Waldorf Astoria Washington, DC
My family and I recently returned from an eventful visit to our nation’s capital. We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Washington, DC for the final two nights of our trip. I booked this property for three primary reasons – its stellar location, novelty, and our war chest of Hilton free night certificates. This property routinely goes for 110k Hilton points nightly, while cash rates start at over $500 and skyrocket from there. I confidently booked, using two certs without flinching. Now, I’ll get into our experience.
Note: Subsequent to my stay and this article’s composition, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts solicited feedback on my stay, which I provided. Based on my feedback, Hilton voluntarily issued compensation (points). This highlights article remains unchanged.
Location
To start, I want to underscore the optimal location of this property, especially for Washington Mall visitors. Our two Smithsonian priorities for this visit were the National Museums of Natural History and American History. The Waldorf is a five-minute or so walk from each. While visiting during the hottest period in June, we hardly broke a sweat walking to or from the museums.
Service
Check-In
Things start getting dicey here. We arrived at the Waldorf around check-in time, but our room – one we’d been automatically upgraded to by Hilton in advance – wasn’t ready. I asked the front desk agent approximately when the room would be available, and he was remarkably non-committal. He gave me nothing to go on. I asked if it would be available within two hours – blank stares and mumbles were his response. He piped up a bit more when he mentioned the upgraded room difference was just a matter of a bit more square feet. I didn’t care much about fact-checking him at this point, nor was I up for a debate on why the confirmed room wasn’t available at check-in time. His lack of confidence in the timing of the upgraded room’s availability led us to accept less desirable accommodations. I capitulated to the standard two-queen.
Everyone Else
Housekeeping, including turndown service, was impeccable. These workers provided generous amounts of ice, bottled water, and chocolate. Waitstaff at Peacock Alley was warm and attentive.
Obtaining ice from room service was a different matter. Ice arrived 30 minutes after requesting it the first time, and 25 minutes later the second. For a purported luxury property which doesn’t allow guests to obtain their own ice, this is unsatisfactory. I can walk a few feet in a Hampton Inn and be back in my room with a fresh bucket of ice within a minute or two.
Valet was competent; it better be, at an all-in rate of over $76 nightly. Bell service on arrival was non-existent. We would’ve welcomed it, but workers took zero initiative.
Room
I didn’t mind the traditional design with modern touches as much as my wife. The basic room provides a wide entry and subtantial space beyond the two queen beds. The bathroom is predictably opulent, with the shower and bath on opposite ends of the room and dual vanity between. Everything in here looked and felt clean.
But, like another property within the brand, the Waldorf Astoria Washington, DC provides only one set of Aesop bathroom amenities (body wash, shampoo, and conditioner) for the vastly separated bath and shower. As I’ve previously described, carrying three large bottles across the huge bathroom is a bit unluxurious. From my perspective, the property is cheaping out or inattentive to detail – perhaps both.
The tackiness continued. Multiple prominent stains dotted our seventh floor room – on the carpet and upholstery. The bed creaked – a lot. Most any time I moved, the bed sounded like something out of a horror movie.
On the bright side (quite literally), our room’s two large windows offered an excellent view of the Washington Monument.
A Few More Things
We opted to use our two $50 daily food and beverage credits for breakfast at Peacock Alley. My wife and I split the substantial three-egg traditional breakfast. Coffee was on-point. Our little ones enjoyed their berry smoothies, and bravo to the Waldorf for offering an ample kids menu. We predictably went well over the credit allotment but didn’t mind paying for the unique experience, sitting in the beautiful, expansive hotel atrium.
We also enjoyed the vast array of seating areas within and adjacent to the atrium, but climate control is definitely a challenge. The atrium felt more like a greenhouse on the day we arrived – again, the hottest day in June to date. But lobby lingerers are treated to one of the rarer hotel amenities these days – complimentary newspapers with turnable pages!
The Waldorf provides guests Acqua Panna water (yay) in glass bottles without any apparent recycling options (boo). Compounding the number of used bottles is the small size, 250 mL.
Staff touted the great experience of taking an elevator to the property’s clock tower. When we attempted to do so, other workers advised this elevator had been down for three days; another dejected guest passing by confirmed it still wasn’t working.
Waldorf Astoria Washington, DC – Conclusion
This was just another perplexing Waldorf Astoria stay. Certain aspects deliver, while remarkably concerning shortcomings exist elsewhere. For this brand and the rates they charge (particularly, the 110k nightly points rate), a consistently superior standard should be maintained. We accomplished our goal – experiencing a unique hotel with a superb location while using a few Hilton certs. But I have no plans to return. DC offers so many other options for award nights adjacent to the mall. As Mr. Grohl sings, done and onto the next one.
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Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
I literally just got back from a two night stay there on certs.
We had a great time and will definitely be returning.
They were able to arrange connecting rooms which was very helpful when vacationing with teenagers, and I love the location.
This hoteis going to a foreclosure auction soon. I guess they don’t pay their rent either?
The fact is that property owners lease a brand name. The level of quality is what the property owner chooses to deliver and brand name means nothing. Even properties within the same ownership group will have different commitments to service. Two or three years ago, my wife and I stayed at the Waldorf Astoria in Chicago. Visually unremarkable. Service was poor. When solicited for feedback, I gave it. When offered points, I refused. When offered an upgrade on a subsequent visit, I told them there would not be a subsequent visit.
This crap didn’t happen when it was a Trump property!
In the not-too-distant past, an absolutely mortified GM/FOM of such an upscale hotel would be calling you immediately after recovering from the stroke they had that reading your article had induced.
What do think the chances are these days?
Even the execution of WA’s “standards” are laughable now.
Chris,
I hear you, but I’m not giving up on WA’s quite yet. Thanks for reading!
The food credits are $25 each for up to 2 people and not $50 each. Can you confirm?
Correct, Mike – $25 daily per person, up to two per room.