nice people, clean room and good service, got room upgraded as platinum member and the lounge had varies of drink and snacks, but this time everything changed. I didn't get an update as they said it's full, which is ok, but I was disappointed when I got in the room, no bathrobes, no slippers. I phoned front desk ask for those, a lady told me they don't have slippers and will send the bathrobes righ away. I waited like 10 min, no one showed up, I was just going to get on bed but found a cockroach on my bed! So I went to front desk told them that, got a room changed nothing else. It's weird as they told me the hotel is full and then they can arrange a room for me, I took the luggage myslef, front desk didn't even offer help. By the way, the lounge was not like before neither, the fridge was empty, no apple juice, no orange juice, only half jug of milk, like nobody takes care of it. I'm so disappointed at Sandman Hotel now, they may have done better.

I had an amazing stay at the Sandman Signature! A huge thank you to Jessica at the front desk who completely turned my Alberta trip around. She was incredibly friendly, accommodating, and went above and beyond to make our special sisters’ milestone trip truly memorable. Her thoughtful recommendations and excellent customer service made all the difference. Thanks to her, what could have been an average stay became an experience I’ll never forget. I’ll definitely be back and highly recommend this hotel to anyone visiting!

In corridors bright, where travelers tread,
Two names of distinction are lovingly spread.
Ladeen and Kateryna, with luminous art,
Have written their kindness upon our heart.
Through tempests of travel, with children in tow,
Their patience was steady, their courtesy glowed.
Accommodations rendered with gentle design,
A tapestry woven of service divine.
Thus let this review in sweet rhythm proclaim,
Their excellence honors the Sandman name.
A verse of thanksgiving, resplendent and true,
We cherish their care in all that they do.

We stayed 2 nights recently at the Sandman Signature in DT calgary. We had previously spend some time in the Rockies and my wife had developed a chest infection. We arrived about 2 hours before check in begun so we're expecting to waiting in the lobby. I explained the situation to the staff at the desk and they couldn't have been more helpful if they tried. They offered to get us details of a local doctor for that sees tourists, they offered to get us details for local pharmacies and with 15 minutes they had sorted us a room so we could get my wife into bed. The room was nice. Big bed in the middle and good air con/ heating unit. Bathroom was clean with a nice walk in shower. There is a tram stop outside that is part of the free travel zone as well so that was very helpful too. All round, excellent service, nice room, and only positive things to say about the hotel.

Clean and comfortable room but the AC was loud when kicking in and out, and the sink spout was loose. Shower was okay as well even though it only had a ceiling mounted showerhead. The amenities were very nice though, pool, hot tub, gym. Restaurant on premises was acceptable (Moxies) but slightly overpriced for what it was unless you go off menu and request regular food that doesn't have a weird name and strange ingredients that don't really go well together like for example spicy food for breakfast.

I love this city, but that bright blue sign is an eyesore. It completely ruins the vibe of the area. Whoever designed it — seriously, they missed the mark. It sticks out in all the wrong ways.Definitely not good for advertising the city!

I Live in Texas ALL my Life. I Love my Great State. But, if I were to live in Canada. Calgary would definitely be the place for me. The Cowboy heritage makes me feel right at home. Hang on to the Spirit of the rugged frontier. God Bless Texas, and God bless Calgary! Cowboy Up!

Just stopped by the Central Library on my way home from work and felt the need to share the great interaction I had with Isabelle and Brie! They were very welcoming to an ole gal like me, and truly embody the spirit of Calgary! - Cindy

The city is investing in its attractions year after year. Music centre, new library, river walk, pathways, bridges, and parks have been either built or redeveloped in just a few years. I would love to see Bow and Elbow rivers utilized more through taxi boats and river cruise. Downtown must see certain changes in the main streets layout if the city wants to increase its density and attract tourists. Street car would be a great transit asset, epsecially if it would connect Beltline, Inglewood, downtown and Kensington.

