Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square

We were really looking forward to our stay at the Sofitel Lafayette in Washington, D.C., especially given its reputation and central location. Unfortunately, our experience fell far short of expectations. Before our trip, I emailed the hotel requesting dinner recommendations to help plan our stay and never received a response. That was the first sign that communication and service might not be up to par. Once we arrived, we had to ask three separate times at the front desk for the bottle of wine that was included with our Expedia points booking. This felt like an unnecessary hassle and left us feeling like we were being brushed off rather than welcomed. When it finally did arrive, there were no fresh wine glasses or ice provided—another detail overlooked. Our room also lacked the proper towels, and the refrigerator had a strong, unpleasant odor, as though something had spoiled inside and hadn’t been properly cleaned. To make matters worse, the toilet was leaking, and when it was serviced, we returned to find our door left ajar, which felt like a serious breach of security and trust. Overall, the hotel just feels tired—from service to amenities—and it’s clear that attention to detail has slipped. We hope Sofitel takes this feedback seriously, as it’s not at all reflective of the luxury experience the brand is known for. A refresh in both service standards and room maintenance is definitely needed.

I helped to host a multi-day meeting in the hotel's ballroom. Overall, the meeting was a good experience. The ballroom was in good condition, and it was easy to coordinate with hotel staff, who were responsive to requests. I appreciated that the ballroom had windows to the street. Food was good, with some French touches. Presentation of the food was elegant. I've had better hotel food, but I've also had far worse hotel food. The lobby of the hotel is relatively small, but elegantly appointed. Restrooms were large enough for a big group to take a break and were always clean. Some of the meeting attendees did complain about the front desk staff being transactional and not very polite, including nearly always staring at their computers vs. interacting with guests. Overall, it was a good experience for the meeting.

Room was good with comfortable Sofitel bed, but: - Very unfriendly check-in at 10:30 pm at night-time. It seems the check-in staff had been criticised repeatedly before on the net. Not sure why they don't replace a certain lady. - We were not informed by reception that our room was "hidden" on the 2nd floor behind the conference rooms which forced us to return to the reception to ask for directions. - My platinum status was not recognised despite having booked via the Sofitel app: no welcome amenity, no (visible) room upgrade - I stayed at the Sofitel LA the week before and received the standard platinum advantages and don't understand why the Washington Sofitel is different... - Small hopeless gym tucked away in the basement - Long waiting at breakfast before being allocated a table All these points have been raised by other travellers several times and Sofitel promised improvement - obviously nothing is being done.

The only thing I would change, is that there was no refrigerator in the room. There was a wine cooler, but you had to call to have a refrigerator delivered.

In September 2023, my wife and I had a very disappointing stay at the Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square (see that review for details). In response, the General Manager graciously apologized and offered us an upgraded room at the same nightly rate if we stayed there again. True to her word, the general manager provided those terms to us even though we did not return until April 2025. The difference in our room quality from 2023 to 2025 was night and day. The 2025 room (number 1026) was in very good condition and was very quiet. Whereas in 2023, my wife hated the room so much that she checked out early (I was prevented by my obligations in DC from checking out with her), this time she loved the room so much that she wants to stay there again. I cannot speak to the other rooms, but the one that the general manager assigned to us in 2025 was excellent.