The Bethesdan Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton — Hotel in Bethesda

This one really misses the mark. We were so excited for a couple of days away and to have the opportunity to explore the area. Everything was wonderful, except for this hotel. I'm writing the review on the last evening of our stay because I can't sleep even as hard as I try.

First - if you have any aversion to smells DO NOT come into the hotel, just don't do it. We arrived for check in and had to wait in the disorganized lobby. It's like walking into a store like Abercrombie and Fitch where they pump cologne info the room. Except this isn't even a pleasant smell at all, it's an overpowering smell that is so strong it finds its way outside and in the elevator. The lobby is the center of epicenter of the smell. I get migraines triggered by smells, and they can get so bad that I end up in the hospital. So for our stay I have had to avoid the lobby like the plague. Check in also took FOREVER. The employees were not kind, barely efficient.

We got to our room and it's stylish and seems comfortable. Oh, the mini fridge is in the bathroom, where you also hang your clothes. Sounds like an ok idea, until someone actually uses the bathroom with no exhaust fan. Do you really want your clothes and your mini fridge in the same place someones doing their business? I don't.

The pool was closed from 6-10 for an event the first evening of our stay. Fine by us. We went up earlier to check it out. Freezing water. Wasn't hot enough outside to enjoy it. The view is spectacular.

Just take the stairs-- whenever you need to move about the hotel don't count on the elevators. Everyone we have talked to staying here has complained about the elevators. They aren't just slow, they must be programmed incorrectly. They skip entire floors.

The parking garage. You pay $35 per day to park your car in a really poorly designed parking garage. We drove our sedan since it was just us and no kids.... So we got to park in a tiny spot. My husband and I are 5'8" or 5'9". We both had to be careful not to hit our heads on the pipes from the ceiling in the garage when getting out of the car. I am horrible at parking-- he had to drive. There's no way I could have maneuvered into the spots.

The beds are horrible. Just horrible. My husband is usually the one complaining about the beds. I'm awake at 1am writing a review because my back hurts so badly I have stopped trying to sleep. I would go to the chair but it's not better. It's like sleeping on the floor. Thank goodness my husband brought his own pillow or he would be awake too.

We really wanted to like this place. It's aestheticly pleasing, the other people staying are nice people. But honestly. There are better options. We never get time away from the kids to spend just the two of us. At another hotel in the area we may have had a spectacular weekend. I feel like we wasted our money here. I just want to get out of here. I can't even go mention something to anyone who works here because if I go into the lobby I'll have a headache for days. The hotel is not accessible to anyone with allergies, sensitivity to smells, asthma or reactive airway disease. I would not stay here again if someone tried to pay me to....

So, I just returned from a second trip to the DMV area, staying at this hotel. After our first stay at the Doubletree Bethesda back in January, I was not at all impressed. When we arrived, there were no cookies, and we were offered bags of potato chips; ok. The next day, there were cookies, but the gentleman scolded me when I asked for them for all four of the guests in our room. The heating unit in the room did not work properly, and when I called the front desk, they simply apologized without offering another option. It was January in Maryland..... Fast-forward to this past weekend, hot in mid-August, and we returned thinking that maybe the Winter blues had caused the staff to be less than friendly on our first stay. Why am I so naïve?! Upon arrival, my husband had not listed me as a second guest to check into the room, so I asked the gentleman ( same one who had scolded me about the cookies on my first stay) if he could call my husband to verify. Instead, he looked at me over his glasses and asked if I was telling the truth. Sir! You have his number in front of you--please call him! He never called, but gave me some scenario about my husband showing up the next day asking who the lady was in his room-as he checked me in. I understand that my name should have been listed, but rather than being treated as a criminal I would have much rather had him call and verify. Once in the room, we noticed that the refrigerator was not cold. We turned it to the coolest setting, dressed, and left for the evening. Upon our return, a few hours later, the fridge was still not cool. I called the front desk and got the same rude gentleman from check-in. He huffed into the phone and held it for a minute as though I were bothering him, finally offering us to switch rooms or bring all of our items to them to put in the refrigerator in the basement. At least it was a solution, I suppose. The bathroom was not clean in either room (January nor August), and the toilet ran all through the night during our second stay. On the last day, the toilet literally overflowed onto the floor when I flushed. I went to the front desk to alert them, and the staff member immediately called her engineer to go check on it, but she seemed annoyed at the fact that this had occurred. Oh, on our second stay, the fire alarm went off and we had to go out to ensure that everything was clear. The problem was that it was never communicated to us that it was clear to go back in. Hotel guests had to ask the firefighters if we could go back in since the staff seemed to be running around not knowing what to do. Seems like they would have procedures in place that they could be a bit more organized. Overall, I was unhappy-again-with my stay at this location. I love the Hilton brand, but this particular location could use some help in service and facilities. I would not recommend this location to anyone staying in the area, and I certainly will not return to see if the third time is the charm. Two stars were generous, only because I...

The location of this hotel is ideal, especially if you need to access Walter Reed-- it's a relatively close walk. There are a ton of restaurants within a stone's throw (walking distance), as well as 2 metro stations within about a half mile walk. The neighborhood is pretty safe for DC (Bethesda is one of the nicer areas) so it doesn't feel unsafe to walk, even after dark (though it's still a large metro, so I wouldn't recommend wandering too far afield after dark).

The rooms are clean and comfortable (beds a bit firm, but I slept well). There are some nice touches, like a filtered water dispenser for refilling water bottles in the ice area. There is a small store with sundries, but there are also a CVS, Trader Joe's, and Harris Teeter (grocery) within short walking distance. I ate one burger in the restaurant and it was very good.

They advertise a shuttle to Medical Center, which is why I stayed there (I had medical appointments at Walter Reed). However, upon my arrival in DC, when I got to the Metro Station and called the hotel, they told me the shuttle was down. This was a real bummer because I had my luggage and it was raining (plus, I'd been traveling since 2:30 am--I was exhausted). There was no apology from the gentleman on the phone--he just said it is a short walk. Yes, it is, but much harder when you're schlepping luggage in the rain on 3 hrs of sleep. If the shuttle is not operating, I think a notification on the website is reasonable (I would've just taken a cab from the airport). I had to walk to Walter Reed each day, which was okay, but not great for my medical issues. It was about a 20 minute walk at my pace.

There was no housekeeping, no refreshment of soaps, towels or coffee during my 3 night stay. No one even picked up the garbage.

I didn't drive, so I can't attest to the garage, but appreciate not being charged for parking since I didn't have a car (I used to live here...parking in Bethesda is expensive). They charge for wifi unless you're a Hilton Honors member, but since I booked the hotel through Amex I wasn't eligible to use my Hilton number for any of the gold perks, which is weird because it comes with my platinum card--free status--but then you can't use it if you book through amex platinum travel🤷🏼‍♀️. I didn't care about hotel points, but the bottled water and wifi would've been nice.

Overall I had a very nice stay here. This is a jewel of a hotel at a very reasonable price in an otherwise expensive area. Water pressure was good, tv was good, the rooms and common areas were spotless, and it was quiet. The front desk staff wasn't interested in me beyond checking me in (no "how was your stay?" Or "we're so sorry you had to walk in the rain because our shuttle is broken and also we no longer do room service"). The young man in the restaurant was very kind, and all the cleaning staff I encountered in the hallway were polite and courteous.

I would...