A great organization for uncritical people who already live here to feel like they don't live in a total dump, but lousy at impressing anyone else. The organization should be disbanded for its hackneyed campaigns alone.

Basic hotel with nice upgraded rooms. Comfortable bed, lots of usb and plugs easily accessible in room. Room was quiet. Had a ground floor so walk out door to parking lot which was handy. Breakfast was good but dining room was full so had to take back to room. Close to highway so great location if you are travelling.

I strongly recommend this place for long term visits. We booked 4 nights and it was really good. The beds had daily changes for us and they weren't all that bad. The bathroom was fine except the toilet ring was a bit small. it had a nice view and decent TV shows to watch. It also had a bunch of outlets to charge your devices. The elevator was really fast. We were on the third floor and from floor 1 to floor 3 is like 0.2 seconds. it's conveniently located next to a shopping mall 300 meters away to get food and supplies quickly. There was plenty of parking spaces and the breakfast was nice. There was a variety of classic breakfast foods and treats enough for long term visits. WelcomINNS really does live up to its name.

This place was amazing, great staff, great rates, very clean, it has a laundry facility, and reasonable priced, Washer was $2, Dryer was $1.75, Vending Machines were reasonable priced as well. Very comfortable bed, We were on the main floor, which gave us a convenient door from our room, straight to the parking lot. Bathroom was huge, and had tub/shower combo. The Breakfast was excellent. Highly Recommended.

We stayed at the hotel for 6 nights, they had issues checking us in as the booking was made through trip.com which went through Expedia. Somehow they figured it out later.
The room was spacious, clean. They provided room services every day except for one day when they were understaffed.
Shower has only half door so be ready for some splashes. I recommend bringing your own body wash (they provide soap which is hard to wash off) and shampoo.
People who can't sleep with noise in the room, should consider their options. Air conditioning is super loud (like factory machine) , it constantly woke us up at night, there is no option to open a window instead.
Breakfasts are always the same, not a single thing changes: fried/boiled eggs, sausages, pork?cutlets, pancakes, apples, oatmeal, bread. The dining room was always overcrowded, the space should be at least twice as big. Sometimes we came and there was no food, so we had to wait for someone to come and bring food (they don't have a person there on a regular basis).
But thanks for providing water every day!
I can't say our experience was bad, but it was not great either.

professional and courteous staff, spacious and comfortable rooms with amenutues, lots of outlets and charging ports, well stocked and ample continental breakfast with options for most food needs. Definitely would stay again. Very economical and accessible from the highway, restaurant right next door

The breakfast was delicious: hot eggs, sausage, bacon. There was oatmeal with condiments, two types of juice, apples, bananas, oranges, muffins, danishes, cinnamon rolls. I’m sure some of us can change from day to day. We were there three days.
The rooms were immaculate, newly decorated. There was a small refrigerator and a Keurig coffee machine Bathroom was pristine. Air conditioner/heater worked great. Halls were safe and elevators worked perfect. Staff was cordial and cheerful. Grounds were clean. Neighborhood was safe for an evening walk. Stores and coffee shop nearby.

Hotel was Great. Comfortable for our family of four. Clean, and cozy. We would 100% recommend and come back. Thanks for having us! The free breakfast with your stay, was probably the best we’ve ever seen in a hotel

I’ve stayed in motels that felt more like hotels than this “hotel.” From the second I walked in, I was treated like a nuisance. My card had an issue, and instead of basic courtesy, the front desk clerk kept snapping, “Did you fix it yet?” like I was wasting her time. The pool? Never a towel in sight. The “body wash”? Lotion. Staff friendliness? Nonexistent. Breakfast was chaos—one poor employee left alone, no food replenished, and guests shoving to grab scraps.

Then at 3 a.m., the fire alarm blared. Turns out it’s been malfunctioning for over a year, but they still haven’t fixed it. We rushed outside with our terrified kids, only to return to zero apology, zero explanation, and zero compensation.

