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Canadian Casino Resorts

Ottawa, Ontario · gaming floor 19+

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa — full review

Last revision · fact check

The newest casino hotel in this guide opened on July 3, 2025, as Canada's first fully integrated Hard Rock resort. Inside: 150 rooms including 22 suites, a 24/7 casino with 1,500-plus slots, Council Oak steaks and Hard Rock LIVE (capacity 2,200). It's 19+ throughout — hotel, restaurants, everything.

  • Rooms & views8.0
  • Casino floor8.0
  • Dining8.5
  • Shows & events8.5
  • Pool, spa & fitness7.0
  • Getting there8.5

Book it for: 19+ weekends of live music, steak and around-the-clock gaming.
Pass if: Anyone travelling with you is under 19 — even the hotel lobby is off-limits to them.

Rideau Carleton, reborn

A $350 million expansion turned the former Rideau Carleton casino site into Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa, which opened July 3, 2025 and is billed as the first fully integrated Hard Rock resort in Canada. Hard Rock International runs it under OLG. The rule that matters: under-19s can't enter any part of it — not the hotel, not the restaurants.

Rooms

150 keys, 22 of them suites. Deluxe King and Deluxe Queen rooms are 389 sq ft; the Queen sleeps four. Silver and Gold Suites add a living area, and the Gold throws in a bar and a freestanding tub. The "Sound of Your Stay" programme will send up a curated stack of vinyl and a guitar.

Gaming

Open every hour of every day: 1,500-plus slots, tables around the clock (blackjack, craps, roulette, mini baccarat and more), a new baccarat room and high-limit VIP gaming. Unity by Hard Rock — Star, Legend, Icon, and invite-only X — also knocks money off valet and the shuttle.

Live music

Hard Rock LIVE: 23,000 sq ft, 1,900 seated, 2,200 maximum. The Joint: 25 to 400. Friday and Saturday nights bring free live music to the Council Oak Lounge stage, and the Hard Rock Cafe books tribute and cover acts with no cover charge.

Food

Top table is Council Oak Steaks & Seafood, patterned on the Seminole Hard Rock original in Florida, with Sunday brunch 10 am–3 pm. Casual: Brick'd Italian Kitchen, YOUYU Noodle Bar, Hard Rock Cafe. Constant Grind, the Marketplace café, is open 24/7.

Gym, no pool, valet

Body Rock (Technogym kit) is open 24 hours via room key. No pool shows up on the hotel's published amenity pages, so assume there isn't one. Valet, 24/7: $20 non-members, $15 Star, $10 Legend, free for Icon and X. There are two EV chargers.

Getting there

The airport is about two miles off. A property shuttle runs to Leitrim and Uplands O-Train stations — $5 one way, $3.50 with Unity, card or tap only. The neighbouring raceway's harness racing ended in March 2026.

Our take

Ottawa's freshest rooms and the best live-music programme of any casino hotel in its size class. Great for couples and friends; a non-starter for families.

Traveller questions, answered

Is Hard Rock Ottawa new?

Yes — it opened on July 3, 2025.

Can I bring my teenager to Hard Rock Ottawa?

No. The whole property, including the hotel and restaurants, is restricted to guests aged 19 and over.

Does Hard Rock Ottawa have a swimming pool?

We couldn't find one on the hotel's published amenity pages, which do list a 24-hour gym. Ask the hotel directly if it matters.

Sources behind this review

Fact check: October 23, 2026, against the sources listed above. Rates, fees and hours move — confirm directly with the hotel before booking. Something out of date? Email us. Next: Casino Hotels in Ontario or the full ranking.