Hotel Pentagon — Hotel in Bailey's Crossroads

The Hotel Pentagon is a weird, creepy place. There is a Bate’s Motel kind of foreboding to it, with a sense of one spiraling down into a Hitchcock movie and awaiting the proverbial axe to fall or knife to slash. In retrospect, it was the Pentagon manager lurking in the shadows who would eventually wield an instrument of destruction upon his heedful but unsuspecting guests.||I initially had difficulty finding the hotel because it was dark and the hotel signage sucked. The parking lot was not very well lit and the office entrance looked like a dog groomer’s office. My wife and I walked into the office and the one-woman staff member was extremely aloof. I immediately got the feeling from her that we didn't belong. She made a lackluster effort to get us a key to our room while continuing her disdain for us. No niceties or even banalities ever passed her pursed lips. ||We tried to get to the room, but an entire stairwell to the second floor was taped off, and we could see the underpinning rot of the infrastructure, not only of the stairwell but also of the entire complex. The room was no better. Tired sheets, a frayed bedspread, and hair in the shower. A pile of dirt and detritus in one corner of the room and questionable brown stains on walls and carpet, added to the whole room smelling of mold, secretive cigarette smoking, and dirty socks. “Grimy” would be the best word to describe the overall ambiance of our dark and dingy abode; essentially, the room was a s#*thole even by Super 8 standards.||Our night stay was a restless one. The lumpy bed did not help. Also, we don’t know how many fires, car accidents, and atomic explosions occur nightly around this hotel, but instead of counting sheep, we attempted to count the numerous interruptions to our “sleep.” And then the morning brought about the classic breakfast roundup of lukewarm coffee, soggy bacon, scrambled powdered eggs, and the need to clear off the crumbs and maple syrup on the breakfast chairs previously occupied by spastic party-goers hungover from last night’s raunchfest next door to our room or perhaps the chair occupiers were just a roaming pack of frugal Republican U.S. Senators scarfing down all the Pentagon waffle batter before doing nothing in Congress.||We should have learned from our stay that a new hotel reservation and a cancelation of our Pentagon reservation through Agoda needed to occur. However, we were first going to Arlington Cemetery for a funeral and then visiting friends in Gettysburg, and I forgot to make any travel changes. Upon our hesitant return to Chez Pentagon, we faced a different staff member; however, the total lack of civility that she should have learned in a Hotel Management 101 course made her a much worse person to deal with concerning a problem in our reservation. We had made a second reservation through Agoda for an April 29th one-night stay at Hotel Pentagon. Instead, whether through my own stupidity (which I readily admitted possessing to my uncaring Pentagon person), or through a miscommunication between Agoda and the Hotel Pentagon, the date of the reservation was for March 29th. The Pentagon placed us as a “no show,” but never informed me of their placement either through an email or six days earlier when we were there for our first stay.||Twenty minutes of arguing back and forth, with the Pentagon employee essentially castigating me for wanting a room that I paid for, and chidingly disputing that perhaps the Pentagon or Agoda could have botched my reservation, I was firmly told that if I wanted a room, I would have to pay for one and at almost double the charge of my existing reservation. I asked for the manager and was told I could see him the next day. I guess he was busy going back and forth in his rocking chair and washing out his wig. His presence was only felt several weeks later when I made a formal dispute claim on my VISA account, through his denial of service or a monetary return, because I was a “no show” for a night stay I did not agree to. ||I am beyond pissed that I had to battle with these Pentagon Bozos to do the right thing; instead, they taught me a valuable lesson to never underestimate bad customer service. Norman Bates has nothing on the likes of the management and staff at the Hotel Pentagon. This place is a real...

Title: Avoid This Place Like the Plague – Worst Hotel Experience of My Life

If I could give this hotel negative stars, I absolutely would. Staying at the Hotel Pentagon in Washington D.C. was nothing short of a horror movie experience — and not the fun kind. I don’t even know where to begin, but here goes nothing.

First of all, the staff might as well be ghosts. The workers do absolutely nothing. It’s as if they’re on a permanent break. I haven’t seen a single helpful person since I checked in. Room service? Non-existent. I’ve been waiting THREE DAYS and counting, and no one has come to clean the room. When I asked about it, I was met with shrugs and mumbled excuses. The one cleaning lady I did find only spoke Spanish and didn’t understand a word I was saying. Not her fault — but maybe, just maybe, the hotel could hire someone who can actually communicate with guests?

