Le Méridien Arlington — Hotel in Arlington

Review of our Le Meridien stay, August, 2025|4.5 stars In collaboration with my wife, we rated various aspects of our stay in August, 2025. | I have written this by section to give a reader a more in-depth feel for the experience and entered “footnotes” in [brackets] to add even more depth or explanation.| The in-house restaurant, “Amuse,” earned a solid A rating. [With a busy schedule, we enjoyed not having to spend time searching for good restaurants in the neighborhood.] Chef Harold’s Amuse and Garden Omelet breakfasts are hard to beat, especially amongst hotel restaurants, and the buttermilk pancakes with berries? --- diplomat finesse and Paul Bunyan size. As a very fussy coffee drinker, I can say their Illy brand regular American-style cups, and the espressos, lattes and cappuccinos are simply tops of all restaurant coffees and earned an “A+.” Breakfasts were served by breakfast waiters, Nick and Carlos with attention to detail. | [The Amuse Restaurant on the 4th floor has a high ceiling and an entire outside wall of glass providing an airy ambience and transition to the outdoor patio seating and the panoramic view of the Potomac River and Key Bridge, Georgetown University and Hospital area, and the iconic Washington National Cathedral and beyond to Embassy Row.] The kitchen fills up the inside wall where we watched chef Blanca preparing our evening fare of delicious “Crispy Calamari” and some very hearty and mouthwatering burger plates. Our evening waiter, “Aziz,” is an excellent waiter, a pro, a gentlemen’s gentleman, and was a pleasure to talk with for any questions we had. The Amuse Restaurant was a daily highlight.| As an added bonus, we also met the very personable and informative food and beverage manager, David, who has extensive knowledge of the Arlington/D.C. area, along with his restaurant manager, Benjamin. I met Benjamin running through the lobby one day and stopped him to complain about my Google and Waze map directions and asked if he could give help me with a more logical route out of this “spaghetti-bowl corner” of Arlington/Rosslyn. He gladly stopped, looked at my phone maps, and declared, “No, no, no! This is all wrong!” He then proceeded to walk me outside and down to the corner to point out the directions. His home-area expertise and super helpfulness turned my 20-30-minute phone-map routes into 12 minutes! Both David and Benjamin, and their entire restaurant staff have worked together as a team for quite some time and seemed like a family ready to take good care of you. For other hotel information, we just asked Samim at the front desk --- yet another always helpful source.| For extra kudos, the fitness center is one of the best equipped in any hotel I’ve ever seen! I saw other guests and even hotel staff down there. The area itself is centrally located. The Rosslyn/Arlington area is a safe area for walking with Gateway Park, the Rosslyn Metro station, and Mt. Vernon (hike and bike) Trail within 2 blocks, and an easy walk to Key Bridge to Georgetown nearby, and well connected strategically for driving across the Potomac to the sites of Washington’s monuments and the world-renowned Smithsonian Museums. It’s simply an amazing location. | Downside? Yes, but rather than serious problems, the downsides were more quirky and caused some delays at the beginning of our stay. A) While the hotel entrance is on the 1st floor on 19th street, the lobby is actually on the 4th floor! [To drive into a quite small semi-circular front-entrance driveway, then run into the lobby to ask a hotel staffer where to drop off the suitcases and/or ask where to park the car, you must send a passenger, or leave the car in the small entryway, and go yourself up to the 4th floor.] B) After getting the necessary information, instead of trying to follow some verbal instructions, it would be better to be handed a small map sketch showing the tunnel-like parking-garage entrance and the signage into the (third-party) Waterview Parking Garage building at the corner of 19th and Kent. That sketch diagram could also show the connection to the hotel and explain how to get back to the lobby. |[I learned later that this hotel is used a lot by businesspersons and other returning guests who know all these quirks. As a first-time guest, it delayed our getting settled in and belied the superior quality of the experience within.] | Bottom Lines: If we return to this area, we will definitely use the Le Meridien Hotel Arlington for it’s friendly, hometown-like atmosphere and pro-actively helpful staff. | Disclaimer: No, I do not work at Le Meridien, have never been there before, nor have any financial-interest connections. I do enjoy getting to know people and appreciating their cultures from all corners of the USA and the world. For others who share these values, this is a place...

Mr. General Manager

I am writing you to let you know about the experience my fianceé and I had while we were at your hotel.

It was my fiancee's birthday this past weekend and I wanted to do something special for him. We are very particular about where we go, given the many unpleasant experiences we have encountered in other establishments in the past. My fianceés is a large man. He is 6’5”, 350 pounds and oftentimes we cannot find a place to accommodate his needs and his comfort. I wanted nothing more than his birthday to be one of the most memorable experiences he has ever had without anyone judging us.

