Webb’s Motel (1705 Carling Ave., Ottawa, Ontario)

Recollections (Mid 2000s to Mid 2010s)

I stayed in rooms at Webb’s Motel a few times between the mid 2000s and the mid 2010s.

Most of the single-night stays were in the one-bed, exterior-facing rooms located within the northern portion of the central building that also had the reception desk at the south end. One multi-night stay was in a one-bed, exterior-facing room within the building along the east side of the property. I also remember staying in a room in the building on the west side once. I believe that room was accessed from an inside hallway.

I never visited the restaurant that was along Carling Ave., just west of the central building.

There was also a house at the north end of the property, visible from the parking lot.

While the rooms were somewhat outdated at the time, I always found them to be clean and well-maintained. I never encountered any problems with noise or other disturbances. The nightly rate, which I recall being around $80 or so, was reasonable enough at the time, especially compared to hotels. I found it to be a good sub-$100-night budget option.

When I stayed there, I always made reservations by phone in advance. I don’t recall there being an online reservation option at the time. Once at the motel, I recall their check-in system involving a small paper card that was filled out by hand, and the rooms just used a typical physical key. I always paid via credit card.

The location was convenient for my purposes. The plaza just to the east, at the corner of Carling Ave. and Cole Ave. S., had a Mr. Sub location that I would walk to and eat at while staying at Webb’s. Carlingwood Mall (with a food court, a large Loblaws grocery store, and numerous other stores) was relatively close by, as well.

The motel was easily accessible by car via Carling Ave., and had ample parking (at no additional cost, from what I recall) within the parking lot that filled the space between the motel’s various buildings.

It was reasonably accessible via public transit, as well. When I stayed there, the OC Transpo 85 bus, which ran along Carling Ave., connected the motel with the Bayshore Shopping Centre, the Bayshore OC Transpo Transitway station, the Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre, the Lincoln Fields OC Transpo Transitway station, Carlingwood Mall, the Carling OC Transpo O-Train station (just west of Carling Ave. and Preston St.; called Dow’s Lake station in early 2026), downtown Ottawa (via Bronson Ave. as of 2010, and then Preston St. as of 2011), and the eastern part of the Transitway at the Hurdman OC Transpo Transitway station.

Other Information

There are some archived versions of the Webb’s Motel website:

2000-08-26: The oldest archived version.
2001-12-28: Photos of the rooms, and the rates.
2015-05-19: This is the website I remember accessing the last time I made a reservation there.
2016-07-27: An updated website, with newer photos.
2018-08-08: The most recent archived version.

There are some archived photos of the motel from its website:

Looking north-west from Carling Ave., near the south-east corner of the property, towards the south sides of the buildings. The motel’s sign is just south of the east building, the parking lot driveway is near the centre of the photo, and the centre building with the reception desk can be seen just left of the sign.
The reception desk. This is similar enough to what I remember it being like.
The reception desk, after some remodelling.
Looking south-west from the north end of the property, toward the buildings along the west edge.
Looking north-west from roughly the center of the parking lot area, toward the north end of the building along the west edge.
A two-bed room.
A newer photo of a two-bed room.
A larger room, possibly at the south end of the east building, based on the windows.
A newer photo of what appears to be the same room as above.
A larger suite, with a kitchenette area.
A newer photo of suite with a kitchenette area.
The restaurant.
Another view of the restaurant.
Another view of the restaurant.

There is some other information about the motel:

An old Webb’s Motel postcard.
Better Business Bureau profile for Webb’s Motel.
A photo of the motel’s posted closure notice (2019-12-11).
“Stompin’ Tom turned up his nose to extravagance during capital visits” (2013-03-07). describes Stompin’ Tom Connors staying at the motel.
“Neighbourhood Walk: Carling Avenue and development on the outskirts of town” (2014-05-20) includes a photo of the south side of the motel along Carling Ave, and a brief description of the motel’s history.
“Early Days: Checking out — Motels, hotels and the end of a historic era.” (2020-05-26) features an image of an old postcard depicting Webb’s Motel.
The obituary of Kenneth Lloyd Ashley (1938-2025) mentions that he was “a loving son-in-law to Olga and Thomas Webb, founders of Webb’s Motel in Ottawa” and “co-owner and manager of Webb’s Motel”.

There is some information about the redevelopment of the site where the motel once stood: