Yes: Food and service were nice, however, I would recommend the Occidental around the corner at the ICH Willard. (other DCers agree?)

And to add to some of the other comments.

This "hotel" has become more of a night club than a place to sleep. I see it every time I walk past

Rooms are small but I didn't hear the noise that others have mentioned. Maybe it was because I was in the back away from everything?

Service at the hotel was very good. The staff all seemed very helpful. It is strange seeing bouncers in a hotel though.

The wine bar down stairs is nice a quiet if you want to get away from it all. One could also walk around the corner to the Willard for a nice drink.

Great location for touristy things but not so good if you want to go out at night. There really isn't anything nearby (although dive-esque Harry's is just a few blocks away on 11th - great sandwiches and Dave the bartender is a good guy - and Old Ebbit is up the street about a block [closes early]).

Close to both McPherson Sq and Metro Center metros.

Borders is on the corner of 14th st - a block away - if you need a DC guide or a book to read on your flight home

TD Bank is across the street from Borders and you can cash in your bulk US dollars in the change machine (bags cap out at $100 so be prepared).

Filene's basement is at the Borders/TD bank intersection on 14th if you need to buy a new pair of whatever that you forgot to pack (socks are always good :D). Macy's is ~ 2 blocks away for the same purpose.

Cheers

Busted by the Secret Service at W Washington DC
 

My wife and I stayed at W Washington DC over the July 4 holiday weekend. We stayed on a C&P rate - great deal over the holiday!

Our room wasn't a notable upgrade. We were given something like a "Fabulous Room." I actually thought it was pretty small and unimpressive - and the bathroom sink was pretty much in the bedroom. However, the property was sold out for the holiday.

The good news is that our room was on the top floor: the 10th. And it had a view facing toward the White House and Washington Monument. This was cool because it would mean an awesome view of the fireworks! We were just one floor below the Rooftop bar, where they were selling July 4 fireworks packages for ~$250 per person for fireworks viewing, open bar, and some apps. And we were getting the same view for free! Oddly, the window opened entirely, so we were looking forward to the pyrotechnics.

We settled in about 45 minutes before the fireworks began, taking in the scene, watching the Secret Service atop the White House, the crowds streaming down the street, listening to the sounds from above, etc...

A little while later (15 minutes or so?) there was a sharp rap on the door. My wife said, "I bet it's the Secret Service." (She's worked in the WH in the past and so is attuned to such things.). Sure enough, a pair of Secret Service agents were at the door, and informed us that our window would be remaining shut until after the fireworks. Plan thwarted... oh well.

The agents had come to us after visiting another room as well. My wife and I hurried to get outside for the fireworks, and so we actually rode the lift down with the agents (who were firm, polite and professional). We made small talk, and I said, "So do you guys visit here every year on this night?" Sure enough, this was a routine issue. This leads to my only complaint toward the W on this matter: Clearly this is a predictable issue, and they could have left a note in all similarly situated rooms to advise that such a restriction would be enforced so that we could better plan our nights - and manage our expectations.

On a side note, the soundproofing from the rooftop bar to the 10th floor is inadequate. It was actually a bigger problem on July 3 vs. July 4. I mentioned this offhandedly at checkout and was offered 5k points, an apology, and an entry to my profile that I prefer a quieter room. I also received an email reiterating the apology within a day. So thumbs up on handling that issue.

I continue to be a fan of the property and will look to it for future DC visits.

GM Contact?
 

Anyone have an email for the hotel or the GM? Staying there next weekend (last-minute) as part of a quick getaway for our anniversary...wanted to see if they could do something special for us.

Side note...we got married at the Westin, Embassy Row (Westin Fairfax back then) ... and my wife would rather stay at the W than where we got married. Hmmm.......

Thanks!

[email protected]

I wouldn't count on much, if anything.

Would agree with OP, emailed him twice and never got a response.....

FV

If it is a special occasion, I would recommend booking the room/suite type you want, esp at this hotel. You wouldn't want to get stuck with the regular rooms - they are TINY.

Thanks Everyone.

Did book an upgraded room (14,500) to the HUGE 280 sq ft. Not sure how it will go but we'll see.

This almost seems as bad as the 22,500/night to get to a standard non-suite room in the Canyon Suites.

Electrical Fire Prompts Evacuations at The W DC
 

It was not quite the fun-filled Saturday night that guests of the W Hotel and Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, DC had in mind--although there were some sparks. An electrical fire broke out at around 8pm at 1400 block of F Street NW where both hotels are located. It appears a transformer below the sidewalk had blown out, causing the fire.

The hotels, both of which have over 300 rooms and are just blocks away from the White House, were evacuated immediately and a wedding reception scheduled for the Willard was moved to a nearby JW Marriott. The Washington Examiner reports:

Some 150 firemen converged on the blaze, dousing the W Hotel and an attached building with water to prevent damage, said [D.C. fire department spokesman Pete] Piringer.

Fortunately, no one was hurt and neither hotel was damaged. Power was restored to the area around 10pm that night and guests returned to their hotels around 11pm. There's no word on if the hotels gave the guests anything for their troubles but we're hoping at least a free cocktail was offered to soothe their nerves.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/lo...#ixzz0wjsqljXD

The Willard's director of public relations, Barbara Bahny, wrote in with this official statement:

"We want to once again thank our guests for their patience and cooperation during Saturday night's evacuation. We appreciate the many positive guest comments on our Willard InterContinental staff's professionalism. The DC Fire department was swift in response to the Pepco emergency and thankfully every one was fine and the building unharmed."

