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Ritz-Carlton, Washington DC [Master thread]
Mods, please accept my apoogies if it’s presumtuous to start a master thread. But I’ve not found a thread for this particular property. The thread entitled “Washington DC Ritz Carlton” actually has a review of a different hotel, the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City in the DC area. I have a few stays planned at this RC Washington DC for spring 2019. (I also have a few stays planned at the RC Georgetown, Washington DC.) If anyone has stayed at this property, can you maybe offer some insights from the FT perspective? If anyone has stayed at both this RC Washington and the RC Georgetown and can offer and pros and cons, I’ll be super grateful. In particular, how is the air con here? Anyone else like it cold and can comment about keeping the room to 67 F or below? Thanks for any guidance or comments! |
Quick question. Planning to stay in the RC DC and booked a Club level room. It will be my wife and 2 kids (10 & 12). In reading the fine print it says that kids have an additional $75 charge per kid (below)
Has anyone stayed at the RC DC with club access with kids and knows if they really charge for kids? The Club access room is already $200 more than a non access room, but if I have to pay an additional $150, it will rely not be worth it. |
Originally Posted by NYC10069
(Post 30745168)
Quick question. Planning to stay in the RC DC and booked a Club level room. It will be my wife and 2 kids (10 & 12). In reading the fine print it says that kids have an additional $75 charge per kid (below)
Has anyone stayed at the RC DC with club access with kids and knows if they really charge for kids? The Club access room is already $200 more than a non access room, but if I have to pay an additional $150, it will rely not be worth it. |
Quick overview of my stay here 2 weekends ago:
Pre-upgraded a week prior to arrival one category to a premium king, but arrived to find the room not pre-cooled and HVAC not checked as promised (air con was off and room was at 72 F), and the promised amenity and fan weren't delivered until after I arrived. Sigh. At least the FDA recognized me as an Ambassador guest (hah) and the room seems lovely. Despite those opening service misses, the room otherwise was quite comfortable and cooled down to my specifications within a few hrs. The F&B and bar were truly impressive here. Really good food, and not too pricey, shockingly. I particularly loved the bar/lounge here—lots of space and niches/seating, good service, and very enjoyable modern but clubby ambience. For the price, I actually was very pleased. I would gladly return. I’d characterize this more as a business luxury hotel rather than a leisure property, but it’s a very nice hotel. |
The funny thing about this property is the Marriott kitty-cornered from it is described and marketed as being in Georgetown, which, of course, isn't true. Of course, there's already a Ritz-Carlton in real Georgetown so this property can't be marketed as Georgetown.
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Originally Posted by hockeyinsider
(Post 30975379)
The funny thing about this property is the Marriott kitty-cornered from it is described and marketed as being in Georgetown, which, of course, isn't true. Of course, there's already a Ritz-Carlton in real Georgetown so this property can't be marketed as Georgetown.
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The location is reasonably good. This is one of the RC with a connected RC resiendces, which is the other side of the building- across an interior courtyard.. The Hotel does not have its own gym or spa but for a reasonable daily fee, think of it as a hotel fee, gains access to one of the bigger Heath clubs which is located in the same building. The CL was in my opinion very good. The CL very very good and helpful. The food ‘presentations’ were very enjoyable. Because of the CL, I only walked past the hotel bar, which is right off the lobby. It’s a good looking space and had fairly good crowd. the restaurant in the hotel, aside from the bar, could easily be an independent restaurant.infact those entering it from the street would likely not know it part of the RC. We had a very good meal there. i would not really put Washington RC in a luxury category, it’s more of very good business hotel a just a bit better than a very good Marriott. But then again it’s normally not dramatic more than the a Marriott a block away. Parking is is expensive but given the location not unexpected. i would say it’s a good choice if you CL access but DC has a huge amount of choices under the Marriott umbrella. |
Thanks for the updates. Much appreciated.
