Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square
Apr 25, 2010, 6:48 am
#1
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Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square
I had planned to stay here for three nights but due to other circumstances this trip ended up being only one night. This was my second stay and similar issues emerged.
First off the Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square is a fantastic hotel, conveniently located a block away from the White House. Check in was welcoming and friendly (unlike on my previous trip). The room (junior suite) was not ready at 11.30 am which was a shame as I had hoped to catch a break before work but they were genuinely full and very busy this week.
Once I got to my room it was more of a suite than a junior suite (though not sure this was an upgrade). Two separate rooms, large living room with HD TV and Bose sound system and huge sofa and chairs. Comfortable working area with reasonable wifi charges ($7.99 for 24hrs). When the staff brought the luggage up they also set up the room (lights etc.) and brought some ice for beverages. The key card holder also included the drinks voucher.
The bedroom was not the biggest but accommodated the fantastic bed well and featured another HD TV. Bathroom was the same as in all the other rooms: tub and walk in shower with lovely L'Occitane en Provence toiletries. Unusually for a Sofitel in the US no fresh flowers in the bathroom.
One thing I don't like about the rooms in the DC Sofitel is that none of the windows open and no matter what the weather you need AC.
What was missing again was the welcome gift, I did not get it on my last trip and nothing materialised on this trip either. I sense a pattern emerging in DC which needs addressing.
Room service was good and rather reasonably priced. The bar is a bit gloomy and can get busy with non hotel guests. In the warm months they have a very pleasant outdoor seating area though service there was very sluggish.
Check out was swift and very helpful. As I had to curtail my trip I raised the question of charging for the whole booking but they immediately assured me that they won't enforce this booking rule.
Overall this is a great hotel (No. 1 on Tripadvisor in DC) but they may want to make A-Club Platinum members feel a bit more special.
Rates can get very high here ($349/night this time) but depending on dates you can get good deals at the DC Sofitel.
A-Club points have posted less then 24hrs after check out.
First off the Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square is a fantastic hotel, conveniently located a block away from the White House. Check in was welcoming and friendly (unlike on my previous trip). The room (junior suite) was not ready at 11.30 am which was a shame as I had hoped to catch a break before work but they were genuinely full and very busy this week.
Once I got to my room it was more of a suite than a junior suite (though not sure this was an upgrade). Two separate rooms, large living room with HD TV and Bose sound system and huge sofa and chairs. Comfortable working area with reasonable wifi charges ($7.99 for 24hrs). When the staff brought the luggage up they also set up the room (lights etc.) and brought some ice for beverages. The key card holder also included the drinks voucher.
The bedroom was not the biggest but accommodated the fantastic bed well and featured another HD TV. Bathroom was the same as in all the other rooms: tub and walk in shower with lovely L'Occitane en Provence toiletries. Unusually for a Sofitel in the US no fresh flowers in the bathroom.
One thing I don't like about the rooms in the DC Sofitel is that none of the windows open and no matter what the weather you need AC.
What was missing again was the welcome gift, I did not get it on my last trip and nothing materialised on this trip either. I sense a pattern emerging in DC which needs addressing.
Room service was good and rather reasonably priced. The bar is a bit gloomy and can get busy with non hotel guests. In the warm months they have a very pleasant outdoor seating area though service there was very sluggish.
Check out was swift and very helpful. As I had to curtail my trip I raised the question of charging for the whole booking but they immediately assured me that they won't enforce this booking rule.
Overall this is a great hotel (No. 1 on Tripadvisor in DC) but they may want to make A-Club Platinum members feel a bit more special.
Rates can get very high here ($349/night this time) but depending on dates you can get good deals at the DC Sofitel.
A-Club points have posted less then 24hrs after check out.
Last edited by starflyergold; Apr 25, 2010 at 8:20 am Reason: points have posted
Apr 25, 2010, 12:39 pm
#2
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Hello Starflyergold
thank you for this nice review. I stayed many times at this hotel and I agree with you, it's a really great one. I had only excellent stays there. As you said fares are often very high but it's a general issue in DC. The only time you can have reasonnable fares is during the winter. They seem pretty busy (good for them
). I'm leaving tomorrow for IAD but my colleagues and I are unable to stay at the Sofitel because they did not have enough rooms for us (we needed 7 rooms) and the fares for the few remaining rooms were skyrocketting...
thank you for this nice review. I stayed many times at this hotel and I agree with you, it's a really great one. I had only excellent stays there. As you said fares are often very high but it's a general issue in DC. The only time you can have reasonnable fares is during the winter. They seem pretty busy (good for them
). I'm leaving tomorrow for IAD but my colleagues and I are unable to stay at the Sofitel because they did not have enough rooms for us (we needed 7 rooms) and the fares for the few remaining rooms were skyrocketting...
Apr 26, 2010, 3:14 am
#3
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Switzerland
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Nice Review Starflyergold ^
One thing I noticed concerning the L'Occitane en Provence toiletries were that these were NOT available in my brother's standard room at The Sofitel Angkor. We had the L'Occitane en Provence products in our upgraded room though...
Is this a common thing @ Sofitel around the world or is it local?
One thing I noticed concerning the L'Occitane en Provence toiletries were that these were NOT available in my brother's standard room at The Sofitel Angkor. We had the L'Occitane en Provence products in our upgraded room though...
Is this a common thing @ Sofitel around the world or is it local?
Apr 26, 2010, 4:12 am
#4
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There is currently no uniform toiletries policy in Sofitel hotels. Most European Sofitels stock Hermès toiletries in all rooms. In the US it is mostly L'Occitane and sometimes Hermès or remaining stocks of Roger & Gallet (which used to be the standard at all Sofitels).