I stumbled upon your hotel when I was looking for a place in the Arlington/DC area. The reviews I read online were very positive and the amenities and facilities caught my interest. I had a good feeling about your establishment and I must say that we were not disappointed at all. Your staff has gone above and beyond our expectations and my fiancé had the best birthday celebration ever.

I would like to give special mention to the following people who helped give us our dream weekend:

Person # 1 Abdi I tried to reserve a table in the Amuse Restaurant. I called Abdi, and he assured me that someone would call me back and confirm a reservation for me.

Person #2 Ibrahim Greeted me with the warming/welcoming smile that I have ever seen. He made my check in/check out process a “Breeze”. He made himself available for both my stay as well.

Person #3 Sura She called me after receiving my request to book a table at the Amuse Restaurant. Ibrahim took me directly to her and she went all out to make my fiancée’s Birthday the best he’s ever had! She decorated the table with Balloons, which she went out to purchase. She came over to greet us both and even paid for our drinks and salads. I was in tears. Actually we both were.

Person #4 Max Served us at the Amuse Restaurant, all the while Bartending for the other guest that was in the lounge area. He surprised my fiancée with a cake and requested that he make a wish.

My fiancée told me that his wish came true when he saw how important, that everyone in your hotel made him feel. Everyone in your Hotel made us feel as if we were the only guest there.

These are just a few suggested words to describe each person above:

Amiable, warm, friendly, considerate, courteous, resourceful, sincere, awesome, exquisite, fantastic, open-hearted, selfless, accommodating, brimming, accommodating to our needs, respectful, and kind.

We are very grateful to your exceptional staff. They have displayed empathy towards our need for privacy and they were very patient in listening to what our needs were. They truly seemed to care about why I wanted this occasion to be special.

I work in Healthcare and my fiancée works in Law Enforcement as a Detective. We truly thank your staff for making our weekend “Magical”. Please rest assured that we will share our positive experience with our friends, family, and coworkers. I will make sure to write good reviews about your establishment and showcase the true gem that you have – your valuable staff.

...

As promised in my review on September 9th, 2012 – I am posting a much more detailed review. My opinion has not changed of the Arlington Le Meridien. The location, design, accommodation’s and staff were top notch. Heather greeted me upon arrival – who recognized me from my previous stay. She presented a very professional and genuine interest in my stay and me. I was upgraded to an Executive King room due to my gold status. My bags were directed up to my room promptly. The room was facing Rosslyn this time. The room included a sitting area and Elliptical exercise machine. The room itself was very clean, bright and comfortable. The room was situated behind the elevators, however they could barely be heard. It did not disrupt my sleep at all.

Every morning coffee is served in the “Living room”. I did sample the coffee and it was tasty. The coffee was sourced from non-traditional brands and proved very tasty. During the evening there is a wine reception at night. The hotel provided plenty of opportunity to be social throughout the day. The main area is designed for pockets of privacy as well as larger gathering for groups.

The second day of my stay I realized that I did not bring my charger for my laptop. Allen found a compatible charger for me within fifteen minutes. His prompt action was impressive and appreciated.

I spent a great deal of time at the Amuse – which is the restaurant and bar servicing the hotel. I ate breakfast every morning except one during my stay. I also sampled the fare during the evenings and dinner depending on my schedule for the day. Salam served me most times who is very attentive. Douglas at the bar proved to be a great asset as he introduced me unexpectedly to a business colleague, which proved to be significant for my trip. Ekatrina and Justin recognized me and greeted me warmly and openly upon my arrival to the Amuse. One evening my party enjoyed beverages and a light dinner on the terrace where Yodit provided great service. The hotel has recently updated the terrace furniture, which is expansive and comfortable. The terrace has a great view of Georgetown. The only hiccup was the introduction of a new menu during my stay, which was more confusing for the staff than me. The restaurant’s food is well prepared and sufficiently portioned. I did not have a bad meal during my stay.

Most times I forgo the room cleaning as a green choice, however midweek I opted for service. I had left for the day with the expectation that my room would be clean, however it had been marked as “green” for the day. I called and asked for service while I met with a client. Upon my arrival back to the room, there was an army of staff. I met Dezzy who was the team lead for the staff. The room was impeccably clean after they had left. It is my understanding that they are continuing to improve the rooms with new beds and slight changes to the rooms.

My overall opinion is that the hotel accommodations are outstanding at this property. What makes the stay here shine is the staff. I have no hesitancy in recommending this hotel to colleagues and staff. Again, thank you Le...