The two-star review was designed for a place like Kempton Banneker. I'll start with the good. Their front desk staff is excellent. Check in was a breeze, the desk clerk could not have been more friendly and helpful. They cleaned my room. I'm only here for two nights, so they only had one chance to forget to clean my room, and they did good. Why then only two stars? At the ridiculous room rate one expects something special. They can sell the rooms at the ridiculous prices they do because other hotels get away with it also. I recently stayed down the street at a Marriott citizen M property, paid ridiculous room rate, but I at least I had a nice view of the Capitol building dome from my bed. The Kimpton Banneker has literally nothing special about it. The room is large and clean and reasonably comfortable. The bathroom has shampoo and conditioner and it smells good. But it's ordinary. My view out the window is of a back alley. There's a really attractive restaurant attached to the front of the hotel. But an artsy fancy restaurant is not a hotel amenity. The restaurant has a sort of Caribbean island vibe, but it needs a pool or something to complete the experience. And the 10 or 15% discount they give you is a joke. Mind you, I am not a penny-pincher, although you couldn't tell that by this review. But I spend a huge amount of time traveling both for work and pleasure. I love a comfortable hotel that has something special about it. I can live with mundane for about a third the price I paid for the Kimpton Banneker. Final note: IHG properties are usually not a disappointment. But never find yourself having to deal with their incompetent customer service on the phone. They are poorly trained. They aren't allowed to make any decisions. They have no sympathy for an American traveler with certain expectations, simple expectations. They read from a script. I've had crises ranging from checking into a hotel that has no hot water to having my reservation canceled during a transcontinental flight because the hotel couldn't reach me by phone. For this stay, I had to talk to them on the phone about my IHG rewards account. Angry and incompetent are gift words for the customer service agent that I dealt with. Thankfully, when I checked in, the desk clerk made it all better. read more

Really nice experience - love Kimpton. Cool vibe and decor, beautiful, upgraded room, quiet, friendly valet. Glad I stayed. read more

Kimpton Banneker Hotel - King suite - Hotels Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I'm a huge Kimpton fan and returned to this place for the first time since it changed from the Kimpton Rouge, and I was very happy. This hotel feels like a smallish residential boutique place and all of that is great. First the good: The room (Diamond upgrade to a studio suite) was great. The overall style was very modern and comfortable. The bed was great. The desk was gigantic and comfortable. The bathroom was large with a wall in shower and double vanity. I loved the towels and all of the bath amenities. The front desk staff was welcoming and efficient. The restaurant Le Sel is a very good representative of French Bistro. The bar has really interesting twists on classics (I loved the Smoky Mezcal Negroni). The bartender Mic was great. The free Diamond Breakfast was anything off of the menu (the classic omelette and Nueske's Bacon (my favorite) was an excellent.) Now the not as good: Both of the elevators are pretty slow. The lighting in the rooms was really limited. The bedside lights were not bright enough to read by and the bathroom vanity lights were very dim. The wine hour was a little skimpy compared to most Kimptons with single glass limit. I asked for a second and ultimately got one after being told the single glass is a policy. Bottom line: This place is really nice and I would visit again, particularly if you are in the fairly quiet area east if DuPont Circle. You should give this a shot. read more

Our room was very comfortable and almost excessively large. Nice setup and decorative touches throughout. Morning coffee was kept stocked. Staff was always friendly and helpful. The location is ok, a 30-minute walk to the Mall and 10 minutes to the nearest metro stops. The immediate vicitinity is business buildings, but tons of life by going a couple blocks east to 14th St or west toward DuPont Circle. No one likes resort/destination fees, but I really dislike pretending it is an "amenity fee" when the amenities aren't nearly worth it. On our 4 night stay, $116 of amenity fees provided: $30 worth of drinks; $2 worth of IHG points; and supposedly "premium" wifi that I speedtested a few times at a glacial 4mbps (and IHG already promises "free Wi-Fi at all our hotels"). Kimpton is my favorite hotel chain in large part because they're usually in great historic buildings (or otherwise, interesting modern ones). This building is historic only in the worst ways: a 1960s midrise apartment building it has few charms, but quirks like window frames that don't quite close fully. read more

