I'm not sure why this hotel had so many negative reviews, but we stayed for 2 nights just after Winterlude and we had a lovely experience. The location was fantastic (close to the market, parliament and museums) and quiet too.

The room was bright and of a fair size, with new laminate wood flooring, a small kitchenette, and a table with 2 chairs. There weren't too many amenities, but we had what we needed (towels, bath mat, a bar of soap, bottle of shampoo, hair dryer), and really, for $79/night, I wasn't expecting too much more.

The kitchenette was a handy extra, but there wasn't any coffee for the coffeemaker (we don't drink coffee anyways). Mugs, cups and wineglasses were provided in the room, and we even managed to get forks and knives from the dining room when we brought in some food from the market.

The free high speed internet was a great bonus, as was the digital cable. The queen bed was comfortable enough and they even had extra pillows in the room, which were nice and fluffy. My biggest complaint would be that the fleece blanket on the bed had visible body hair on it, but the sheets themselves were clean and crisp, and I think hotels rarely wash blankets between patrons anyways. We just made sure to keep the sheets between us and the blanket and we were fine.

The housekeeping was fine, and the person at the front desk was very helpful. We parked at the city lot 2 doors down for $8/day, as it seemed like the hotel underground parking was kind of hit and miss (the front desk guy told us there wasn't always enough spots and you might end up double parking and leaving your keys at the desk, which we didn't want to do). The front desk guy also told us we could park for free overnight on the street (as the streets didn't need to be plowed), which saved us $6/night. The continental breakfast provided was typical: coffee/tea/juice/milk, toast/bagels/muffins, fresh fruit and yogurt cups downstairs in the dining room, which was bright and cozy.

All in all, we were very satisfied with our stay, and for $79/night, we will definitely come back the next time we're in town!

The Byward Blue Inn was a choice we would make again. The room rates very reasonable, the rooms very clean, the service was very friendly. There were very few extras in the rooms, but the staff were very accommodating and always provided what was needed. Our room faced the street and the only complaint was the noise factor of passersby. Great location too.

Although the Inn had a great location and the rooms were adequate, it lacked in customer satisfaction. On the 2nd day of our stay, we did not receive our housekeeping service, our remote control for the television was not working, there was a fly in my breakfast one morning, and there was some confusion regarding the underground parking and when it was available to patrons. When we brought our complaints up upon checkout, we were told that the manager was not available and that nothing could be done at that time. We emailed our complaints, hoping for some sort of financial compensation for the shortcomings. Inn personnel responded and told us that we had indicated that we did not want the housekeeping on our second day and therefore nothing could be done. We emailed again, stating that that was not the case - we never asked for the housekeeping to be suspended. They never responded to our second email, which was of course disappointing.
We would not recommend this Inn, but would recommend staying near the Byward Market - the area was fantastic.

If you are looking for an inexpensive hotel in a good location, this hotel is for you, but remember the old adage, " you get what you pay for ". There were no toileteries, not even a miniature bar of soap. No hair drier. One hand towel between two people. There was no bath mat, so the hand towel became a mat. One morning there was no hot water for a while. Water pressure is low at all times. Room cleaning is sporadic. " Breakfast " is brought to your room early the afternoon before. It consists of a juicebox ( orange whether you like it or not ), yogurt, and a muffin/danish/or croissant. Coffee is make your own. I think the web site is very misleading. On the plus side, it is a very convenient location and it is quiet.