Alawyer

Just survived a conference here. The lobby is TINY - expect lots of noise and no place to wait if there is a big crowd. The front desk is staffed only by 2 people so I had to wait 15 mins to be checked in. Love the atmosphere tho. The bar is quite nice.

landeej

I stayed at the Fairfax last weekend, and this was probably my 5th stay since 2011. I've had both good and bad experiences here, but my corporate rate is quite good and I like the older feel of the rooms and property.

Based on conversations with the Front Desk Manager, who checked me in, they seem to have new management and are *very* keen to step up their game and public perception of the property. He'd already gotten my name from the valet as I was getting my coat from my car, had my profile pulled up, and stated clearly that he wanted to make sure an SPG Platinum guest was well taken care of. The SNAs I'd used for the reservation had cleared 2 weeks prior, and I further asked if the Superior Suite was available instead of the Deluxe Suite, as I didn't mind the noise from the back of the hotel alley in exchange for the much larger room, and was happily accommodated.

I didn't dine in the restaurant or hit the bar on this stay, but IRD was top-notch, and any service request was handled within minutes. Upon check-out, I was handed a card with a custom URL to TripAdvisor and kindly requested to leave feedback on my stay.

Long story short - if you're in DC in the near future and want very bespoke service from a hotel very keen to increase visibility for their service, give the Fairfax a shot.

heakja

I have had the deluxe suite twice at this hotel, facing the noisy courtyard. I was considering trying the superior suite the next time, but are you saying that those also face the back alley? I though those were facing Mass Avenue?

landeej

Ciao, Heakja. The Deluxe Suite, if memory serves, faces the front of the hotel. The Superior Suite has absolutely no view (brick buildings adjacent to the back alley), and early in the morning you can hear the trash pickup with accompanying crashing of glass. But - it's quite large and has a very good work/meeting area in the front room of the suite suitable for holding meetings during the much quieter daytime.

heakja

Thanks for the reply. Good not know. The deluxe suites I have had, have also been facing this alley. So I guess they are spread out. Hate the fact that the windows are so poorly soundproofed at this hotel, everything else is pretty much great (location, price)!

postular

I love this hotel and its location. My last stay I got a rate of around $150 which was a steal! This is my new first choice in DC.

CruisingAltitude47

Had my first stay here last week. I'm GLD, so no big upgrade, but I found the property to be clean and quiet, and the staff to be very attentive. Decent rates for last minute reservations, definitely felt more like a 'luxury' collection hotel than your standard Sheraton or Westin. I'd stay there again.

Flews

Nice stay. Upgraded to one-bedroom suite overlooking main entrance. Great service from friendly, helpful staff, with one exception - failed to receive my wake-up call for my business meeting. Always use my phone for back up, but still, a bit aggravating for quality of this property. Especially when person at front desk pretty well just shrugged when I mentioned it at check-out. Still, I'd come back. Great cookies in the lobby!

Cheers,

TravelinSperry

Booked a stay here based on everyones recommendations. DC seems very full/pricey the weekend I'm visiting, so I booked a deluxe room here at a slightly higher cost w/ 2 queens - as it appears those rooms are larger than the king size rooms. Coming with a guest and the smaller rooms might be a bit tight and with what appears to be high occupancy didn't want to chance standard room without Plat upgrade.

However I will submit an SNA request to see if I can get a suite. But then on my conf email I saw this:

We invite you to upgrade your room to a Deluxe Suite for an additional $100 per night. Our Deluxe Suites include a separate living area and feature our sumptuous pillow top beds cloaked in Fili D'oro 300 thread count bed linens, spacious bathroom, and deluxe bath amenities.
Limited rooms are available. Don't miss this opportunity to upgrade your room at The Fairfax at Embassy Row, Washington D.C.

They then provide an email and a code to send to the email to take advantage of the offer. Mysteriously the suites were unavailable for direct booking via the SPG App. I wonder if this is the hotels way of selling suites at a reasonable cost rather than allowing SNAs to clear or giving them away to Platinums like me. I've already paid a terribly high rate of over $300 p/nt for the room (as I say the occupancy is high in DC for some reason). Not going to kick another $100 into the mix.

KENNECTED

When are you visiting?

This property is my go to SPG property in DC. They are pretty good with upgrades and Platinum recognition.

silentbob1974

I've always stayed in a Deluxe Suite here but used SNAs, so no idea if you'd get a suite through platinum upgrade anyway. The suites are fairly small though and the furniture is dated, but you really can't beat the location.

KENNECTED

They don't have very many suites, but they do have larger King rooms. Which are spacious.

TravelinSperry

Anyone know of any cheaper places to park in the area?

TravelinSperry

I found this app (SpotHero) which offers discounted parking near the Fairfax. There is also a conga thread in case you want to earn $5 http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/s-p-m...o-parking.html

Parking at the Fairfax was an insane $53 per night. But searching this app I'm able to find parking for $22 per night a few blocks away. Over 3-4 nights the savings gets quite significant.

travelertodd

I wholeheartedly agree with searching for parking alternatives at the Fairfax. $53 per night is an absurd price to pay for parking considering you can literally get over 50% off a parking spot a few blocks over. They're also all over the DC area, so if you drive to dinner, meeting, or convention, you can find parking nearby.

That being said, this hotel has a fairly nice bar. It was great to wind down after a long day in a seemingly relaxed atmosphere.