The Westin Alexandria Old Town — Hotel in Alexandria

This stay was far from excellent. Upon arrival, I checked into the hotel with no issues. However, once I checked in, I was scheduled for a conference which delayed me from inspecting the cleanliness of my room. Later that evening, I returned to the Westin hotel, where I noticed hair on the ceiling, on the bathroom walls near the mirror, and inside the bathroom shower. I contacted the front desk but did not get an answer. The following morning, "Saturday," I contacted the front desk again in an attempt to address the issue and request towels. I did not receive a response. I left my room between 7:30 and 7:45 am. As I left the hotel, I figured I would bring the cleanliness of my room to the hotel's attention, followed by my towel request. However, the staff was not present. I returned to the hotel later that evening, where I was able to request towels and address the cleanliness of the room, and both requests were made at the front desk and via phone from the room. I waited over 30 minutes for housekeeping to arrive. Unfortunately, they never came, and I had a meeting to attend. Exiting the hotel for a third time on Saturday, I reminded the front desk of my requests, where the receptionist stated she would put the request in again. I arrived back at the hotel around 11:00 pm and 11:30 pm, where I indeed received towels. However, the towels were not clean, nor was my room. I called down to the lobby again, bringing my concerns to an individual named Joe. He requested photos of the hair on the wall and explained that I would be compensated for the inconvenience. I met Joe in the front lobby, where I asked for clean towels again. Joe provided bath towels that were not cleaned, which he acknowledged after I pointed out the uncleanliness of the towels. Also, I provided him with the photos that he requested displaying the hair in multiple areas of the bathroom. He informed me that he could offer me a complimentary valet. However, valet services were not needed. He proceeded to say, "I can not do anything since your reservation was booked through a third party." A very untrue statement. Also, if that was true, which the information wasn't, why even bring it up or request photos? When the manager finally came from the back office, I made her aware of my concerns. However, she provided very little help and no resolution. She requested Joe to have a runner address my room before leaving, which Joe refused after the manager left for the night. Instead, Joe stated, "I didn't hear that part of the conversation when the manager stated for a runner to be sent to my room that night." My room never got cleaned! The staff was unresponsive and likely didn't feel the need to help me due to my age.Sunday comes, and no housekeeping is present or sent to my room. When I asked Joe about the housekeeping on Sunday, he stated I needed to request it. I had done this, and the manager had said hours before she left for the night. I informed him I asked for housekeeping. However, I can't make you submit the request for them to come. So, the request was never submitted.Instead, the Westin attempted to give me a voucher for breakfast. I did not use it and ended up giving it to strangers in the hallway because I was not physically able to use it due to attending a conference, which I expressed to JOE and the manager on duty. When it was time to check out, I approached the empty front desk, where I had to call the phone number on the service desk to receive assistance. However, the receptionist sounded as if he was awakened from a nap by my call. After waiting 10 minutes for Joe to appear at the front desk to check me out, I requested a printed RECEIPT which JOE REFUSED to provide. Instead, stating I had to receive it In my email, which was and is entirely inaccurate. Since when have hotels no longer provided customers with printed receipts? This stay was horrible. My child and I had to sleep in a room that was never clean and bragged...

Imagine this: you stay at a hotel for over a month, spend thousands of dollars (including $700+ for a single night), never once bother the staff, don’t ask for favors.......and in return you get:

• Kicked out of your room with less than 24 hours’ notice (told after 9:00 p.m. the night before to pack up five weeks’ worth of belongings).

• No breakfast vouchers (while everyone else eats for free).

• Not even a complimentary water bottle at check-in — not once.

• Staff who remembered to charge a pet fee, but mysteriously “forgot” every single elite benefit you’re entitled to.

• Packages left at the front desk that were never returned.

As an Ambassador elite guest, the message I got was clear: my loyalty meant nothing.

