The hotel is located at the Potomac River only 10 min walk away from the Waterfront Metro station. Some of the rooms overlooks the river. Right across the street is an Arena of some sort. The neighborhood seems ok - I did not experience any problems walking back and forth from the metro station. At the metro station there is a nice safeway and some fastfood restaurants.
I checked in late afternoon and the receptionist asked about my name. She found my reservation, asked me to fill in address on a card and gave me the key. No verification about my identity or anything.
The lobby seems nice but the minute you enter the elevator you notice the worn down carpet and just how worn down the interior of the elevator is.
My room was on the second floor but when I came to the room (4:15 o'clock) the maid was still in the room (checkin time was 3 o'clock and the receptionist did not mention that the room was not ready). I waited for the maid to be done and noticed afterward that there was no towels. The maid told me that the towel would arrive later which kind of annoyed me as I was desperate in need of a shower after having travelled from New York.
The room itself was nice size but was very much in need of a makeover. There was a cabinet with a 20" CRT television but when opening the doors to the cabinet the doors almost fell apart. The channels on the TV was great however the reception and size of the CRT was not that great.The bed was nice and right next to the bed was a small couch and table. There was a balcony with a view over a playground and in the distance the Washington monument.
There was not information inside the room about the hotel and the receptionist did not inform me of anything. One thing that worried me a bit was the lack of information in case of a fire or an emergency (see picture).
The maids start each morning at 8 o'clock. They start by knocking on every door to ensure that all will be awake. I did not ask for that 'service' but I think you cannot avoid it. It does not matter if you put out a 'do not disturb' sign - the doors are so poorly isolated that you can hear the maids knocking on the doors down the hall. However they do a great job and the room was very clean during my stay.
They also had complimentary Wi-Fi which basically is useless (when it works). When I realised it was not working I told the receptionist. It was an elderly couple and the man just responded 'yes we know'. For the 5 days I stayed at the hotel it worked maybe all in all for 2 days and it was very slow.
There is a bar and restaurant at the hotel, however I did not use them. Also the bar seems to have a band on occasion. They play very loud and I was glad my room was no the second floor.
I did not interact with the staff that much but they seemed to be nice.
hotel reviews