From NYC

Am here now for a multi-night stay, having arrived yesterday, a Saturday.

I've been upgraded to a suite, not sure what terminology, on the 9th floor looking out towards Washington Monument and Potomac. Quite comfortable. Was not asked about Plat amenity, and haven't done anything about it as I just realized it. Was told I could use the large bottle of Fiji water that's part of the mini-bar without charge each day.

Was sent a terrific late of 3 perfect cheeses, some bread items, a bottle of wine and a bottle of sparkling water.

Yes, the lobby was quite a scene as the night came on with people lining up to go to the roof bar; there was also some sort of reception in one part of the roof area last night.

Not unexpectedly, was woken up about 3AM by some partyers in the room next to or above me. Called downstairs about it, and they promised to send someone to request some quiet. Didn't expect much, but did hear the music volume go down. For a few minutes. Then it went back. Called downstairs again, and they readily offered me another suite, either for the night or for the remainder of my stay. As I'd unpacked several things, didn't want to pack them up again, that night or today, so slept in the bed, then came back to my room. Gave them back the keys to the 5th floor room in the morning, with thanks. Received a lot of apologies, and I stated that such things happen on a Saturday night at a W.

Bed was very comfortable. Wish the shower pressure was stronger. Haven't yet tried any of the food operations. Will be using the Acura free drive test on Tuesday to get to an appointment. Am here for a conference next door at the Willard, but got a better rate here; plus have elite status here.

The curved 2-part couch in the living room isn't really an alternate nap place, but is comfortable to sit on. Lots of electronica in the room.

BTW, before I arrived, received an email from Reinier Bunnik, Director of Welcome Office, who was very helpful and responsive in advance of my stay. You can try him at [email protected]

Will update if anything else comes up during my stay.

justspg

actually stayed at this property on a trip to NC (broke up the trip by staying here and it was our 1st time ever at a W) about a year ago with my dad who is a plat and we used points. Had a corner room but it only had 1 bed so we requested a cot. We went out and upon coming back, the cot was in the room but it was against the wall. We ended up pulling the bed down and making it, but I decided to complain and told the FOM about it. I said if I was handicapped it would have been hard to get the bed down. Also valet is 50 bucks, and we got it waived since we called ahead for the car the next day and the car was not out within 30 min. of the call. I also recall the restaurant being severly overpriced.. a few reasonable restaurants within a few blocks. the rooftop bar/restaurant seems nice but didn't eat there. nice view of the white house from the rooftop.

wigstheone

Stayed one night at the W this past Monday (Feb 21st). All in all, just fine, but nothing to write home about (in fairness, I am not a huge fan of the W concept as I prefer substance over style).

Was "upgraded" to a Spectacular Room (610) having reserved a Wonderful Room, which faced Treasury across 15th Street -- the hotel was not particularly busy and SPG showed suites available but I did not push the issue. Overnight valet was $50, although the hotel cut the rate to $30 when my friend took the car before midnight. On a positive, the bed was very comfortable. Personally, I disliked having the bathroom sink in the bedroom. One other positive is that the hallways are unusually wide, the benefit of having been built at a different time.

Had drinks on the roof and in the lobby; the club soda on the roof was flat (it must have been pre-opened). Given it was a Monday night (and President's Day), the bar and lounge were expectedly quiet.

NDDomer86

$159 special offer rate for tonight only, of course prepaid and non-refundable. Must call the property to book, mention rate code FACEBOOK

jyzhu

Just completed a weekend stay at the W:

Pre-arrival: booked a base room on points, was upgraded to a Fantastic Suite, and then was bumped one higher to a Marvelous Suite as my Ambassador was in charge of this reservation.

Arrival: Arrived into DC on Friday night around 8PM right as the crowds were starting to swell for POV. There were no issues with checking-in, though they only offer the 500 points/logo item/movie as a Platinum amenity. When I travel for pleasure, I try to not take the points as I accrue them pretty quickly while traveling for work.

Room: The room was fantastic - I was traveling with a friend of mine, and we really enjoyed all the accommodations. The W is primarily for younger couples traveling without children. The bed was glorious - it was wide, spacious, and soft without feeling like you're sleeping in quicksand. The living room was spacious, but a bit underutilized. The bathroom was very modern - frosted glass everywhere, large double-top sink, awkwardly small toilet.

Stay: The stay was fantastic - the Marvelous Suite, although on a low floor (3rd) faced the Washington Monument. This is the first time that I've been looking forward to go to the hotel lounge at any Ws that I've stayed in (NY, South Beach, San Francisco). The location also cannot be beat - it's across the street from the White House entrance (perfect for my East and West Wing tours), across the Mall from the Washington Monument and all the Smithsonian museums, and close enough to DuPont Circle/U Street by taxi (at most $12) or by subway (at most 20 minutes).

Restaurants: We ordered very late night food, and a burger was $37 all-in. A bit steep, even for room service, in my opinion. There are also amazing restaurants in the area - highly recommend the Old Ebbitt Grill for oysters and mid-afternoon drinks.

