My fiancée and I booked a room at The Liaison very last-minute (in fact, when we were already in Washington, because staying at the home of relatives, as planned, turned out to be less than ideal). We got a great Internet rate and had time for only a perfunctory glance at tripadvisor ratings and reviews. As others have noted, the hotel is new, sleek, and clean, the beds are comfortable, and it's located a very short walk from Capitol Hill and a slightly longer one to attractions downtown and along the Mall. The bathrooms are small and the non-stop techno music in the lobby gets under your skin after a while, but all in all, it offers a good bang for your buck (we paid just over $212 US, tax included, for two nights!).
My big, overshadowing caveat, however, is the weekly Sunday pool party mentioned by one other reviewer. The hotel's rooftop pool was a big draw for us on our only weekend getaway of the summer. After our second day of trekking around the city in 90-degree weather, we couldn't wait to hit the pool for a refreshing swim and happy hour. We returned to the hotel to find it hopping with loud rap and dance music and crawling with dozens and dozens of people who were obviously not all guests at the hotel. Security guards posted by the elevators asked us if we were going to the pool. We changed into our bathing suits and tried our luck, but by the time we'd squeezed our way into sight of the pool, it was clear we could forget about our much-anticipated poolside relaxation.
We headed to the front desk to register our disappointment. We spoke to a manager named Jonathan, who immediately told us that The Liaison's "DC-wide weekly Sunday pool party" is advertised throughout the city. I replied that (surprise, surprise!) we were from out of town and that we hadn't been informed of the party at check-in, for which he apologized. Jonathan said he would speak to the hotel director about compensating us and that he would call our room soon with news. We checked out at 1 p.m. the following day without ever hearing a word from hotel management.
Upon returning home, I checked the hotel's Web site for information on the weekly pool party. On the "Rooftop pool" page, it does indeed say that the pool is open to adults 21 and over only on Sundays from 1 p.m. to close. It says nothing, however, about the party and the massive influx of revellers from all over the city.
Something to consider as you plan your stay in DC...
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