I stay at Kimptons a lot. In fact, they are my favorite chain. But I won't stay at the Rouge in the future and highly urge others not to judge Kimpton by this hotel.
The first room I was given was very noisy, and I'm fairly certain there was blood on the comforter. The comforter is bright white, so how housekeeping missed that, I just don't know. The front desk moved me to a quieter room, which was, luckily, bloodless as far as I could see.
When I checked in, for some reason my In Touch number wasn't with my reservation. The person who checked me in indicated she could and would fix that. She never did. I finally brought the number down to the front desk and watched while they entered the number, but this was annoying. I didn't get the usual amenities that come with membership and had to make them correct my bill to remove minibar charges that were within the $10 limit for members.
Housekeeping staff is not at all discreet. They apparently cannot shut a door to save their lives. My room was next to the room where they keep their linens, and I saw that door closed exactly once in three days. This was both annoying and dangerous since I couldn't see the door was open when exiting my room until I was about to hit it. Also, they didn't bother to replenish my tissues, which was annoying since I had a cold. If they had glanced at the trash can, it would have been obvious I needed tissues.
The hotel is close to nothing. Metro is several blocks away, as are the closest restaurants. I used to live in DC, and I was surprised there was anywhere in the District this far away from transit and dining. Likewise, forget morning Starbucks. It's more than half a mile away.
The people who work here are typical Kimpton employees, meaning nice, friendly, and helpful. (Other than the housekeeping staff, who were just odd.) The restaurant staff in particular was really friendly.
But if you're in the area, stay at the Palomar in DuPont Circle or the Monaco in Chinatown. Prices aren't significantly different most of the time, and you'll get much better value for your buck.
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