The hotel is nice overall and in a good walking spot to the metro and surrounding businesses and not too far from the Washington Mall. The rooms are comfortable and the fitness center was decent enough. We also liked the daily breakfast and the included daily cocktail. Not bad. The only real snafu was a missed room cleaning one day and when we asked for towels, they never brought them. read more

Kimpton Banneker Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Very friendly staff, great welcome amenity, breakfast was very good, easy to get around to everything we wanted to see. The suite they gave us was fantastic! Social hour was excellent, and they had coffee out bright and early in the lobby. Would highly recommend for anyone staying in DC. Could not have been happier with the stay. They do place ear plugs by the bed, on 1 side of the hotel there is a somewhat busy street, but did not bother us too much at night. If you go, don't bother to get uber from DCA, just take the Metro, very easy and inexpensive. The Diamond Elite breakfast was very good also read more

If you want to sleep on microfiber sheets inside a microfiber duvet and sweat all night even though the AC is at 65... You should stay here. It's a fine enough place, but obviously they're trying to cut corners everywhere and after I asked about the quality of the sheets after I actually having read online that they had Fred sheets... I was told that the standard is microfiber... It is so disgusting to sleep in microfiber at all times but let alone in the middle of the summer... So this is a two star masquerading as a three star hotel... read more

My family enjoyed our stay at the Kimpton Banneker Hotel. We loved the location. We were able to walk from the hotel to a vegan restaurant, a park, Whole Foods, a couple local coffee shops and the venue I was going to for a concert. The employees were very helpful. It started as soon as we pulled in as a man very quickly unloaded our car and parked it. When we wanted to walk to a park after checking out the parking attendant allowed us to put our luggage in the car and leave it for a few hours. While there, the hotel had complimentary warm apple cider and fruit flavored water. I definitely had my fair share of both. The hotel had complimentary bikes and a workout room but we were not able to experience either of those during our short stay. The rooms were great. The only thing I didn't love is there was no mini fridge to store our leftovers in. Otherwise, I absolutely would return to the Kimpton Banneker Hotel if the chance ever arises. read more

Loved my stay at the Kimpton! The price is right for the room. Only stayed a night but if back in DC, would stay here again due to comfortability and close to downtown. The hotel employees were welcoming. The room and bathroom were spacious. There is a fridge which is always nice. Room was clean; no complaints during stay! read more

Kimpton Banneker Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

They charge $100.00 per night for room deposit. Doesn't state clearly on the reservation. Called it "incidentals", which usually means all charges to room in addition to rate. However. It is not. A $289.00 stay for two days turned into $600 in one day due to insufficient communication on reservation and at check in. Do not waste your time read more

More along a 3.5 but rounding up to 4... Overall we enjoyed our stay at Banneker! It's quite walkable to many things in DC and an easy pickup/drop off point for uber. The staff was friendly, accommodating and communicative. I loved being able to text for things we needed (except middle of the night better to call the front desk). Best espresso martini we had while in town at Le Sel. There are some things were nit picky about: room function was ok - not much of a view of anything; only one small nightstand, odd lighting throughout the room. The bathroom lighting was awful. No shelves in the shower to place your toiletries. Housekeeping was super loud in the morning which is a pet peeve. Restaurant hours were limited but food and drink were good. All in all a good place to stay but could use some functional improvements. read more

This hotel gets a zero. My mom was scheduled to stay here on Jan 19. Unfortunately, her flight from NYC was cancelled due to a snowstorm. The manager refused to give a refund or hotel credit. Everyone we spoke to at this hotel was totally inept. Corporate needs to clean house at this hotel . read more

Stayed here for almost a week and thought it was a good location for what we wanted. The rooms were good enough. The shower flooded the bathroom daily, but we had plenty of towels to keep it from getting too bad. Didn't bother us enough to change rooms. Coffee and water in the lobby. They even had a hot chocolate bar with different treats to add to it each day. Nice restaurant with bar off the lobby and a rooftop bar with a lovely view. The hotel provides a happy hour and discount at the restaurant. The service was great. The hotel fit the bill for what we needed. It isn't super close to the metro but any ride share seemed to find it easily. read more

Excellent room, attentive staff, good restaurant, walkable location, reasonable price.

