Hotel Monaco DC report
Dec 12, 2005 | 5:45 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: SJC
Posts: 426
Hotel Monaco DC report
Thanks to everyone, we had a great trip this past weekend in DC.
Hotel Monaco was good, it has the best location, and with the price we paid (139$ w/ breakfast), I would stay there again.
Summary of the hotel:
Pros:
Location: 1 block from the Metro. Lots of choice for food (fast/fancy), shops and happening around the area. 5 block from the Mall.
Breakfast: room rate included continental breakfast, which can get through room service or hotel restaurant. But during weekend only brunch in the restaurant. 1st morning, we went to the restaurant because we want something hearty for our long day. Asked the waitress what was the equivalent amount for a continental breakfast on the brunch menu. She said she doesnt know and will get back to us, but never did. The service was slow, but the food was excellent, especially the scones! 2nd morning, room service continental breakfast was very disappointing. The English muffin & pastries were cold, and only a spoonful of strawberry slices, the breakfast suppose to be 15$ per person (not include 2$ delivery charge and 2$ tips). Not worth it at all if you have to pay for it. However, when we checked out, both day breakfast charges were removed from our bill. My recommendation is always eat in the restaurant!
Power strip w/ surge suppressor on the desk! We plugged all our camera batter chargers, cellphone chargers and gameboy charger into it. Very very convenient.
Cons:
The room is very small 227#. Only 2 feet of walking space from the bed to the bathroom wall. 1 chair at the desk and another chair on the other side of the bed. We cannot eat breakfast together, because one will have to raise the chair above the bed to move it over to the desk and not have room to open the closet afterward!
The water pressure at the shower is very weak. No tub, just shower, which was ok if the water coming out of the shower is strong enough to wash the soap off my back, without me rubbing! The shower water handle is coming off the wall and the adjustment has a bit of a lag (wait for 5-10sec, after the adjustment to feel the effect).
The bed was very comfortable, however it was suppose to be a queen and I got a double instead!
All-in-all a good visit, but will not pay anything higher than what we did.
Hotel Monaco was good, it has the best location, and with the price we paid (139$ w/ breakfast), I would stay there again.
Summary of the hotel:
Pros:
Location: 1 block from the Metro. Lots of choice for food (fast/fancy), shops and happening around the area. 5 block from the Mall.
Breakfast: room rate included continental breakfast, which can get through room service or hotel restaurant. But during weekend only brunch in the restaurant. 1st morning, we went to the restaurant because we want something hearty for our long day. Asked the waitress what was the equivalent amount for a continental breakfast on the brunch menu. She said she doesnt know and will get back to us, but never did. The service was slow, but the food was excellent, especially the scones! 2nd morning, room service continental breakfast was very disappointing. The English muffin & pastries were cold, and only a spoonful of strawberry slices, the breakfast suppose to be 15$ per person (not include 2$ delivery charge and 2$ tips). Not worth it at all if you have to pay for it. However, when we checked out, both day breakfast charges were removed from our bill. My recommendation is always eat in the restaurant!
Power strip w/ surge suppressor on the desk! We plugged all our camera batter chargers, cellphone chargers and gameboy charger into it. Very very convenient.
Cons:
The room is very small 227#. Only 2 feet of walking space from the bed to the bathroom wall. 1 chair at the desk and another chair on the other side of the bed. We cannot eat breakfast together, because one will have to raise the chair above the bed to move it over to the desk and not have room to open the closet afterward!
The water pressure at the shower is very weak. No tub, just shower, which was ok if the water coming out of the shower is strong enough to wash the soap off my back, without me rubbing! The shower water handle is coming off the wall and the adjustment has a bit of a lag (wait for 5-10sec, after the adjustment to feel the effect).
The bed was very comfortable, however it was suppose to be a queen and I got a double instead!
All-in-all a good visit, but will not pay anything higher than what we did.
Sounds pretty tight.
Dec 20, 2005 | 12:39 am
#3
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Alpha Quadrant
Programs: Starfleet Captains Club
Posts: 675
Did you have one of the "basement rooms"?
I was reading on TripAdvisor.com that the the hotel is a converted government building, the Tarriff Building, built in the 1800s, and that part of the reason some of the rooms are smaller is because the office building was built as a big rectangle, so the hotel is a square, with rooms on both sides. And that some of the rooms "are just plain small." The ceilings are supposedly very high, but the architects had to create a bathroom where there wasn't one, and basically just put in a boxed off area to create the bath.
This person goes on to say that it looked like (from the diagram inside the door) that there may be larger rooms around the corridor. And if you look at some of the other posts on TripAdvisor, it sounds as though they got fairly large rooms.
I've not stayed there before but am staying there next week, will let you know how the room is!
Frommers gave it 3 stars, and the "Best Historic into Hip Hotel" for all in DC, but alot obviously depends on what room you get..
http://www.frommers.com/destinations...dc/H46762.html
PS - I have stayed at Hotel George before, and that is one of my most favorite hotels in DC! Next week I'll be at the Mayflower for the majority of the week (so I can get Marriott double points)...
(for your next trip), the Frommer's website has some really good info.. Frommer's favorite experiences: http://www.frommers.com/destinations...035020001.html
And best DC websites:
http://www.frommers.com/destinations...035026644.html
I was reading on TripAdvisor.com that the the hotel is a converted government building, the Tarriff Building, built in the 1800s, and that part of the reason some of the rooms are smaller is because the office building was built as a big rectangle, so the hotel is a square, with rooms on both sides. And that some of the rooms "are just plain small." The ceilings are supposedly very high, but the architects had to create a bathroom where there wasn't one, and basically just put in a boxed off area to create the bath.
This person goes on to say that it looked like (from the diagram inside the door) that there may be larger rooms around the corridor. And if you look at some of the other posts on TripAdvisor, it sounds as though they got fairly large rooms.
I've not stayed there before but am staying there next week, will let you know how the room is!
Frommers gave it 3 stars, and the "Best Historic into Hip Hotel" for all in DC, but alot obviously depends on what room you get..
http://www.frommers.com/destinations...dc/H46762.html
PS - I have stayed at Hotel George before, and that is one of my most favorite hotels in DC! Next week I'll be at the Mayflower for the majority of the week (so I can get Marriott double points)...
(for your next trip), the Frommer's website has some really good info.. Frommer's favorite experiences: http://www.frommers.com/destinations...035020001.html
And best DC websites:
http://www.frommers.com/destinations...035026644.html
Last edited by janeway; Dec 20, 2005 at 12:49 am
Dec 21, 2005 | 5:35 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: SJC
Posts: 426
No, didn't get my fish. I am a "fish killer", all my goldfish die when I was little. So husband don't want me to have a bad weekend with dead goldfish on his hand.
Not the basement room. They were going to put us in one when I was checking in. "It is very quite and it has a king bed as you reqested", but I read about them from tripadvisor also, therefore we decline and got a 2nd floor =ground floor, double instead. The hotel was full (a wedding was going on that weekend), so I guess I was "lucky" to be able to switch room at 11pm.
Not the basement room. They were going to put us in one when I was checking in. "It is very quite and it has a king bed as you reqested", but I read about them from tripadvisor also, therefore we decline and got a 2nd floor =ground floor, double instead. The hotel was full (a wedding was going on that weekend), so I guess I was "lucky" to be able to switch room at 11pm.