Name: Saintlo Ottawa Jail Hostel
Address: 75 Nicholas Street, Ottawa, Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 7B9, Canada
Rating: 7

Computer

Air conditioning

24-hour reception

Smoke-free property

Heating

Newspapers

Ticket assistance

Garden

Terrace

Outdoor furniture

No elevators

General

Non-smoking rooms

Locker

Linens

Rooms

Laundry

Concierge services

Dry-cleaning

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Common kitchen

Vending machine

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Spanish

German

English

French

Multi-language staff

Languages Spoken

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Bike rental

Barbecue grill(s)

Picnic area

Barbeque

Recreation

Parking

Beach/pool towels

Pool and beach

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Contactless check-in and/or check-out

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the hostel

Gatineau Airport

Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport

Saintlo Ottawa Jail Hostel

Ottawa

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

21-beds

22-beds

23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

A very well-run hostel in an excellent location for anyone interested in exploring downtown Ottawa. The staff were all friendly, and I enjoyed the tour in the morning. I stayed for one night in a women only dorm. The wifi was good. The bed was very comfy. The bathroom was very nice. The dining area had a nice little lounge section with a few board games. They're currently part way through renovations, so if I need to stay a night or two in Ottawa again I might try out sleeping in one of the cells!

An excellent hostel experience

The hostel was a real prison until the 70s. The atmosphere is very exciting. Everything organized and clean. The breakfast could have morr options, but the staff are friendly and they even offer a free trour all over the place. I tightly recommend!


Amazing experience!

Unforgettable family holiday experience! Our kids will NEVER forget sleeping in a former jail. Beds were comfy, and the rooms and bathrooms were spotless when we checked in. I’ve never seen such a clean “hostel” in all my travels. Front desk staff were very helpful and friendly, parking was easy, breakfast was nice - and Simon’s jail tour is absolutely necessary! Do not miss his jail tour. We had a great stay, and highly recommend this unique experience.

Unique & Memorable!

We loved our stay at the unique Saintlo Jail Hostel! Much of the hostel is still in its original state but perfectly adapted to host "non-criminal inmates" 😁 The location is great & in walking distance to all the major sights. 

The jail tour was amazing and is definitely a must!!!

The only downpoint is the open jail barr doors, letting in noise and light from the corridor. The noise disturbance is very much depending on the other hostel guests (two out of 3 nights everyone was really quiet and i slept great!). I have two suggestions for reducing the light getting into the rooms at night: getting little curtains at the top of the doors that you can open and close to your wish and/or getting more dimmable lights during the night. 

All in all we'd definitely stay here again!

Great and unique stay in Ottawa

We, two middle-aged ladies (one with lots of hostel stays, the other not as much) enjoyed 3 lovely days in a four-bed dorm.

Check-in/out was smooth, easy and quick.  The staff was super friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. 

Our time in ‘Jail’ was a unique museum-type of experience with plenty of interesting historical facts scattered throughout the building but with fresh, clean and modern amenities (of course no elevator, so if you have difficulty with stairs, request a lower floor).  The BEST feature of this hostel has to be LOCATION!!!!!  It was easy walking distance to almost everything you would want to see/do.

Our dorm room (#703, on the side of the building that once housed the guards…not to be confused with the converted single jail cells) had 2 bunk beds, was spacious, clean and quiet, well lit with huge windows and had air-conditioning as well as a ceiling fan. The provided bedding/towels were immaculate, lockers were nice and large, a light with charging port above each bed (very comfy!) was convenient as was the in-room sink/mirror.

The shared (among 4 dorm rooms) bathroom on our floor was a combination of one toilet, one sink and one shower stall but each was private so that technically three strangers could use it at same time.  

There were plenty of areas inside and out for comfortable semi-private or communal seating where we met and chatted with many travellers from around the world. Bonus was the multitude of power outlets and charging options scattered throughout rooms and public areas.

Breakfast each morning was tasty with plenty of choice (coffee was excellent). 

The few very minor complaints would be:

1. at least one chair in the room to sit on to be able to put on shoes etc.
2. Some kind of patterned curtain or frosted decal on the window for privacy from street/other building views when dressing etc.
3. A higher ‘lip’ or ‘guard’ between shower pan and shower curtain to prevent flooding from water escaping.

Overall, In my opinion, as an adventurous and curious history buff, the experience here rates higher than 5*. Kudos to all at Saintlo Ottawa for their efforts in caring for and preserving this piece of history!

P.S. Don’t miss the free tour - the guide (forgot his name) was awesome!

Location! History! Great Value!

We stayed in a two-person room/cell for four nights. The room is small, very clean, and has a comfortable bed, two side tables, and outlets. The door is open bars at the top and bottom so you can hear people walking in the hallways. We didn't mind the noise, and it actually added to the experience, but if you're a light sleeper, this may not be the place for you to get a good sleep. 

We loved wandering around and reading all the signs that explain the history of the jail. The 45 minute free tour was also great!

The breakfast was ok and consisted of bagels, fruit, cereal, boiled eggs, orange juice, and coffee. The bathrooms and showers were very clean.

The hostel was undergoing some renovations when we were there, but it wasn't too intrusive. There was also construction happening at the mall across the street which was noisy during the day. We recommend checking the events calendar for the art space beside the hostel before you book your stay. There was a party on Saturday night and the music was very loud until midnight.

The location is perfect for exploring the ByWard Market, Parliament Hill, and National Gallery. Overall, it's quite expensive for a hostel, but we loved the experience and would recommend it.

Unique experience

A great historical place to spend a night or a few. Thank you staff for a room/cell upgrade. We had celebrated my boyfriend's bday there this time and it was definitely a memorable one  :) Clean, affordable and definitely interesting place that makes you want to come back and learn more about it

Another wonderful stay

Staying overnight in a jail cell was such a unique experience. We stayed in a cell with bunk beds and it was surprisingly spacious for two people. The location is centrally located close to Byward Market, Parliament, and the shopping mall. The hostel also offers historical tours of the jail (join a walking haunted tour company if you'd like to learn about the ghost stories). Definitely would recommend staying here for the experience.

Parking is an additional $12 cost. The hostel will be closed from November 1 to December 31 due to COVID.

Unique overnight stay in a jail cell

My friend and I stayed two nights. The bunks in the cell we’re comfortable and clean, and had an outlet! The staff have been so welcoming, and the tour was really cool. Big shout out to Sean, working the front desk at night, he was super friendly and accommodating!

So Friendly!

I would never suggest for everyone, but I travelled with my two children (13 and 15) and was looking for a new experience that they would find amusing. This just fit the bill. We booked three individual single cells. 3ft x 9ft with a washroom at the end of the hall and showers at the other end. Just recently reopened due to covid situation, the kitchen and breakfast rooms and common rooms were not available at this time. They were doing some work around the hotel and you could see they were getting the property back up to snuff but it absolutely did not distract from the experience. The staff was wonderful and we did have a tour that they just started again - very interesting. Good location and close to most of what you would want to see.

Saintlo Ottawa Jail Hostel

Main amenities of the hostel

Location

Available rooms

Location

Description of the hostel

What other amenities are there?

General

Rooms

Services and amenities

Meals

Internet

Languages Spoken

Tourist services

Recreation

Parking

Pool and beach

Pets

Health and Safety Measures

Policies

Check-in terms and conditions

Additional information

Payment