My other half and I are not at all fussy about where we stay (a Motel 6 suits us fine), but we didn't like the Tabard. I admit that we were attracted by the low price of the smallest rooms (double bed with shared bath) but even I was surprised how little you get for your money. The room was so tiny (I'd guess no bigger than 8' x 12') that we had to stash lamps underneath/inside furniture to put down our two pieces of luggage.
I must also agree with the Dec '05 review about the noise. During our 3-night stay, the lively restaurant/bar crowd occasionally spilled over into the hallways of the hotel, and the noise carried extremely efficiently. The front-desk staff was not helpful in asking the patrons to quiet down, so on our final night there (a Friday), we took matters into our own hands and closed the door leading to the hotel rooms.
Finally, those cheap rooms are on the front of the hotel, which is near enough to Dupont Circle to get the spillover from there, too.
All this being said, the more expensive rooms seemed considerably nicer than ours, and the breakfast was good value. Furthermore, the room had a ceiling fan and A/C that worked fine.
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