This hotel is in a great location in Logan Circle area. We were a 15 min walk from all the nightlife and restaurants on 14th street. Our room was large and all the amenities for a weekend getaway. It has a charming and personal feel and welcoming policies (evening wine). The employees here were all terrific. I wasn't a fan of the $55 parking fee but I'd imagine that's normal in DC. With that said the parking was easy and the attendant was readily available. read more

Kimpton Banneker Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This is an average hotel. The bottom line is that although their website bills them as "a luxury hotel near Dupont Circle," their in-room amenities are below average for the typical (non-luxury) hotel. You have better options. When my husband and I checked in (I'd gotten a deal through Travelzoo), the employee at the reception desk told me my reservation had actually been for the previous night. Obviously, I was shocked and alarmed by this, and searched for the email with my reservation. Sure enough, he was incorrect, and I was there on the right day. After a bit of research, he told me there was an error in their system and it would just take him a few minutes to resolve it. My expectation here was that they would be at least somewhat apologetic about this, since my anniversary trip had just begun with a minor heart attack, but they weren't. Nothing more was said about it. Because of this, I started on a note of being unimpressed. I'll cut to the chase and list the other things that didn't impress me: - Parking is $65 a night -- a pretty jaw-dropping rate when you're a guest. I might expect to pay that in a typical parking garage, but not at a hotel that I'm a guest at. (This was the thing that really pushed me over into a more negative review. It felt galling to be a good sport about some of the other items below and then get price-gouged on parking at checkout.) - Bare-minimum amenities in the room. No water bottles, no coffee machine. Fairly minimal TV channels. The bathroom included a single washcloth, so if two of you are sharing a room, you're also sharing a washcloth. When you tell me you're a luxury hotel, I think it's reasonable to expect some of these things. When you upcharge me a $25 "amenity fee," I am definitively expecting at least average amenities. - The shower had no door or curtain. That was bizarre. There's this sort of half-wall alongside the showerhead, but then the other half of the shower is just open to the bathroom. It feels weird and exposed and prevents the heat from staying in the shower area. - Outlets are inconvenient and/or don't work. My husband had to plug in his phone on the opposite side of the room from the bed and his CPAP about 7 feet from the bed, trailing the cord across the floor. Then when he woke up in the morning, his phone hadn't charged because that outlet was dead. The good: - They did allow us to check in early, which is a perk of joining their (free) loyalty program. That program also allows late checkout. - The room was very clean, including the bathroom. - The room included a small fridge, which was nice. read more

Love this hotel! Whatever the staff are being paid it cannot be enough as the service is exemplary. Huge thank you to Mia for making my stay fantastic! read more

Enjoyed our experience here for two night stay for pleasure with the family. The staff is very pleasant and hard working. They seem light overall on staffing requiring those that are working to perform double duty. For instance, the valet seems to be one that also serves as bellboy too. So, they may be working on moving luggage when you arrive or want to leave for valet. Overall though, they were fairly prompt, just had to wait with cars when returning to hotel as other cars were parked in valet. The front desk is busy as well and was hard to get ahold of when calling upon. But, they are super pleasant to work with when you do get them. The room is a nice size overall, beds were comfortable and had great linens and pillows. The happy hour was good as well with selection of white and red wine from 5-6pm. However, only a small area to sit and enjoy. If you face the street side, you will hear traffic noise due to being in the city, but I think that would be expected. Great area within walking distance to restaurants and pretty safe. Little bit of a walk to metro, but doable. Overall we enjoyed our stay here. Things to know: -Premium Queen room are walk in shower and slightly bigger -Double Queen is tub/shower combo. You can get on top floors - $55 valet fee per night for regular cars -$75 valet fee per night for oversized vehicles -traffic noise even from high level as you are in a city. But, if looking for completely quiet, this Will not be for you. - seems like the hotel that was older and remodeled. Pro: -great customer service -Complementary wine for evening HH -Windows open slightly in the rooms if interested in opening them. They don't turn off the air either once opened. - Great location near 14th street restaurants and bars - bed, pillow, and linens were wonderful. Cons: -water pressure not great -10th floor is the access floor to penthouse restaurant, so there are a set of doors you have to go through for each side of rooms. No automatic door open function. Hard to maneuver with luggage. -penthouse bar is for 21 and older only read more