I was kicked out of my room with less than 24 hours’ notice. I stayed in the same room for weeks. The hotel had known for a month that a block booking was coming, yet they waited until after 9:00 p.m. the night before to tell me I had to move to a different room. At 5:30 a.m. the night associate reassured me: “Don’t pack, someone will call you at 10 a.m.” When I brought that up later, the manager flat-out accused me of lying. Imagine being blindsided, then called a liar on top of it. Doesn’t Marriott record phone calls? But they did not care to check.

And why were they displacing a LONG- term guest when there were copious available rooms throughout the hotel??? Horrible management. They did not HAVE to displace me. They CHOSE to, despite my weeks of loyalty.

When I asked why I was only told at 9 p.m., the manager had no answer. Instead, she hid behind a condescending tone and then slammed the phone down less than two minutes into the call. Her ego was clearly more important than hotel revenue or guest loyalty. All she would have had to do was apologize, acknowledge they should have told me sooner, and offer a token of goodwill. Instead, she chose to double down, threaten “removal,” and slam the phone down.

As an Ambassador, when there’s no lounge, I’m entitled to either points or a $25 daily breakfast credit. I wasn’t offered breakfast a single day of my stay. Meanwhile, I saw other guests eating breakfast daily. The hotel deliberately denied me the benefit to cut costs. I paid hundreds of dollars out-of-pocket for breakfast I should have received for free.

I wasn’t offered a water bottle at check-in. Not once. No breakfast either. But they never once forgot to charge me for my dog! Funny how the charges are remembered, but the benefits are “overlooked.”

Packages I left at the front desk were never returned or even acknowledged. At other Marriott hotels, they’re proactive about lost items. Here? Silence.

I have never encountered a hotel so eager to drive away loyalty. I will never return, and I recommend that anyone considering this property think very carefully. If you’re expecting your benefits honored, or simply a paying guest expecting basic respect, you will not find it here.

And the rot starts at the top, with a manager whose ego and carelessness creates disasters for guests. Different management, and none of this would...

Wonderful Stay at the Westin Old Town Alexandria

My husband and I returned from a 3-day, 2-night holiday trip to DC, and our stay at the Westin Old Town Alexandria Hotel exceeded all expectations. The hotel is beautiful, impeccably clean, and ideally situated in the exclusive Carlyle neighborhood.

Cleanliness As someone who’s particular about hotel hygiene, I always disinfect our room upon arrival and check high-touch surfaces with antibacterial wipes. I was genuinely impressed that every wipe, whether on the main hallway floor, our room, or the bathroom, came up clean. This gave us immediate peace of mind and set the tone for a great experience.

Comfort The bed and pillows were so comfortable that I had the best sleep I’ve had in years. I woke up feeling refreshed. The bedding and linens were soft, and the cozy pillows were amazing. I have been browsing the Westin website for their pillows, bed linens, and robes to recreate this comfort at home!

Service Any request or issue we had was handled promptly. The staff were attentive and eager to assist, making our stay even more enjoyable.

Bathroom Details The bathroom was spotless, and I loved the rainfall shower head with consistently hot water. While there was no ventilation (so the bathroom got steamy after a shower), the moisture cleared quickly after opening the bathroom door. The complimentary robe was incredibly comfortable…my only wish was that there were two robes available for couples.

Minor Downsides The only things that could have made our stay even better were having a microwave in our room from the start and a quieter Sunday night. The music from a wedding reception in the hotel ballroom carried into the rooms until late into the early morning (ended around 1am?). Fortunately, when we requested a microwave, the staff was able to bring one to our room, which made it much easier to reheat leftovers and enjoy snacks. The music from the ballroom was noticeable at first, but thankfully, I was able to tune it out and focus on quality time with my husband (which was the whole point of the trip!).

Location The hotel is beautifully situated in the exclusive Carlyle neighborhood, making it easy to access both Old Town Alexandria and downtown DC. The area felt safe and upscale, perfect for a relaxing stay or for people in town for business.

Overall: We had a fantastic experience at the Westin Old Town Alexandria and would highly recommend it to anyone seeking a clean, comfortable, and restful stay. We’re already planning to bring a touch of Westin luxury...