CMK10

Stay Report - 12/21-12/22

Location: Depending on what you're doing in DC the location can be good or bad. All my activities this trip were in Georgetown so I loved where the hotel was located. I could walk a few blocks to some amazing restaurants and bars and the area around the hotel was nice and quiet. If you want to be able to get to the Metro easily or go to the typical touristy sights it might not be the best so YMMW.

Hotel: Pretty nondescript outside but inside a lot of modern luxury. A very attractive lobby which was nicely done up for Christmas. There's also a funky lobby bar with some excellent liquor selections and of course the attached Blue Duck Tavern for meals. No issues waiting on elevators and they require keycard access which is good.



Check In: I had booked my reservation through Amex FHR which guarantees an early check in of noon. I arrived at 12:15 PM and was checked right into a junior suite which was an upgrade over my booked king room. Front desk staff were absolutely wonderful. Friendly and helpful, wanting to offer me whatever I needed (newspapers, extra water etc.), making sure I got all my stated benefits. I was very impressed.



Room: Speaking of impressed, my junior suite was excellent. Very nice living room for lounging, amazing bathroom with an incredible shower, nice bedroom, functioning wifi and no noise issues. Everything I could ask for frankly. I'd also like to point out that my brother, his wife and their twins were staying the night and the hotel not only provided two cribs but gave them a set of Burts Bees products for babies. That was a really nice gesture.











Dining: I used my $100 dining credit at Blue Duck Tavern. Annoyingly on weekends the brunch menu runs until 2:30 PM and it's the same menu as breakfast and it's very breakfast heavy. Service I'm sorry to say was absolutely awful. Impossible to get refills, wrong orders, indifferent attitude. The food was very good but it was not a fun dining experience.

Overall I liked the hotel a lot and would be happy to return. Hopefully the dining issues were just a blip.

dpb132

Just an FYI that FHR doesn’t guarantee early check-in, only late check-out. Would not want you to be too disappointed if it isn’t available.

Appreciate the review, I’ll be staying here again next week for the first time in a few years.

MSPeconomist

During some periods at some properties, guaranteed early check in (usually noon) is the special amenity for the property rather than a $100 F&B credit, lunch, afternoon tea, spa service, etc.

platbrownguy

I had hoped that losing the Michelin star would have prompted some change in the dining service, but it doesn't seem like it did. Service at BDT at breakfast time has always, in my opinion, been quite slow and unreliable.

dakid23

I’m going to DC in a few weeks. Should I stay here or the Thompson? I’ve only stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Washington.

dpb132

What Hyatt status do you have?

dakid23

Globalist

dpb132

PH in that case. Thompson is pretty far out by the Navy Yard, unless you have reason to be out that way.

dpb132

Had a 3-night stay here in Jan 2020. Used a TSU in advance and was offered a Park Suite by my Concierge (technically a premium suite and two-category upgrade). At check-in was further upgraded to a Park Executive Suite on the 6th floor overlooking 24th Street. I barely used the living area, but the bath area remains outstanding and I slept well 2 out of 3 nights, which is saying something for me in hotels. Breakfast at the Blue Duck each day was delicious and service was good. Was told at check-in the credit was $40/pp (it was just me staying) and all charges were wiped before I checked out. Had drinks at the bar a couple of nights and the service was just OK then; also the bar food menu has gotten both small and a bit esoteric IMO. But overall the PH remains my top choice in D.C. when I can get a corporate rate.

steveholt

For an update on how the hotel is currently operating, just completed a one-night stay here. Masks are required everywhere on property. BDT is open and taking reservations, and while the hotel is offering delivery of items from BDT to your room, they're just serving BDT's menu at the time and not a broader room service menu. (As an example, BDT has a hamburger on its lunch menu, but not its dinner menu. Room service here had a hamburger on the menu, but when I called to try and order one in the evening, I was told that it wasn't possible.) The food we did order was in paper packaging. There are hand sanitizer stations throughout the lobby area, and the elevator has literal stickers for where you're supposed to sit or stand.

The room itself was missing some of the things I would typically associate with a PH, notably toothbrush/toothpaste. No bath salts, no writing pad, and all the books in the room are gone. The remote was wrapped in plastic. The hard product was otherwise unchanged.

The pool/spa remain closed. The fitness center is open on-demand, but you need to go to checkin to have them let you into the guest house and access the facilities, and I'm not sure they're letting multiple people use it at once. I felt like the hotel was doing well in dealing with coronavirus given the circumstances, but the one exception was in the gym, where there was still a pool of sweat from some prior Peloton rider on the ground.

DELee

Did you tell them about it? Did they respond?

David

steveholt

There was one occupied person at the front desk when I returned from the gym and then I checked out via the app and had to catch an Uber, so I did not.

Alpinetrekker

Planning a work stay here for next month. Can anyone comment on the current speed of the wifi? I saw some prior posts suggesting it was a little slow. Also, anyone with Verizon cell service know how LTE signal strength is in the hotel?

Mark

platbrownguy

Verizon cell service has always been excellent there for me. I don't recall wifi speeds.

dkc192

Wifi speeds were acceptable for me during my stay a few weeks ago. I was able to conduct VoIP/video calls and stream HD video without issue. The lower-than-normal occupancy may have helped.