For those who have developed an L'Occitane affinity, as Cupart seems to have
, it is available at L'Occitane shops around the world (or online) and the version the Sofitel offers is Verbena. Large bottle of shower gel is about € 15. The small ones as seen in the hotel are € 5, so make sure to empty out the bathroom when you leave 
For those who have developed an L'Occitane affinity, as Cupart seems to have
, it is available at L'Occitane shops around the world (or online) and the version the Sofitel offers is Verbena. Large bottle of shower gel is about € 15. The small ones as seen in the hotel are € 5, so make sure to empty out the bathroom when you leave
Apr 26, 2010, 6:50 am
#5
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Switzerland
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For those who have developed an L'Occitane affinity, as Cupart seems to have , it is available at L'Occitane shops around the world (or online) and the version the Sofitel offers is Verbena. Large bottle of shower gel is about € 15. The small ones as seen in the hotel are € 5, so make sure to empty out the bathroom when you leave
, it is available at L'Occitane shops around the world (or online) and the version the Sofitel offers is Verbena. Large bottle of shower gel is about € 15. The small ones as seen in the hotel are € 5, so make sure to empty out the bathroom when you leave For you Dubliners out there, there is also a L'Occitane shop on Wicklow street, but I couldn't find the shampoo my golden locks got used to from my recent Sofitel stays
Back to Tesco's finest
Apr 26, 2010, 7:11 am
#6
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Apr 26, 2010, 7:25 am
#7
Join Date: Feb 2009
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May 15, 2010, 12:04 pm
#9
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As per usual Sofitel sent out an online questionnaire after the stay and apparently these are being read by management as this just arrived in my inbox:
Good response and also encouragement for all us A-Club elites to make sure to let them know when they get it wrong (and indeed when they get it right) ^
Dear starflyergold:
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your comments regarding your stay at the Sofitel Washington DC. Exceptional service is what we strive for; therefore your feedback is extremely important as it helps us to continually improve and provides a memorable experience to our valued guests.
Please allow me to express my most sincere apologies regarding the missing A-Club Platinum welcome amenities. Please rest assured that we have taken the appropriate measures to address the problem with our Director of Rooms in order to prevent a future occurrence. As a gesture of goodwill, we would like to offer you a special welcome amenity during your next stay with us.
Our relationship with our guests is of paramount importance. We are hopeful that you will present us the opportunity to welcome you back to the Sofitel Washington D.C. Lafayette Square and demonstrate the quality of service you have the right to expect from our hotel.
....
General Manager
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your comments regarding your stay at the Sofitel Washington DC. Exceptional service is what we strive for; therefore your feedback is extremely important as it helps us to continually improve and provides a memorable experience to our valued guests.
Please allow me to express my most sincere apologies regarding the missing A-Club Platinum welcome amenities. Please rest assured that we have taken the appropriate measures to address the problem with our Director of Rooms in order to prevent a future occurrence. As a gesture of goodwill, we would like to offer you a special welcome amenity during your next stay with us.
Our relationship with our guests is of paramount importance. We are hopeful that you will present us the opportunity to welcome you back to the Sofitel Washington D.C. Lafayette Square and demonstrate the quality of service you have the right to expect from our hotel.
....
General Manager
Good response and also encouragement for all us A-Club elites to make sure to let them know when they get it wrong (and indeed when they get it right) ^
Oct 28, 2014, 12:05 am
#11
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I just completed a new stay of several nights at Sofitel Washington DC. Excellent stay as usual.
I booked a superior room and has been upgraded without asking to a nice corner luxury room. Drink voucher giving you full bar (including champagne) and cakes/fruit platter were provided. There is no club lounge in this hotel. The hotel was quite busy. I asked for a 4 pm check-out but was granted "only" to 3 pm as the hotel was close to fully booked on my departure day. Points took a few days to be credited, but it was the correct amount.
Really an excellent hotel and great location in DC.
I booked a superior room and has been upgraded without asking to a nice corner luxury room. Drink voucher giving you full bar (including champagne) and cakes/fruit platter were provided. There is no club lounge in this hotel. The hotel was quite busy. I asked for a 4 pm check-out but was granted "only" to 3 pm as the hotel was close to fully booked on my departure day. Points took a few days to be credited, but it was the correct amount.
Really an excellent hotel and great location in DC.
Sep 27, 2016, 2:39 pm
#12
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Another excellent stay in this wonderful hotel. The nice surprise was to see that the rooms have been renovated since my last stay and I really like the new style (see pictures). Was proactively upgraded one level. Perfect LCAH platinum compliance (upgrade, drink voucher valid even for Champagne, VIP treatment consisting in a plate of very good French pastries (macaron, cannelé, etc), late check-out to 4pm). Great food at the restaurant & bar. Highly recommended.
May 1, 2017, 2:56 pm
#14
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Just checked-out of one of my favorite Sofitel. Another very good stay. Was upgraded from Superior to Luxury. Good Platinum treatment. Nothing to complain about ! My room was similar to the one displayed on the pictures of my previous post, but here are the pictures anyway
May 2, 2017, 11:18 am
#15
Join Date: Sep 2016
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I stayed there for a couple of nights in September 2016.
For some reasons, I didn't booked directly on accorhotels.com, but on booking.com and showed my (at the time) gold LCAH card while checking in. I immediately got upgraded one level and issued a drink voucher (which I didn't use). Obviously no point were credited to my account due to the booking not being made directly with Accor.
I have very good memories of the restaurant, I'm actually considering rebooking there just because of the food.
For some reasons, I didn't booked directly on accorhotels.com, but on booking.com and showed my (at the time) gold LCAH card while checking in. I immediately got upgraded one level and issued a drink voucher (which I didn't use). Obviously no point were credited to my account due to the booking not being made directly with Accor.
I have very good memories of the restaurant, I'm actually considering rebooking there just because of the food.