Days later, I find a $63 charge. Calls to the hotel went nowhere—promises to “call back” were empty. Finally, they claimed it was for a “stained” towel. The photos showed a huge orange stain we never made. Considering the filthy floors, it’s not hard to imagine towels picking up grime—but this was clearly not ours.

This place is unprofessional, unwelcoming, and unapologetic. If you enjoy being treated poorly, woken up at 3 a.m., and billed for messes you didn’t make—this is your hotel.

Travelled from Seattle, WA 10-12hours by vehicle needed a place to rest a few hours. arrive with our party (convoy of 3 families) so we got 3 rooms arrive after 4AM. Greeted from someone name Adolfo, right off the bat he wasn't the friendliest he almost seemed judgmental and very rude. takes us about half hour to check in. One point he decided to raise his voice so i asked him calmly why are you raising your voice? his tune started to change after that. Long story short we were all very discouraged from one individual all 13 of us!! so to try make up for his wrongs he gives us a late check out 1pm. i did mention that Holiday Inn would get a review for their poor customer service. not to mention charges my credit card twice $750 x 2 for a security deposit for 3 rooms :/ this was the whole reason why the conversation started

Great location. Walking distance to coffee & dinner spots. Rooms were remodeled recently & really enjoyed that. Didn’t get a chance to checkout the gym but will stay here if business or pleasure takes me here again.

Really tough to deal with staff and their booking system at Emerald Lake Lodge. I have been trying to use a $500 Gift Card, but they keep telling me I cannot use it , because I pre-paid , even though the reservations dept. told me to bring the card and they’d remove it from my invoice. They are now saying , I can only use it on Food and Beverage.

… First World Problems , but the customer service is atrocious , for what is a somewhat high end hotel.

Had a really stressful 2 days with the employees at Buffalo Mountain Lodge. My husband and I stayed 1 night Monday Oct 3rd 2016. The next day we left and I realized that I had left my wallet in the room. I immediately called to have it sent back to me. They could not find it. But a manager would call me in the morning. I called in the morning, talked to a manager who after our conversation said he would call me back in 5 minutes which he never did but Sophie called back over an hour later to say it was found in a locker. Who's locker? She then took my email address so she can get my address. She emailed me asking me to fill out a third party agreement. AND to take a picture of the front and back of my card. I replied I don't have a credit card it's in my wallet which you have. She never replied back even though I emailed her again asking if she can just send it COD. I was and never did ask for it to be sent back to me without me paying for it. But to be ignored, that is poor customer service. Luckily I had a friend traveling up there and picked it up for me. I have travelled quite a bit for pleasure and for my job I send people out to places and never have I had such a lack of customer service. BTW, get the plumbing checked in the 700 block,,seriously thought most of the night someone was knocking on the walls or door.

Well I rarely write reviews, but this time I want CRMR to read this. We have been to emerald lake numerous times. We got married there last year and enjoyed the lounge and restaurant numerous times, but today not so much, 15 mins before we got sat, 15 mins before we got asked if we wanted coffee, It took a third request to finally get a coffee, we ordered food at the same time, tables of 3 & 4 that was sat 5-10 mins after us got their food & drinks. I never even received my full meal. We were never asked how was the meal, no salt, pepper, etc. We paid with a gift card we received. The server told us it covered the meal. After which I did the math and the server gave herself a tip of over 20%. Not impressed. Tough to say if we will return. Trufflepigs in Field is 5 mins away.

Another fantastic stay at a CRMR resort! We have stayed at all of them a few times, but Buffalo Mountain is our favourite. Our updated room in the 800 block was beautifully renovated. The mattress and bedding were very comfortable. We love how spacious the room is for two people and of course, the real fireplace is an added bonus. Everything was perfect for a birthday weekend escape. Thank you CRMR and we will see you soon!

My husband left his iPad in our room after we had checked out of Buffalo Mountain Lodge. He did not realized it was missing until we were in the Calgary airport. He called Buffalo Mountain Lodge asking if the iPad had ben found. He was told it had been found and the lodge agreed to ship it to us in the US. It arrived safe and sound in a well padded container. Great customer service!

