The St. Regis Washington DC

In mid-June, I stayed at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, DC, for three nights before heading to Europe during the Summer. The property's architecture is historic and charming. Initially, the experience was mixed due to a miscommunication hiccup on the day of arrival, which affected the elite status recognition. But ultimately, a manager took the time to reach out to assist. Plus, the stay itself was relatively short anyway. On the first day, I arrived in the afternoon and checked in as an Ambassador status guest, and several room types & suites were available for the entire stay. However, the stay coincided with one of the hottest days in DC for June, which resulted in a complete malfunction of the air conditioning for all guest rooms at the property, and the expected event increased the workload for front desk associates. Consequently, the front desk associate forgot to move me to another room. In the evening, there was a long queue at the front office with other guests relaying concerns about the air conditioning issue, so I stayed in the initial guest room close to the elevators. Don't get me wrong, all the guest rooms, regardless of interior size and category, have a warm, historic, and cozy interior, but as I do not travel to DC often, I was hoping to have a pleasant experience and stay in a room that offered peace and tranquility. The following day, a front desk associate had arranged a move to a newly renovated suite that offered a transitional design. The suite itself is relatively new, with new furnishing, lighting, carpeting, and cabinetry, but interestingly, it did not feature the historic elements and decor of a typical St. Regis room. There was some confusion regarding the communication with the front office staff, as several supervisors were involved, and I was informed that a front office manager would contact me. However, another manager from a different apartment ended up contacting me. Overall, the staff and the property were ultimately responsive, respected the guest, and provided options given the uncontrollable event of the air conditioning breakdown and increased workload as other guests raised their concerns. Additionally, a special acknowledgment for the entire staff at Alhambra, who were warm and wonderful. The ambience in the morning was welcoming and an excellent way to start the day.

I have been to the Saint Regis a number of times for meetings, but this is my first time staying in a room. Oh my! This is BAD. I am amazed and it is newly remodeled. I have taken pictures so you can decide for yourself. First off, The furnishings look like it was purchased from IKEA. It is not even functional; take a look at the robe in the armoire. I had to hang my dress and suit outside of the armoire to make sure that it wasn’t wrinkled. There is no other place to hang it. The bathroom is absolutely dangerous. The step into and out of the shower is about twice what is normal and it is onto very slick tile. Add water and someone is going to break a hip. There is not a single plug-in for your phone cord. Only traditional outlets. The decor is so cheap that the lamp was crumpled and there is not a single picture in the room. The attention to detail in the room was absolutely horrible. The curtains were left the way that the last occupant left them which was messy. The rug is too small for the room and is also bunched up and not flat. The bathrobe needs to be thrown. Save yourself the money and have a drink in the pretty downstairs. Then go to a Hampton Inn and save your money or splurge and go to the Hay Adams. Either way you’ll have a lot more luxurious stay than this.

Lovely historic hotel with great staff. Close to DC historic sites. Hui made Check In a breeze. We were promptly in our room and greeted by our butlers Ashel and Janet. We were in DC for a wedding. They graciously took our formal attire and pressed the garments. We really appreciate that as we fly to DC and clothes got wrinkled in the suitcase. Housekeeping is outstanding. Liked the turndown and chocolate on the pillow. Few hotels still do that. We had lunch in Alhambra. The Prix Fee lunch (3 courses) was outstanding $39 as of this writing. A bargain for DC. The restaurant was closed for dinner on Sunday so we enjoyed PJ Clarke ‘s across from the St. Regis. It also had good food. We appreciated the extra mile St. Regis staff always seemed to go. We would definitely stay there again. And don’t miss the “sabering of the champagne “ at 6pm nightly in the lobby.

After our last 3 night stay at this hotel we will look at other options for our next visit. There were pros & cons but at this price point the cons have won out. Our biggest complaint is the size of the bathroom. It is tiny with absolutely no where to put a make up bag or anything else. There was no vanity mirror in the bathroom (usually there is a lighted magnifying wall mirror) so I asked if they had one to bring up. What they brought up was horrible. If normal magnification is 5x this mirror was maybe 20x! It was a joke trying to put on make up. The outside of the hotel & the lobby are beautiful, but you are living in the room which is just ok. I asked the front desk what category of room I would have to move to for a larger bathroom & he said to the 4th category up - the Grand Luxe. When I asked how much more that was from our deluxe room he said anywhere from 75$ per night to 200$. Due to the tiny bathroom & the price it would take for a bathroom with more counter space, we will look elsewhere.

We stayed at the St. Regis for 4 nights in March and could not have asked for a more comfortable, or more conveniently-located hotel for our trip. We were within walking and sight distance of the White House and were only a couple of blocks from the Metro. From the moment you walk in here, you are treated as a valued guest - personal attention to the max. Would highly recommend this hotel for a romantic place to stay with your life partner while exploring all the history in this city.