A cute, quaint spot but attention to detail goes a long way. The lighting in the rooms needs to be a tad brighter. The rooms are cozy and the beds more comfortable than meets the eye. The showers are lovely as is the hotel ambience. I do recommend front desk customer service training for some of the staff. The valet parking is too expensive and show be told upfront prior to reservation. The food is good and the meet and greet hour is awesome. read more

Wow! The BEST hotel I have stayed at for sure! Wasn't sure what to expect considering I've never used this chain before as being an IHG awards member, but was very happy, as well as my partner. Pros of the experience: 1. GREAT bed! Very comfortable! Most clean and comfy bed I've ever had at a hotel 2. Friendly staff! All the staff members this past weekend were very welcoming & talkative 3. Pet friendly! 4. Offers complimentary wine from 5-6pm 5. Has some great lemon water & some very comfy bath robes in the suite option 6. The TV options were great! 7. They have a bar within the hotel & a restaurant option! 8. RIGHT in front of the White House! And has TONS of things to do! read more

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My second stay: I've stayed here so many times but never given a room in the back. Room 407 was noisy af! Music continually blasting in back dock area, employees? Trucks continually backing up all day (truck backing alert alarms) Bathroom had paint splatter on wall and vent did not work! Two plug outlets did not work in room. Restaurant was closed all day Sunday! No mini-bar, only an empty fridge. read more

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Great renovated hotel. Unlike the Kimpton in old town we stayed at before, this hotel actually has dog amenities (right sizes, not completely worn down, etc). The rooms are generously sized and love the bathroom sizes! Decor is well thought out and quirky. Our room faced 16th Street and the windows do not have good insulation. We heard every car drive by, every person laughing at 3am, not to mention the ridiculously loud siren and honk. The latter is really the only complaint. The beds were so comfy yet we couldn't sleep well due to the noise. It was so loud, we thought our windows were open, but they weren't. Staff is also super friendly. read more

This was my first time at the Kimpton Banneker - and as I have been to many, many Kimptons across the country (as well as DC) I have to say that this experience was one of the best. The setting is elegant and calming, but not forced. At the front desk, Mia was wonderfully warm, inviting, and engaging. My room (413) was elegant and spacious and very, very comfortable. I crashed hard, and slept deeply and comfortably. Every element of the room was excellent and soothing. Breakfast was good. All the other staff was friendly and helpful. And Mia again helped me feel welcome and taken care of with my bags and Uber. I will be back - this was a great, great experience. read more

Don't waste your time and money at this place. A group of us went for drinks back in early November. Obviously they don't have a system in place. ONE bartender was working behind the bar. Drinks took forever! Seems like they don't have any managers or supervisors. I also agreed on someone else about a hotel GM. She has no clue how to run a the hotel. We returned a few weeks later and again, only ONE bartender. Also, pictures on Instagram looks completely different! Run (don't walk) and spend your money somewhere else!!!!!! read more

Rude people at the front desk. I was just standing minding my own business. waiting for the customer to come down from her room to come get her food. But no the front desk guy ask if I had any business in a rude way. read more

