I read recent rave reviews on this site so decided to book one evening for my husband's birthday celebration. Perhaps our check-in experience set the tone for our stay. When we approached the reception desk, one gentlemen greeted us and began checking our reservation. He was interrupted by another employee who said, "I'll do this - you better speak to an angry guest." Our room was adequate - shabby chic with an emphasis on shabby as the paint and carpet need attention and the sleeping area was quite cramped. On the positive side, linens were lovely and bed was firm. Being near the elevator, we expected some noise but not the volume we experienced at 8am on Saturday morning. A work crew started moving furniture and pounding on the floor of the room directly above ours - it became very noisy very quickly and we couldn't wait to get out of there. Our speed was curtailed by a lack of bath towels and we had to call the front desk three times before a janitor finally dropped by. We needed to stop by the reception area on the way out to inquire about storing our luggage, and the front desk clerk pounded a bell on the desk without saying anything to us. About five minutes later, a very friendly bellman appeared and promptly took our bag. We like to try new hotels in DC and are usually very pleasantly surprised....this was not the case at the Lombardy. We should've been warned about the renovation (or given a room that was not directly beneath the work area),the service was a real mixed bag, and our anticipated leisurely morning was a hectic dash to get out.
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