And now the room itself. Where do I even start? It was crawling — yes, literally crawling — with mold-covered cockroaches. I had to battle one off my pillow like I was in a National Geographic special. Disgusting doesn’t even begin to cover it. No fresh towels for days. The ones they originally gave me smelled like wet dog and despair. The bed had BEDBUGS, and I woke up with 13 bites all over my arms and legs. Thirteen! What kind of cursed mattress is this thing?

And then there’s the pool. Or should I say, haunted swamp from a 19th-century ghost town? It looks like it hasn’t been used since 1800. Murky water, dead bugs, broken tiles — if you told me a sea monster lived in there, I’d believe you. Nobody in their right mind would even dip a toe in that thing.

Let’s talk about breakfast, which is barely edible. The “bacon” tastes like it’s been unearthed from an archaeological dig site. I’m convinced it was cooked once in the Roman Empire and just reheated every morning. The eggs? Rubber. The coffee? Tastes like burnt tire water. And the whole setup looks like a forgotten corner of a gas station convenience store.

Power outlets? Only about one in four worked, and they sparked when I plugged in my phone. The Wi-Fi is a joke — like, genuinely hilarious if it weren’t so frustrating. One bar, and it drops constantly. I’ve had better internet speeds while camping in the middle of nowhere. Calling this “modern” would be an insult to the 18th century.

Oh, and the coffee machine and hair dryer in my room? Out of order since 1634, judging by the amount of dust on them. I don’t think they’ve been functional since George Washington was alive.

In conclusion: DO. NOT. STAY. HERE. This hotel should be shut down by the health department. I wouldn’t recommend it to my worst enemy. I would rather sleep in a public restroom or under a bridge before coming back to this dump. If you’re thinking about staying here, do yourself a favor — book literally anywhere else. Even a cardboard box on the street would offer better comfort and...

I had the unfortunate experience of staying at Hotel Pentagon in December 2024, and I can honestly say this is the worst hotel stay I've ever had. The cleanliness of the hotel was abysmal, and the refund process was an absolute nightmare. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.

When I first arrived at around 4pm on December 26th, I did a quick check for bugs, which is routine for me when staying at a hotel. I didn’t find anything initially, so I unpacked my bags and tried to relax. However, later that evening, when I returned around 11:30pm after picking up some dinner, I found a dead roach on a roach trap that I hadn't noticed before. In hindsight, it's incredibly likely it got stuck there in the hour I was gone. This was alarming, but I hoped it was just a fluke. Unfortunately, it was not. After requesting a room change, I moved to a second room, where I found yet another dead roach upon further inspection. Feeling uneasy, I requested a third room, only to discover two more dead roaches. At this point, I was beyond frustrated, but since I didn’t have many other options in the area, I had no choice but to stay.

The lack of cleanliness was absolutely unacceptable, and it was clear that the hotel doesn't take pest control seriously. The fact that I was moved between three rooms and still encountered dead roaches in each one speaks volumes about their standards.

But the nightmare didn’t end there. I also had to deal with an impossible refund process. When I inquired about getting a refund after the third room, I was told that management would not be in until the next day. I was left to fend for myself, unsure of how to proceed. I ended up standing in the middle of my room for five hours waiting for stores to open and public transportation to resume. When I finally returned the next day, I was informed that management wouldn't be available until the following Monday. I was then told I’d have to request a refund through the third-party website I booked through. After multiple failed attempts to get in touch during the remaining days of what was planned to be a relaxing vacation I was finally able to get hold of them after I returned home, but by then the third-party was unable to get me a refund.

Now, I can't personally speak on the amenities offered such as the pool or breakfast. However, if my experience of what I paid for is anything to reflect their standards, I can't imagine what they offer for free.

In short, this experience was a nightmare from start to finish. The hotel's lack of cleanliness was appalling, and the refund process was a complete and utter disaster. I feel like I wasted both my time and money, and I plan on continuing my pursuit of getting my money back, even if it means taking legal action. Do yourself a favor and avoid this hotel...