Accommodation!

Friends, Family, Deal Seekers, lend me your mice (mouses?). I come here not to praise a hotel, but to tell you how to score a deal for our wedding. The hotel has changed flags (brands, that is) but won't be changing staff or changing ownership - so they will honour bookings made already. It is now the Delta Ottawa City Centre Have no fear, as your humble writer will be sending links to those who need them as they are available.

When I called to negotiate a room block rate for the wedding, we were able to settle on $99/night for the basic 1 King Bed Room type with double occupancy. A neat feature of the hotel is that its rate structure includes room types with great views of Parliament for a small upgrade fee and some really high rooms with amazing views for a bit more. I like that they start with offering a place to sleep and you can work up from there. Not much is really included beyond the room, since, in my hotel experience, hotel breakfasts usually cost too much for how they taste and no hotel downtown includes parking free, they just increase the rate which would be bad for the three-quarters of our guests who will be without cars. Plus there are literally a dozen places within 10 blocks that I would wholeheartedly recommend beyond the usual fast food options which will still cost less than the buffet (Caffeine Addicts: there is a Tim Horton's in the building). One note: Fridges are costly at downtown hotels and microwaves are nonexistent. I recommend bringing a cooler since ice is free and cold beverages are delicious. Parking is the typically ludicrous Ottawa rate of $21/night.

The room block is good for any nights between the 10th to the 13th and can't be booked online right now, since the system is being changed over. But you can try calling the hotel at 613.688.6820 and ask for Linda Thompson and then ask her forthe Murphy Isaacs Wedding Block (code MIW if they ask, though I know that they needn't). Please take my advice and whatever you do, don't use the 800 number you can find online - it goes to a call centre in Utah or the Phillipines and the people there know nothing about the hotel - calling the long distance number means you get someone who actually knows the name of the person who will change your pillowcase and also knows what the hotel can and can't do for you.
If you want to stay outside of the block dates, I recommend that you make 2 bookings, 1 in and 1 out of the block and then alert the staff at check-in or better yet, by calling them before you arrive.
The kamikaze travellers amongst you may wish to book through an "Third Party Internet" (TPI) site like Hotwire, Priceline or Expedia. I really don't recommend it, since I deal with disappointed travellers everyday who can't change their plans without paying for the night because they prepaid to save $10 - it's a gamble that pays off mostly for TPI companies and very rarely for travellers. Just a bit of folksy front desk clerk advice for what it's worth.