My boyfriend and I traveled to Washington, D.C., for my graduate school residency and chose this hotel because of its convenient location within walking distance of my campus. Unfortunately, our experience was so disappointing that I can confidently say I will never stay here again when I return for future residencies.
On our first full day, we returned to our room to find that a power bank was missing and several of our belongings had been moved. I am an extremely organized person, so it was immediately obvious that items were not where I had left them. After thoroughly searching the room without success, my boyfriend went to the front desk to ask for assistance. Rather than taking our concerns seriously, the staff member he spoke with was rude, dismissive, and even accused him of not being able to "get his story straight."
When he returned and explained what had happened, I called the front desk myself. Within approximately two minutes, I received a callback informing me that a "security investigation" had already been completed and that no one had entered our room. Given the almost immediate response, I have serious doubts about how thorough any investigation could have been. Instead of addressing our concerns professionally, I was told that we must have "misplaced" our belongings. The conversation remained dismissive from start to finish. To make matters even more concerning, the following day I again noticed that personal items had been moved to places I would never have put them. Considering we consistently had our Do Not Disturb sign displayed, the hotel's explanation simply did not align with what we experienced.
We were also supposedly "upgraded" to a different room, but it was anything but an upgrade. We were placed in a connecting room next to guests who repeatedly opened and slammed the adjoining door and were loud well into the night, making it difficult to rest. In addition, our television never functioned during our stay, and our mini refrigerator stopped working entirely. This was more than a minor inconvenience. Because I have medically necessary gluten- and soy-free dietary restrictions due to allergies and other health concerns, I rely on bringing my own safe food while traveling. When the refrigerator failed, all of my refrigerated food spoiled and had to be thrown away.
What disappointed me most was not just the condition of the room, but the complete lack of professionalism and accountability from the staff. Mistakes happen in hospitality, but how those mistakes are handled is what separates excellent hotels from poor ones. At no point did I feel that our concerns were genuinely investigated or that anyone cared about resolving them. Instead, we were met with skepticism, dismissiveness, and a lack of basic customer service.
Having worked in the hospitality industry myself for several years, I understand the standards guests should be able to expect. This experience fell well below those standards. Respect, empathy, and professionalism cost nothing, yet they were noticeably absent throughout our stay.
If you're looking for accommodations in Washington, D.C., I would strongly encourage you to consider one of the many other hotels in the area. The location alone is not worth the frustration, poor service, and overall lack of hospitality we experienced. read more