We spent two nights at the hotel in a king bed room. Of note was how quiet the room was and how there were two comfortable chairs for sitting instead of the usual one chair and a desk chair. Arrival and departure were smooth and very pleasant and the valet parking was prompt and easy. Fridge in the room and coffee or tea easily made.
On the less positive side the drawers are small and in the TV cabinet making them less than convenient.
On the negative side there was no anti-slip mat or stripping in the bath tub-shower and my wife did slip and fall hurting her hip and ribs - no broken bones. Ask on entering for something for the shower!
So overall we enjoyed our stay, found the location convenient and the room pleasant and comfortable.

We initally made a reservation through hotwire and then decided to book the night before via the ARC hotel website. I then called the hotel to make sure it was possible to have the same room both nights and was told it was not a problem. Upon arrival we were greated by friendly staff and a glass of sparkling wine, a very nice touch. Again I explained the way I booked the rooms and was told we had the same room for both nights. The next day however there was a knock on the door asking us if we here ready to check out. Definitly a lack of comunication between staff. When my fiance went to the front desk to get our key cards fixed he was greeted with "hey, whats up". On the website it states "free internet" however it ended up being an extra 9.95 per day. When we called the reception desk to ask about this they gave us a complimentary internet code which was apreciated. Our stay was comfortable but we were disapointed, our expectations were not met.

This is a fine small boutique hotel, but the standard rooms are very small by the standard that this type of hotel should be measured by. (This is a member of Preferred Hotels).
The bathroom was equally very small, and being on an outside wall in an Ottawa winter, very cold without a seperate heater.
The rooms look out over laneways between office buildings, or face busy Slater Street.
So that's the point, it was just fine, very clean, pleasant, but nothing special to justify the rave reviews. Perhaps the luxury suites deserve those accolades -- the basic room does not.
Also, any hotel of this calibre catering largely to business clients should not be charging $9.95 per day for an internet connection. That's insulting.

Stayed two weekend nights in January at ARC and was happy with our stay. We always like trendy boutique hotel, and in Ottawa this is the one hotel that fits the bill. The glass of sparkling wine while they check us in was a nice touch. The room was clean and well decorated, though a tad on the small side. The bed and linen were pretty comfortable during our stay (though we were partying thus drunk all weekend so our standard was not as discerning as usual).

The location is also great as it is walking distance to the convention centre/Rideau centre/market/parliament hill etc.

We got a fairly good deal directly from the hotel website. I guess not many people go to Ottawa on weekends during the snowy winter…