Hotel: Ok, I'm really at a loss as to why this place receives more than three stars. I try not to compare hotels to each other, because obviously a Holiday Inn will never live up to a Ritz Carlton, not even on their best day. However, this hotel was just average to me. I reserved thru SniqueAway at a rate of $109/night from June 29 to July 1. The staff were fine. It was a matter of the big picture. I just felt that $109/night + $39/night for parking was a bit much for a sad hotel. The rooms are bizzarely decorated. I saw the photos from ahead of time, so I knew what the deal was. I was just hoping an in-person visual would give me a better opinion. It didn't. The hotel is so obsessed with being eco-chic/green that it comes across as just plain cheap. The bathroom sink was riddled with cracks. The shower amenities, i.e. soap, were welded to the shower wall. Not a problem for me, but when it takes a good 20 pumps to get a sufficient lather, I call that cheap and impractical. Then there was the locked minibar. We didn't want anything from there, but we would have loved to have been able to use the fridge. We called down and a key was given. Just a strange system to me. Essentially you're paying for the location, since many tourist hot spots (i.e. The White House) are within a mile's walk. Still, too much money for not even a free continental breakfast. Everything you had to pay for. My husband wasn't into this place at all. We experienced the heavy T-storm that hit the East Coast. It scared me quite honestly, as we were on the 10th floor and the storm was shaking our room and pushing our windows. Our AC stopped working, which is obviously not the hotel's fault as power was lost in many places. I called down and they indicated it was being looked into. After a day out, the AC was back on.
Food: I tried the menu at the Helix Lounge. I had Black Eyed Pea Fritters and burger sliders that were a special for Friday night. The burgers were juicy and fine, but the fritters were mealy and just not a good taste. The accompanying yogurt dip added nothing but acidity to something that would have benefited from a sweeter dip. My husband had wings. He ate it all, but did not seem much impressed. The other thing was that it took so long to get what were essentially overpriced appetizers. I'm not sure why it did. No explanation was ever given. I ate my food because I'm a believer in eating what is put in front of me, but I was not impressed.
Entertainment: As for entertainment, you're supposed to listen a DJ play house music while drinking liquor to even be able to tolerate the music. He had a couple of good spins, but it was clear that it's the type of music where one needs a special pill to appreciate. On their website, they say a magician by the name of Joshua Norris was supposed to be there on Friday nights in early summer. Well, I consider June 30 early summer. No magician. When I asked staff, they didn't seem to know he was supposed to come or who he was. They said he wasn't on their call sheet, just the DJ. They didn't even indicate when he may be coming if at all. So, that was a bust. False advertising is not my cup of tea.
My overall impression was that this place was just a step above being a hostel in some ways. We were celebrating our anniversary, which they were aware of as the front desk lady sang a lively rendition of Tony Toni Tone's "It's Our Anniversary." However, there was no special anything done even though they knew about it. No champagne (non-alcoholic in our case), no slice of cake, no discounted spa treatement....nothing. We were put off by that. But, I guess getting complimentary goldfish is supposed to make up for that....like I said weird place with no real vision.
hotel reviews