Matilda v Canossa
I was waitlisted on Matilda and also booked with the canossa. And since my Dr was not one of the doctors that deliver mainly in Matilda, I remained only waitlisted (even though I tried to book when I wasn several weeks pregnant) until I finally had to pay for the deposit at the Canossa, so i ended up in the Canossa (gave birth by c-section late Oct 08).
I think whether it would make a big difference to go to one rather than the other depends to an extent on the type of room you have. I have to say when I did antenatal classes with the matilda and visited the place, I was very impressed with the first-class rooms with the balcony and everything looked much newer and nicer compared to the Canossa. Also, I have no doubt that the food there is excellent and cannot be compared to that in other hospitals. However, I don't think the twin or larger rooms are that special. On the other hand, if you're going to have a First class delux or a private single room at the Canossa, (I had a single private room) I really don't think there's anything wrong with it. The staff overall are friendly and the visiting hours are flexible though generally only the partner can stay there over night I think. Also, it's much more centrally located and personally I enjoyed having tons of visitors and lining up all the champagne bottles in my room. So, if you don't manage to get a place in time for the Matilda and do end up at the Canossa, it really is ok. Also, they've just built a brand new extension, so I'm sure it will soon look quite modern.