Overall: 5/5. Excellent. This new property is off to a good start. It's a smaller property, with an intimate living room and supplemental seating area beyond the elevators. Although only floors 1-4 are in use, and only the lobby restaurant is open, there is little doubt that this hotel will be a hit. We are looking forward to our next visit, once the additional floors and rooftop lounge bar are open! Rewards Club Recognition- 5/5. Excellent. Upon check-in, we were verbally thanked for our loyalty. Our room was upgraded, and we were offered either 600 welcome amenity points or $10 Raid-the-Bar/Food & Beverage credit. A welcome amenity of fresh fruit, two large, bottled waters, & three small cans of soda) was present in the room. The social password was good for a small, branded flask. We felt like valued guests at this property. Staff- 5/5. Excellent. When we arrived in the early evening, there was no valet station or personnel, which was odd for a property that offers valet parking only; so, we parked in the valet area until we had loaded our belongings onto a luggage cart that we found in the lobby area. Then, we moved the car into a nearby street parking space. After a short wait for the reception staff, we were checked into the property by Dionne, from Miami, who was very welcoming. Throughout our stay, she was engaging and such a great example of someone who makes each guest feel special. Without skipping a beat, she would routinely greet us and other guests who passed through the lobby, all the while paying due attention to the guest before her. Matthew, the physics graduate who was at the reception during the morning coffee service, was polite, friendly, & knowledgeable about the hotel namesake, Benjamin Banneker. When we needed more of a coffee fix, he was able to recommend a nearby coffee shop, in addition to having a Nespresso machine sent to our room. Accommodations- 5/5. Excellent. We were assigned a 'Studio Suite' room on the 2nd floor (210), and we were happy. It was exactly as pictured and advertised on the hotel and chain websites. We recommend this room type. The bed was firm, as were the pillows, and the furnishings were new and unblemished. Decorative items were enough to show the modern, clean style of the hotel, but not so much as to be cumbersome. The bathroom sink had plenty of counterspace, and the walk-in shower was spacious. The windows that open do run the length of the room, which provides plenty of natural light, but our room overlooked the street, which meant noise from the street below can make its way in. Upper-level floors may have less street noise, once they are in use. The climate control worked well, even against the 90+ degree (F) temperatures outside. No luggage stands were in the room; adding one might prevent guests from having to either leave their bags and roller boards on the floor or put them on the new furnishings. Breakfast/Meal Options- 4/5. Very good. The signature Kimpton wine/social hour is from 5p until 6p daily in the lobby restaurant, and complementary morning coffee service is offered at the front desk from 6a until 9a during the week. Espresso machines are available for use in the room by request. The usual minibar items are available at the front desk since the minibars themselves remain empty during the pandemic. The Lady Bird rooftop bar is not yet open. Le Sel, the lobby restaurant, is closed during breakfast and lunch, but it is open for dinner each evening (except Sunday). The food was stellar; we had such a good experience that we chose to return the second night for some additional appetizers and a dessert. It's a fantastic restaurant; I'll come back just for the food! Jonny, our server, deserves kudos for the great experience he provided, as does Cicelio the bartender. Each are a tribute to the leadership of James, from the Food & Beverage department, who was engaging, pleasant, and appreciative of our business. read more

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Most of the staff are super helpful! Do not use any kind of vaporizer in the room because you will get charged $250 without warning!

Juan, Ricardo, and Abass took great care of us this week. The hotel had exceptional service, food and amenities! We will be back!!! Thank you so much Banneker Hotel read more

I have traveling for 30 years both domestically and internationally! This hotel is one of the better hotels I have stayed at. Service is par excellent! The rooms are spectacular and sexy!!! In the lobby the people are falling over themselves to help from getting transportation to recommendations for other restaurants and shops! Super and I recommend beyond any doubt!!! read more

This hotel has a great location. I try to walk as much as I can while traveling. This location allows me to walk to the Lincoln Memorial, the Lafayette Square to see the best view of the White House. It's close to shoppings if you like to do so while on vacation. The staff is very friendly, clean room, and is quiet as a hotel should be. The location is great because there is a Whole Food Market closed by. You can walk to the Logan Circle after picking up fresh fruit, salad or hot food to have picnic there. I would return and stay at this Kimpton location again. read more

We usually absolutely love Kimpton hotels however this was doesn't even come close to the experience we have had a either. We stayed a week at this hotel. No in room water bottles was provided and they don't even have water bottles to pay for. When we asked the front desk representative about it they agreed it was the first hotel they ever workers at that did not provide water. We had to walk to CVS to purchase our own. They also do not provide a iron and ironing board in your room. We only got one bar of soap for an entire week. The bed did not have a comforter but only a couple of sheets tied together. Last but certainly the most disappointing is there restraint and roof top bar is only open two days a week. We will not be staying here again and will unfortunately reconsider other Kimptons in the future read more