I had a great experience with Hanna. She helped me a lot with my room booking and made the whole process smooth and stress-free. She also handled guests in a very professional and welcoming way. It’s clear that she truly understands what hospitality means. Her friendly attitude and efficiency made a big difference, and I really appreciate her support. Highly recommended!

The Worst Hospitality Experience of My Life

From check-in to check-out, our stay was an absolute disaster. The check-in process alone took over an hour. The front desk clerk insisted on checking every single ID, taking nearly ten minutes per ID — completely unreasonable and unprofessional.

The so-called “hot bath” had only cold water. When we reported it, the maintenance worker casually informed us that it was broken, with no offer of a fix or alternative. The pool water was foul-smelling and clearly old, making it unusable.

The manager’s behavior was appalling — blatantly racist, discriminatory, and completely lacking in basic customer service skills. While we were simply speaking in normal voices inside our room, he came to threaten us with eviction without refund. When we raised concerns about the problems we faced, he addressed us in the same condescending tone he used with his subordinates, showing zero respect for paying guests.

This place is nothing but a dirty, poorly managed motel with the rudest staff I have ever encountered. Not a single positive aspect to mention — only regret for ever booking here. If I had the time, I would file a formal police complaint for their discriminatory conduct.

So I gave this place a four star call my go figger. So the outside looks like it belongs in a movie something similar to The shining. However when you walk through those big doors the courtesy they extend, the rooms, the views, the cleanliness for me was above expectations. Get over the appearance of the grounds. And enjoy the gym restaurant and the view from your suite. My compliments to the staff is a were above normal expectations.

Do not stay here. First impression of the hotel was a giant missing overhead panel at the front entrance. Pulling into the parking lot we considered leaving due to the way the exterior was poorly kept. The staff at the front desk were kind though hard to understand. The elevator gave me anxiety as it shook and stalled. The room is where it all goes downhill. The carpet isn’t actually carpet, they’re tiles of material which weren’t even in alignment with each other. The mattress had a hole in it. The walls had unfinished patches. The sink wouldn’t drain properly. The floor left our socks black. The fridge froze all of our food. The hot tub was out of service.The sheets were stained and The door wouldn’t close properly. They asked how many people would be staying in our room, we assumed this question was to ensure we had enough amenities stocked in our room upon our arrival. There were two towels and two face cloths despite them knowing that three would be staying in our room. We brought up the issue with the fridge and no compensation was offered, we were simply told “I’m sorry” and that was it. We decided to see how they would do with housekeeping, maybe they just forgot to clean our room prior, (give them the benefit of the doubt) we observed the stain on one of our beds and put out the “maid service please” sign before leaving for the day. We returned to the same stain on the bed. The same sheets, same pillows, the only difference there was the sheets were tucked under the mattress. Very sloppily. They replaced two towels and didn’t give us any new clean face cloths. The carpet still had crumbs on it, and was obviously untouched as well.

⚠️WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT COME HERE‼️⚠️

My family and I booked one of the rooms in Divya Surta, hoping for a peaceful stay. It was anything but peaceful. As soon as we arrived and tried to check in, the staff was speaking to us in a very rude tone. (ALSO, BEWARE THAT BREAKFAST IS NOT INCLUDED AND CHARGES EXTRA!!!) Once we got check in, the room was dirty and in poor shape, the mattresses were stained and had holes in them, and the sheets were dirty. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were bed bugs in the bed. The curtains were also stained. The bathroom was dirty, and there was hair all over the floor. I read some of the other reviews, and they said that this hotel is very good. I am 100% sure that those reviews were written by bots. I attached multiple pictures so you can see what it was like.

Avoid at all costs.
Booked a multi-country trip months ago, including Morocco. My agent repeatedly assured me no visa was required to Morocco, right up to the night before departure. At the airport I was denied boarding because I did indeed need one. When I called her, she had a very nonchalant attitude.

