The Ritz-Carlton, Washington DC

Stayed for a group, corporate event where we probably booked half the hotel. The ballroom downstairs and meeting areas were convenient and well-organized (easy access back to room if needed during breaks). The rooms themselves were spacious and well-appointed. I arrived early so only two-doubles were available but it was fine as the front desk got me a 10th floor (out of 11) room due to my Bonvoy status. Front desk was very helpful - Hazel assisted at check-in and was the person who handled my check-out. She was informative and processed check-out promptly. As one would expect, they provided daily cleaning service including nightly turndown (housekeeper whose name I didn't get was cheerful each night bringing by chocolates and a happy attitude). There was Sage for fine-dining and Quadrant lounge for more casual dining (I had both - I did takeout for lunch at Sage and when I asked for the same for dinner, they kindly informed me that dinner was eat-in only). Fitness was in partnership with Equinox which is either $15/day or included in your room rate. It's accessible via the 2nd floor and you have to bring your ID (& know your room number) to gain access. The club has a full basketball court, weights, and a 4-lane lap swimming pool and is also used by local members. It's close to GWU, restaurants, and a host of other hotels in case you have an event where guests prefer different brands.

I have stayed at The Ritz Carlton, Washington, D.C. several times over the past five years, but after this most recent stay, I will probably expand my search for very nice accommodations near the Capital. This visit had a long list of small but constant problems that, taken together, were pretty annoying—especially given the price point and the expectations attached to this brand. To start with the basics: there was never a step stool available, which meant my children could not reach the sink on their own. That may sound trivial, but when you are traveling with kids, it immediately turns every routine—brushing teeth, washing hands—into a repeated logistical problem that a family-friendly luxury hotel should already have solved. The bathroom itself had clear maintenance issues. There was black, slimy mildew in the shower caulk, which is not something I expect to see in any hotel, much less one charging luxury rates. The toilet paper holder was broken, and every time you tried to tear off a piece, the metal holder would swing and hit the floor with a loud clank. Both the shower and the bathtub lacked any kind of handheld sprayer. This makes bathing children quite difficult—especially when they can’t quite take showers by themselves and still need help washing their hair. Even trying to step into the shower with a child would not have been realistic, because the shower stall was very small. A larger adult would struggle to fit comfortably on their own, let alone two people, regardless of how small one of them is. The room was also extremely dry. Static electricity that shocks and makes you afraid to touch anything dry. When I asked, housekeeping offered a tiny humidifier that wouldn’t have put a dent in the problem, but then did not even refill it during service. There was no ice machine available on the floor or that guests could access themselves. You have to call and wait for ice to be delivered. When I asked the staff to please leave it outside the door and not ring or knock—because my children were sleeping—they did anyway. I also don’t appreciate that the Ritz deems me incapable of getting my own ice if I so desire. I’m a perfectly capable adult who would like not to have to wait 15 minutes for ice to arrive to drink my Diet Coke. I asked staff to empty the minibar—specifically to remove all drinks and snacks—so that we would have room for our own drinks and snacks, but they never got around to doing it. The electrical setup in the room was woefully inadequate. There was only one electrical outlet in the entire bathroom and only one outlet near the table in a two-bedroom suite. Other outlets were too far away from the bed to charge a phone at night and there weren’t nearly enough overall for a family staying multiple nights. Individually, these might sound like minor inconveniences, but they added up quickly and became constant friction points throughout the stay. This matters when a four-night stay was nearly $4,000—and that was for the room alone, with no room service, no spa, and no additional services. One additional note about the service culture itself: there is a meaningful difference between genuinely good service and a highly scripted, hyper-deferential style of hospitality that treats guests as if they are fragile, incapable of managing basic needs, or deserving of constant ceremonial attention. At a certain point, that kind of performative politeness stops feeling attentive and starts feeling intrusive. In practice, that culture shows up as a constant stream of over-talking and rehearsed check-ins. The staff wastes a surprising amount of your time with repeated lines like, “If there is anything we can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask,” “How are you today, ma’am?” and “Is there anything we can do to improve or enhance your stay?” It is exhausting. Obviously, I know how to ask for something if I need it—this is not the DMV. All of this unnecessary, scripted babble interrupts you repeatedly and wastes precious time I would much rather spend literally any other way. Of course, I want the ladies and gentlemen of the hotel to be polite and helpful. But I do not want staff speaking to me—or to my children—as if we deserve constant praise for doing absolutely nothing. For all anyone knows, I could be a terrible person. It would be far better if the staff simply behaved like normal, friendly, competent people and treated guests the same way. Overall, this stay felt like a mismatch between price, branding, and lived reality. The physical issues—mildew, broken fixtures, poor bathroom design for families, extreme dryness, inadequate outlets, and basic usability failures like the minibar and ice access—combined with a service culture that is overly scripted and inefficient, created constant, unnecessary friction. Given the high price tag, one expects quiet competence, well-maintained rooms, and practical, thoughtful design. Instead, I left feeling that the hotel is far more focused on performing luxury than delivering it.

I stayed for one night, arrived at 9pm and checked out by 9am, on ny drive from MA to FL. I am a titanium elite bonvoy member, I have a ritz carlton credit card, I live on property at a ritz in another state and Im a ritz member. I was married at a Ritz Carlton and love the brand otherwise. I choose areas to vacation or do business based on if there is a ritz carlton for my stay. I have frequented many ritz carltons and sadly they are not all the same. At this particular property, I was not upgraded to a suite although they had one available it was not an option because they wanted to leave the room available for a guest that would pay. When I offered to pay for an upgrade, they said they still couldnt offer the suite because I had used points to book my room. Again, not the experience I typically have at a Ritz. The room I did end up with had terrible air quality and my children and I did not have a restful nights sleep. I travel with an air cleaner by air oasis and it tells me what is in the air its cleaning. Everytime the heat/ac kicked on in the room, the air cleaner turned red which means high levels of VOCs and other toxins were being released not just dust and particles usually produced by an HVAC system. For this reason alone, I would not stay at this property again. It is in need of a renovation.

I stayed at The Ritz‑Carlton on December 31, 2025, and unfortunately had one of the most disappointing experiences I’ve ever had at a hotel, especially one at this price point. The valet misplaced my vehicle key for several hours and could not provide updates or access to my car. I eventually found my own 2023 BMW 430i left unlocked. When the key fob was finally returned, it was damaged, and the valet team had no record of my room number or proper documentation for my vehicle. I have video evidence of the condition of the car and key fob upon retrieval. Inside the hotel, the TV in my room could not connect to Netflix for the entire stay. Despite multiple requests, the issue was never resolved. A front desk employee even made a dismissive comment, although the engineer also could not fix the problem. I have video documenting this interaction as well. I requested a refund and reimbursement for the damaged key fob. The hotel offered only 5,000 Marriott points, which does not come close to addressing the negligence or the property damage.

Central Location and Impeccable Service. Great service and facility is what you’d expect from the brand. Staff was super helpful and friendly. an overall enjoyable stay.