In most of the suites I have seen (Fantastic I think?), there is frosted glass in front of the shower/bath (with the shower being slightly more private), but the toliet is pretty far back and not behind the frosted glass portion, so would probably be ok.

The spectacular rooms described by LOUIE_LU, have the worst toilet privacy issues, IMO.

Just more upgrade data... I have stayed here 5-6 times recently and usually a "Wonderful Queen" (the cheapest/crappiest room). Most of the times I was upgraded to a spectacular king on floor 10, which is very small, but fine for business travel. This last time though I reserved a spectacular king, and received a spectacular king on the 5th floor . It seems when I have checked in late (after 9pm) I receive a worse room, but I don't have enough data to prove that. I have never been upgraded to a suite, but a colleague of mine who stays the same dates at the sames is 90% for getting a fantastic suite with Washington Monument view.

Thanks doctor15.

I will be arriving at around 9:30pm having flown BKK-DXB-LHR-IAD all in the previous 24 (?) hours...

I have done a C&P reservation which booked into the lowest room category - which sounds pretty cozy - and I guess I will just hope for a Platinum upgrade and see how I go.

Is there any way to shore up chances of an upgrade prior to arrival? Or is there any way I can check occupancy / suite availability 48 hours before arrival? If it's looking packed then I can cancel my booking and try somewhere else.

I am thinking giving the long travel and inevitable jetlag and crankiness following a killer day of flights, it may be worth moving to the Westin Georgetown or perhaps the St Regis. I gather it may be easier to sleep there!

I haven't stayed at the St. Regis so I can't comment on that choice, but based on your comments, I'd go with the Westin Georgetown (vs the W). The walls at the W are pretty paper thin and depending on the day of the week that hotel is a party...

Had a quick Saturday night stay on Veteran's Day weekend for a friend's birthday - the W was showing sold out (as were most DC hotels), however the night before some rooms opened up and I booked an accessible spectacular room on points (high season cat 5, 16k), got pre-blocked into a Fantastic Suite. Room was very similar to reviews on this thread - chocolates & welcome card left in room, told 2 fiji waters in the minibar were complimentary, and 500 points welcome amenity were offered.

Currently on 2-night Cash & Points stay, booked lowest-tier Wonderful Queen and pre-blocked into Fantastic Suite. At check-in, the room was not available, so we were politely given a Marvelous Suite on the 9th floor with picture-perfect views of the Washington Monument, Jefferson, etc.

The room was very clean (I've had some seriously dirty W rooms in the past, esp. under furniture that I moved due to awkward placement). Housekeeping and turndown came quickly on request as we went out for meals, as did shoe-shine and other amenity requests.

For a W, the staff here is extraordinarily accommodating. No stuffy vibe. Warm and welcoming check-in agents. I was leery about coming here based on the reviews, but wanted to take the wife to Bliss and be able to relax in the room for a night before and after. Thankfully, everything turned out... marvelously.

Old Ebbitt's is great and only a block away.

We're heading to POV tonight. Bliss is small but friendly. No problem booking the free Acura service to drive us home tomorrow.

Overall, a flawless stay. For the right crowd, I would highly recommend this place. Yes, the Fairfax and the Westin are cheaper and "nicer" - but some occasions just call for a W-type stay, and this one was well-done.

anyone know where I might be able to park overnight for slightly less than $50 per day? I'm willing to walk a few blocks.

I too will add that I have been able to pre-block a Plat upgrade on several occasions here, simply by asking ahead of time. Also agree staff is friendly and vibe is not stuff, except perhaps in the late night time when they have to "put on a show" for all of the POV guests.

Park on the street for a weekend visit. Not always, but most of the time for weekend stays I have found street parking that is not metered on the weekend within just a couple blocks.

anybody stays here recently?

how is about platinum treament at this hotel after new policies have been effected?

i'm still considering where to stay between this hotel and jw marriott washington dc

their standard room is bigger than w's standard room ( 27 sqm vs 19 sqm) and its price is much cheaper than w's price for my period of stay (134$ vs 269$)

thanks in advance.

I stayed last week, and was upgraded to a Fantastic Suite on the 10th floor. I must say I am a big fan of the room, and would consider paying for it if I ever come up with the wife for a weekend. Makes the hotel stay a lot more comfortable than if in the regular rooms.

The only other time I received a suite upgrade was a one night stay a few weeks ago when they had a party on the roof scheduled until 2 AM. Needless to say I turned down that "upgrade".

I booked a few stays here last year and as a plat member, they refused to upgrade me. They constantly claimed the standard room was the "best" room available when it wasn't.

I stopped trying to book here. If you don't need to be downtown and want better parking options, the Fairfax at Embassy Row has always been a great stay for me.

Pres Obama was in the W today, whole area outside (15th Street) was closed for over an hour, he went from the the W to 1600 in a 15 car motorcade (a ride across the street).... Oh well.....

Which new policies? Breakfast is continental only in the restaurant with no possibility of an upgrade. I have not tried using suite nights here. Don't expect a suite upgrade, at least during the week, but they are generally good about making sure I have a room with a great view, even when on a deep discount rate. I have had them once or twice do some special things for me such as a gift waiting in the room, etc.

I have also stayed at the JW and rate as mediocre. The only benefit is that they have a lounge which includes eggs, etc (if your Platinum/Gold). You at least will be guaranteed a decent size room. If you don't care that you might have a relatively small, but functional room, I would choose the W over the JW just for the uniqueness of it.

I'm attending a conference in Washington in June and am shopping for a hotel. The conference is at the Marriott Wardman Park. I'm bringing my Fiancee. She has never been to DC and wants to see the monuments.

I want to make it as easy as possible for her to get to the monuments and museums while I'm attending the conference. It appears to be 3 -4 blocks to the subway and a 7 min ride to the Marriott Wardman from the W.

I prefer SPG hotels over Marriott and the W looks great with its location and the rooftop bar. The W rate is about $100 per night higher than the Marriott, so I will pay the difference out of pocket, with my company reimbursing only the Marriott rate.

I've seen mention of Acura service in this thread. Can anyone tell me how this works. Can I use it daily Wed - Fri to get to my conference? I can ride subway back if necessary.

Any other advice about staying at the W?

The metro will take you to the Wardman Park. Walk 2 blocks to Metro Center then take the red line to Woodley Park, which is only a few stops away. I have not tried the Acura service, but I'm not sure that you can count on using it twice a day.

Another great option would be the Fairfax in Dupont Circle. It is a 15 minute walk or one stop on the metro to the Marriott Wardman Park. The dining/bar options in this area are much better then near the W, but your fiance would have to use the metro (or quick cab) to get to the monuments.

W is across the street from the White House and walking distance to all monuments. You can see the Washington monument from the hotel. Its a great walk, tree lined sidewalk full of secret service and national park rangers. Museums are a few blocks away and would take several days to see everything. 1 block down the street is the White House visitor center. Walking to all the monuments is easy, especially if you like to walk. The W is a perfect location to sight see. IN addition, they should have a running map that takes you by all the monuments on a nice 5 mile jog. There are a ton of restaurants (some favorites of ours too) close by. Georgetown is metro and bus away, but if your up to it can be walked....we do it all the time and its a great walk. Have fun!