An amazing stay in the District. The Banneker is a small property but big on character. Upon arrival we pulled up directly in front of the hotel and went to the front desk where we were greeted by Miles. He welcomed us to the property and was able to get us into our room early. He is very knowledgeable about the property and the surrounding neighborhood. Miles and people like him are why we keep coming back to Kimpton hotels. We stayed in the Studio Suite which was a wonderfully appointed room. There is a great seating area and it was full of natural light. There were great blackout shades to keep the light out at night. The room was spotless and the bed was really comfortable. The shower was big enough for you and a few friends. There is a gym just off the lobby that has plenty of cardio machines and a weight machine should you need to get a workout in. The rooftop will be opening soon and I hear it has amazing views of the city. Don't forget to borrow a Kimpton bike and experience DC by bike. When you are exhausted from the day of exploring grab a glass of wine at social hour (free daily from 5-6pm) then relax in your room in the comfy Frette bath robes. We cannot wait to be back. Thanks again to Miles for making our stay so memorable. read more

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Came here and love how pet friendly they are - we had three of our dogs with us and our baby. The staff was responsive, polite and very attentive. Special shout out to Reta, Abdul and Kia for all their help! The ladybird rooftop bar was a great way to end the evening after having a nice oyster night at le sel inside the hotel. read more

Seriously worst Kimpton I have ever stayed at. On our first night, my friend found gum on the nightstand that wasn't hers. When she called to have someone come clean it or get a new room, no one picked up. Then she called the next morning and they hung up on her. Next morning, my shower wasn't working, I called downstairs and they hung up on me too!! Not worth the price at all. read more

Following up on my previous review where I mentioned all of the problems I encountered at this hotel, I should mention that I sent emails to the General Manager and Director of Operations during my stay. Neither one ever bothered to respond. I guess my business and customer satisfaction are not all that imporatnt to them. read more

We chose this hotel over other Kimpton properties for our Thanksgiving getaway because of the roof top bar that they advertise. To be fair, the website does say it may not always be open, but the weather was nice and we were hoping to enjoy the bar and views. It was not to be. The hotel lobby does not really impress in comparison to other Kimpton properties we have stayed in before. The person who checked us in was friendly and welcoming. She told us that there was a shuttle available that would take us anywhere within a mile of the hotel. When we asked to use it to go to dinner (we arrived late...after 8:30 PM) she said it was actually only available from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. We went up to our room...corner room on second floor. Very spacious, clean and very comfortable. Sadly our "view" was of an alley where the HVAC units are. In addition, large trucks come into the alley (I suppose to make deliveries) and they are very loud. The hotel was not crowded at all, so not sure why we were given this particular room. The trucks kept me up the first night. But we were only staying two nights, so did not ask to be moved. Bathroom is large and clean and had a nice lighted make up mirror, that unfortunately did not work. Thanksgiving day we were running a bit behind for our 2:00 pm reservation, but weren't worried since we had been told the night before that a shuttle would be available. We got down to the lobby and the same girl who had checked us in the night before said...so sorry, shuttle isn't available today. Sigh. We walked to the restaurant, which was fine (great weather and less than mile walk), but literally no amenities seemed to be available while we were there. We miss the Palomar (which has changed hands and is no longer a Kimpton property). We will definitely choose a different hotel next year for our annual DC Thanksgiving. read more

We stayed at this hotel last week and were impressed with some aspects and very disappointed in others. Prior to Covid we had stayed at two of the DC Kimpton hotels and were very happy there. At this Kimpton the staff was very nice and helpful, our room was large and the bed was comfortable. When we checked in I told the desk attendant that I had a $100 gift certificate given to me in late 2019 and wanted to use it. She said she would speak with the manager but didn't know how to apply it at the time. The next day when we checked out I again asked to apply the gift certificate. That attendant said they do not take gift certificates yet. When I asked why they would not take it she could not give me answer. Two days later I called and left a message for the manager...and never received a return call. In addition, the street noise level at night was very high. They definitely do not have windows that are made to help reduce the noise levels. read more