Cheers. |
Originally Posted by Ripley62
(Post 30976411)
i would not really put Washington RC in a luxury category, it’s more of very good business hotel a just a bit better than a very good Marriott. But then again it’s normally not dramatic more than the a Marriott a block away. ... i would say it’s a good choice if you CL access but DC has a huge amount of choices under the Marriott umbrella. There are several Marriott International properties within walking distance: the really good Marriott, the Westin, the Ritz-Carlton Georgetown and the Mayflower, Autograph Collection. |
Very comfortable business luxury stay
Introduction I had a 2 night stay here to start my spring travel season for my company--almost 4 weeks of continuous travel. I chose this RC Washingtin because it priced better this weekend than the RC Georgetown property, and the RC Georgetown priced better for my return to DC 2 weeks later. That gave me the chance to compare and contrast both properties.This RC Washington feels much more like a business luxury hotel. The service and decor were quite nice, but not quite to the same luxury level as I'd attribute to the average St Regis.Just next door is the Equinox sports club, available for guests to use:The lobby/entrance feels quite broken up into many different rooms/areas, so it wasn't a grand arrival by any means.Reception:Free coffee in the mornings just around the corner by the elevators:The beautiful lobby lounge/bar area, which I loved:Hallway to my room: Check In Check in was quick and efficient. The FDA noted my Ambassador status but made no mention of any upgrade. Of course, I had booked an entry level Deluxe King room on a $293 AAA rate many months prior. I noticed on my Marriott app many days before my arrival that I'd been pre-upgraded one room category to a Premium King room. I did check on the day of my arrival and saw no available suites, so I wasn't expecting any further upgrade. Room My Premium King room felt spacious and actually was quite comfortable. The view onto the courtyard was bland. But it also was quiet.Plugs by the bedside.Honor bar.Mini bar under the cabinet:A fan at the foot of the bed as requested before arrival.A nice welcome amentity (and note) as requested before arrival came just after I arrived:I arrived to find the room at 71 F; the air con wasn't preset to 67 F as requested in advance and as was confirmed by the hotel. Fortunately, a very friendly engineer did come promptly and quickly fixed that for me. Within a few hours, the room was down to 65 F. Bliss for me, though the hotel should have done that ahead of time.WiFi was great.Shower pressure was pretty good, too.Overall, I was quite comfortable in the room as a single traveler. For the $293 AAA rate, I thought this was quite the steal. Service Service was a bit mixed. Overall, I'd say I was quite pleased, but there also is a somewhat formulaic Ritz approach to service that sometimes leaves me a bit cool.The pros:1. I was pre-upgraded a week before arrival.2. The welcome amenity and note.3. The engineer quickly resolved my air con issue.4. I was provided extra water as requested pre-arrival.5. I was provided a fan at the foot of the bed as requested pre-arrival.Room service was always friendly, efficient, and prompt. The cons:1. The room was not pre-cooled to 67 F as requested and promised before arrival.2. The welcome amenity and note arrived after my arrival.3. When I complained initially about the air con, there seemed to be some confusion at the front desk. It was quickly resolved, but it seemed the left and right arms didn't always seem to know what the other was doing. Dining Dining was a highlight here. Not only was the food and beverage service quite good, but I also was surprised to find the prices to be quite reasonable.I had room service for breakfast, lunch and dinners. It was all delicious!I also met a friend for drinks and dinner at the bar. It also was quite delicious. Service was outstanding, as well. Location The location is just a short walk to the Dupont metro station or a 10 min walk down to the Foggy Bottom metro station. It was a mere 20-25 min drive to/from the Reagan DCA airport. Overall I was quite pleased with my stay for the $293 rate. The room was comfortable, the food/beverage were wonderful, the service was overall quite good, and the location was very convenient. While the hotel doesn't blow me away as a proper luxury hotel, for my business purposes it was extremely nice and refreshing.After our disappointing service stay at the St Regis a few years ago, not to mention how dated that property's rooms and suites are, I was eager to try the Ritz-Carlton options in the city. Certainly, I'd be quite pleased to stay here again for the right rate!For comparison purposes, the RC Georgetown definitely felt more luxurious and absolutely more boutique (and with only 86 total rooms/suites, it's easy to understand why compared with the RC Washington's 300 total rooms/suites!). But I also experienced many more service issues (and also some impressive service recovery) at the RC Georgetown. Considering the RC Georgetown's much higher average rates, that suggests plenty of caution depending on your priorities.
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Reviews seem mixed - if Georgetown Ritz is sold out would you stay here vs W, JW, and St. Regis?
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Originally Posted by Dn10
(Post 31253157)
Reviews seem mixed - if Georgetown Ritz is sold out would you stay here vs W, JW, and St. Regis?
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Originally Posted by Dn10
(Post 31253157)
Reviews seem mixed - if Georgetown Ritz is sold out would you stay here vs W, JW, and St. Regis?
The StR DC is not a good example for the brand. We had a very disappointing stay here a few yrs ago, and I swore I’d not return until it was fully renovated (such dated suites and rooms, dear me) and had a revamped and much improved management team with a better record of service. Nothing has changed. I’d gladly stay at this RC again over the StR. And I’d gladly stay at this RC again if the price was substantially lower than that of the RC Georgetown or if that weren’t available—though that property has most certainly shown an amazing propensity for Ambassador recognition in my case. I believe my suite upgrade chances are better even at the smaller RC Georgetown, but I also was quite pleased with the premium king room and overall service experience here. I would choose this over the W unless I had an occasion or event there. Though I do like that W, I preferred this RC. In general, I’d consider the RC or StR to be better than most Ws. |
Club Lounge here reopened for service Thursdays-Sundays.
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Just completed a weekend stay here, and as usual, things were excellent. I booked the BAR into a regular room ($400) about 3 months out and used club level upgrades for the stay. At check in, I was upgraded to a great, spacious corner room, that could almost qualify as a suite. Check in was flawless, great welcome, was also informed that a $100 F/B credit would be issued since I was paying with RC Visa. I had never seen this before, usually have to book the LU3 rate, but indeed it was there on check out.
Ambassador file request of extra water and ice cold room were honored. Headed to the club shortly after, which was nicely appointed for dinner. Had several cocktails and wines there, all of which were great. Breakfast and lunch spread's were good as well, service from the club staff was well done. Offerings are as broad as they were pre-COVID. Quadrant was really busy both nights, but the drinks well made as usual. West End Bistro is still not open. Overall a great stay here in my tied for first favorite DC hotel (with the Park Hyatt). Some photos of the club lounge spread, and room view (up 22nd). https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b369b4a92b.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...14937e3654.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e5af12c180.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f1c442b94b.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d1ee92e52b.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...45e6da3a30.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...424cd23f4c.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c20d5f77e6.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...86414a68a1.jpg |
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