We had to cancel our flight and ended up taking an uber back home to regroup. We had to restructure a part of the trip which she did not make easier, not very helpful, (can’t do this, unable to do that) what she should have been doing is going above and beyond to fix it considering it was her negligence and incompetence that caused this mishap, (I have accepted my share of responsibly for trusting her and not doing my own due diligence) but being a travel professional in this business for so many years I blindly trusted her. We had to wait two extra days to fly out “due to costs” she said, when she rebooked the flight we ended up getting downgraded from Premium Economy to Economy, not sitting together on our flights b/c she said that would incur additional costs smh and only able to take one suitcase instead of the two each we initially planned, and biggest disappointment of all was we missed out on our opportunity to visit Morocco. We also had to book our own hotel b/c she was unable to “find” any reasonable accommodations, it was one reason or other and on top of all that we have to find our own transfer to hotel in Lisbon. No above and beyond. Totally incompetent, was not able to resolve this in a satisfactory fashion. Zero accountability, no sense of urgency, and an unhelpful and poor attitude on top of it.

This company does not care about their clients. Trip already planned so bottom
line is she is getting her commission. This agent dropped the ball and we ended up paying for it. I would not recommend them to anyone. An overall awful experience: Save yourself the stress and money—RUN, don’t walk and book elsewhere.

I highly recommend our travel agent, Gail Fry. We've worked with her several times and have always been impressed. She's thorough, knowledgeable, and responds quickly to any questions we have. She spends so much time making sure every detail is perfect, which makes booking a vacation completely worry-free."

My wife and I hadn't vacationed as a couple since our honeymoon in 1997. Trips had always included the kids. When we decided it was time, I was lucky enough to see Alison Ebbs - The Travel Agent Next Door, name in a facebook feed speaking very highly of her consulting skills, so I reached out. Not knowing what to expect, what we were getting ourselves into or where to start, Alison took the helm, interviewed us, listened, suggested and curated a European adventure to our exact needs. The planning, booking, buying, checking and rechecking of details were all handled by Alison. We left for our trip with nothing but excitement for the adventure ahead, and none of the worry. Alison checked in on us before, during and after the trip on many occasions, just to make sure all was going as expected. We couldn't have had it any better. Without a doubt, Alison will be a part of our next adventure. The peace of mind, the expertise, and the care Alison provided was so amazing. Thank you Alison.

I approached Kirsten at my church and found out she was an agent. Was a match made in heaven, excuse the pun, as I told her what I always wanted to do, which was travel in the Rockie Mountaineer. She had done the trip herself, and it went gang buster's from there.
I had THE best experience of my life in this trip. No expense sparred as I wanted to have it all, and she gave it to me.
Left Toronto on The Canadian Via 1 for Jasper.
Beautiful through Ontario, flat through the Prairies, except for those humungous grain cathedrals lol, and then into Alberta and the mountains.
Jasper was a mixed blessing , sad to see the area scorched, but thrilled to already see green pushing up through the blackened soil. Animals back and the people were just wonderful and treated me with the utmost respect and vice versa. The Mountaineer cannot be explained as it must be experienced as photos do absolutely no justice to reality.
Ended up in paradise on Salt Springs Island.
Oh...my...Lord. I had been jettisoned into a magical world of rainforest and hippies. Very laid back atmosphere and attitude. Live off what the land hath provided.
And the best of all was whale watching...13 Orcas and 4 (that I saw) humpbacks. One Orca came up to the back of the boat and along side.... enormous creatures.
Thank you T.A.N.D. and Kirsten Oakes for the most amazing trip if a lifetime.
My new favorite travel agent as I won't go to anyone else ever.

Andy Heyland

Buffy helped me SO MUCH, and I highly recommend her as an agent. I was totally lost with researching a wellness vacation in a tropical destination, and she gave me loads of great options including yoga retreats!