Compared to the St. Regis: though it depends on what you are doing in DC, but I think that if you're under 40 and without kids, the W is a better stay than the St. Regis. I've stayed at the St. Regis, and it seemed very old-school stuffy, with its butler service to get anything.

Louie_LI

I was pleasantly surprised by the top-notch service at this property during a recent stay. Everyone I spoke to was friendly, knowledgeable and very service-oriented.

I agree with previous posters that having the sink in the bed area is a bit odd, and I did not appreciate the translucent shower wall or the gap left by the sliding bathroom door.

roder

While I didn't stay at this hotel, I did go to brunch at POV on Sunday morning, and I was not impressed and wanted to warn for others staying at the hotel.

First off, 80% of the seating is "lounge style"-- couches, small tables, low chairs. Not exactly ideal eating environment.

Second, for $40 per person, you get a) one hot entree which all sounded good but all came out lukewarm, small, and overall very disappointing; b) the buffet, which only consisted of a couple of different croissants/bread, fruit/berries, yogurt, granola, and desserts and c) Unlimited Bellinis or Bloody Mary's, which were good, but since our waitress was consistently nowhere to be found, so it was difficult to get refills.

The view from the roof is fantastic and the drinks are good, but the service was abysmal and the food was a huge let down.

I didn't bother asking our waitress about SPG points for dining there, but did request at the front desk who were more than accommodating.

Zone1

RIP.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...ibrH_blog.html

tjk1976

Further update on this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...AFsH_blog.html

I arrive there for a 2 night stay tomorrow. I'm sure this can't be a pleasant situation for staff, particularly those who might have served her on the roof in the moments preceding her "departure." Sad.

tjk1976

I stay at this property regularly and Reinier is fantastic. Always goes the extra mile and is a real asset to the place. ^

tjk1976

Just checked in and the front desk agent was understandably (and tastefully) tight lipped about the death, but I see now that they have put out a statement about what happened, confirming the deceased was not a guest in the hotel.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/124765909.html

PTahCha

We were having dinner at J&G Steakhouse with a window table, and the woman landed literally next to us outside. We didn't see the actual fall, but did hear the thump. Fortunately for us, the restaurant is on the lobby level, which is one story above the street level, so we were not in direct view of her body. Our server initially thought someone was throwing things at the window, and became quite upset when she saw the body.

Because of the window view, we had the front seat to the spectacle - the doorman who called 911, the arrival of police vehicles, secret service, the ambulance and EMT, and one passerby who wanted to take a picture of the body ( ), but the hotel employee stopped him and told him to get out of the way. ^

All I have to say is despite of the shocking situation, the staff took care of us. The sommelier and hotel MOD (I'm assuming) stopped by our table to make sure everything was alright (we literally just finished our main course when it happened) and took care of the check, and sent us back to our hotel in a Mercedes S550 (we were staying at the Park Hyatt).

Notenut

I had a stay here this weekend. There were a bunch of players from a tennis tournament staying here and so I am assuming the suites were all taken. As a Plat I was told I was upgraded to a 'spectacular' room which didn't live up to its name. It was looking out to F Street instead of the interior court. It was in the back of the hotel, # 330, in what years ago was a corner suite. There is one door which opens into a small foyer shared by two rooms. When I first checked in there were several women in the room next door gabbing and it was as if they were right in my room with me. I was dreading the evening but I think they must have checked out because I never heard another sound the whole night. The next morning I had an experience I haven't had in a hotel in years. I couldn't get any hot water. I ran the shower (there really is no indication on the fixture which side is hot and which is cold) moving the regulator from side to side just in case I had it set on cold instead of hot. I ran the water in the sink at the same time. After a good 5 minutes the water was still cold. At that point I called the front desk who said they would have the engineer check it out. After getting some clothes on and waiting a few more minutes I finally started to get warm and then hot water. By the time the engineer responded with a phone call I finally had hot water. I don't know if I just happened to be the first person using the hot water in that part of the hotel that morning (it was about 6:30) or what. I know it's an extremely old building but you would think they would have that kink ironed out when remodeling.
The view from the rooftop bar isn't all that remarkable.
Apart from the location there's nothing here that would ever cause me to go back.

ajca

Is there a consensus on how bad the bathroom privacy is at the suites at W Hotel in DC?

I am looking at staying there with my girlfriend for few a couple of nights in January. A number of people here and on Tripadvisor have raised the bathroom privacy as an issue, but I was wondering if anyone had any details on how bad this actually is?

Otherwise the hotel looks great - nice suites, modern slick design, and great location.

Louie_LI

In our room, there was a sort of bathroom cubicle with the shower and toilet. The walls facing the room were frosted glass. The door to the area was a heavy glass sliding door that didn't close tightly (there were gaps at the bottom and where it met the wall). So, not really soundproof or light proof. The sink is located outside this area, in the "hallway" between the entry and the bed area.