Bahny also said that the incident will be added to the annals of the hotel's 150-year history. Apparently, in 1861, during the Civil War, the building next to the Willard caught fire and fire fighters/acrobats from New York called the Zouves helped saved the Willard from catching fire too. You can read all about it here: http://www.nytimes.com/1861/05/11/ne...willard-s.html

my weekend at the W
 

Just stayed here for a couple nights with my wife on 2 FWN's... plat recognition got us upgraded to a Fab Suite 8th floor facing the monuments - great room, love the bathroom decor, went to the rooftop patio at night for a drink - crowded but expected on a weekend night... overall I liked the fact that I'm next to the white house and in the touristy part of DC... comfortable beds, fresh linens, and plat recognition for an upgrade to a suite means ^^ for the W

I agree with all comments about not getting any responses back from the hotel. This is the first Starwood property ever that I never hear back from the GM.

Just completed a 5 night stay at this hotel - I have Platinum Status.

I was upgraded from their basic room to a "spectacular room". The view was not spectacular, but I was here for business so I didn't really care. Windows let in lots of natural light which was a plus for the mornings. The room itself wasn't huge (as has been commented on earlier, square footages listed on the W website), but I thought it was big enough, and was pretty comfortable. The only real minus for the room was the shower. While the design was good looking, in reality water leaked on my bathroom floor every time I was in the shower.

The restaurant at the hotel was fantastic. The J&G Steakhouse was great. I ate their a few times and all the things I tried were delicious. I highly highly recommend trying the ginger margarita - very refreshing. I went to the two bars on the roof, which have wonderful views. I didn't bother trying to eat up their as I had been told by other people staying their the food is inferior on the roof. I went up for a cocktail and enjoyed the view, which is spectacular.

The big minus on my trip was something that I would guess is unique to my stay, but indicative of something mentioned above. In the middle of the night on my second night, there was a loud knock on the door followed immediately by the door opening and hitting the door stop/block thing. I was pretty disoriented so by the time I managed to get up to the door and look out the hallway, no one was there. I spoke to someone at the desk the next morning, and when I received no follow up, I spoke with the MOD the next evening. Both seemed genuinely concerned, and I never received any sort of follow up at all. They offered to switch my rooms but I had done something unusual and unpacked my first night so I didn't want the hassle.

This hotel is swanky and comfortable. However if something goes wrong (other than maintenance, I expect that would be taken care of), expect the manager to do absolutely nothing about it, or provide no follow up.

If, God forbid, this happen again, ask for a key query. They can determine who attempted to enter your room. I would be freaked out, and not comfortable re my personal safety. Moving your room would not solve the problem, as whatever led to one occupied room being entered could lead to any occupied room being entered. An aside, this is why I am meticulous in double bolting the door. My husband is lax about it, so I need to do this as part of my "going to bed" routine.

Variable Room Rates at W Washington DC
 

I have noticed that the room rates at the W can change to a lower rate as the travel dates come closer. As fomer Hilton Diamond, the rates usually got higher in DC (or stayed high) as the travel dates approached -- they never got lower.

Has anyone else seen this, and is there a rule of thumb I should be using so i can book a stay there? It is my favorite DC hotel.

This is absolutely something I would of freaked out about. I've seen this happen, and usually they have their security immediately do a "lock interagation" to see who's key it was. I would persue the issue with corperate and file a complaint.

Just completed 2 nights over the past weekend.

Arrival: I walked in with my luggages with no assistance from anyone at the door. Check-in line was so long that the hotel directed the line to be folded so it won't block the traffic to the roof top elevator. I understand that it was 5 pm, which was probably the peak check-in time. The hotel should have realized and managed the number of staffs accordingly. I was told that the internet is complimentary. No initial upgrades, so I asked and received one from Wonderful to Fabulous room facing the treasury department.

Room: This W has the smallest hotel room I ever stayed in. With 2 adults and 2 young children, it was extremely tight. Shower is surrounded by foggy glass wall. It is not private at all especially when you shower with all bedroom lights off and shower light on. Plus the shower light would lit up and could possibly wake up folks in the room. Walls are also extremely thin.

Issues: After a long flight, we decided to take a shower and got ready for dinner. Kids ran out the door not telling us that there was water leaking from the ceiling just outside our room. Water got on their hair and faces.. some on ours. All of us went back, took a shower, and dressed up (again).. not knowing what source of water was coming from. I told a hotel staff downstair about the situation. We came back from dinner and noticed two patches up on the ceiling.

No follow up whatsoever.. until we called front desk about something else, then she said "by the way, sorry about the leak.. you guys should be ok since the leak is outside your door". She offered us another room with one smaller bed (queen), but nicer view. I politely declined and asked if there is any better room/suite available. She said everything was sold out. Sure enough, SPG.com showed a whole lot of different availabilities including suites. She did not prepare to get this kind of inquiry and basically ran me around! I even asked her if I would have bought another room, I would get it. She said "YES!!!".. so then what's up with "everything was sold out"????

Emailed the hotel general manager, Ed Baten, and cc: Starwood Hotel VP. Called and met the front desk and asked for Ed to call me back. Never heard back so far! His arrogance and lack of communication are very obvious from this board and my first-hand experience.

Upon check out, I was charged for the internet. All platinum out there, be aware and check your bill.

Fortunately, I was able to make a reservation at the St. Regis and moved on. To sum it up, I actually like a $65 aLoft better than this W property.