IC The Willard Washington DC

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes, generally. I usually stay here a few times a year.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked Superior Room at Government Rate. Received 1 King Bed Executive Suite.

How are the rooms?
The Executive Suite has a separate bedroom and living room with 2 full baths. The living room has a sitting area plus dining area. The rooms have recently been redecorated and they are a little more modern now, but I feel they don't have as much character as they used to. Nespresso maker in the room, which I love.

How is the exec. lounge?
There isn't one.
​​​The Royal Ambassador breakfast is the buffet or anything from the menu. I chose the buffet both days, which also includes cooked to order eggs. The buffet is really good with a lot of options and variety.

Did you receive a welcome gift?
Nope - prior to 1 Feb, this hotel used to give RAs a full size bottle of red wine and a few times I also received a tin that looked like the Willard with cookies in it. They do not give the bottle of wine anymore (I double checked when I checked out.) I did get fruit -- I received a plate with 3 red delicious apples and a small bowl of dried fruit and nuts. This hotel used to give out a fantastic fruit plate, so this was a little disappointing. Plus received a few bottles of water everyday.

How was the minibar?
The minibar at this hotel is one of the best! 375ml bottles of red and white wine and champagne, 2 local IPAs, 2 Stellas, vodka, JW black, gin, bourbon, and tequila, plus mixers. This exec suite had 2 minibars, too, so I was definitely missing free minibar on this stay.
With the tax (10%) and service charge (15% then tax gets added to the service charge), a $40 bottle of wine ends up being $50.60. The hotel waived the 60 cents when I checked out, though. The champagne is $65 so not in the RA limit.

What was good and what was bad?

-Good
The upgrade from a Superior Room to Executive Suite.
The extra 60 cents was removed from my minibar charges - yay!
Location and history of the hotel, plus it's just a beautiful property
The breakfast is really good (but if I had a choice, I'd take the unlimited minibar)

-Bad
They are sticking to the new rules with no more welcome amenity for RA.
The fruit they brought up was disappointing, this hotel used to provide one of the best fruit plates.
They add tax to the minibar service charge (yeah, it's not a lot but still...).

Value for $ or Priority Club Points?
Yes

Would you return?
Yes