DoubleTree by Hilton Washington DC North/Gaithersburg — Hotel in Gaithersburg

Where do I begin?||As a professional tour guide for nearly two decades, I’ve spent countless nights in hotels—both locally and abroad. This particular hotel stands out as a model of what a truly welcoming, high-standard, and efficiently run accommodation should be. Whether you’re a weary business traveler or simply vacationing, this place has something for everyone.||From the cozy and inviting lobby—perfect for relaxing or working on your laptop—to the fabulous half-indoor, half-outdoor pool, every detail feels thoughtfully designed. Even the snacks go above and beyond: vegan, kosher chocolate chip cookies were a delightful surprise!||What truly elevates this hotel, however, is the staff. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with a smile so bright it could make a dentist proud—thank you, Suzanna at the front desk. That warm welcome continued with Timothy, whose love for people shines through in every interaction, and Khandra, whose calm and caring presence was deeply appreciated (forgive me if I’ve misspelled your name). If there were ever a school for hotel hospitality, this team should be the standard.||After a grueling 30-hour flight (don’t ask) and a 6-hour drive, arriving here felt like a true moment of rest and rejuvenation. While our initial room had a drainage issue in the shower, the front desk immediately moved us to another room on the 11th floor—no hassle, just kindness.||Insider tip: Odd-numbered rooms face the pool and offer stunning sunsets, while even-numbered rooms let you wake up with the sunrise. Our room, 1110, was intelligently designed: the sink was outside the bathroom for added convenience, windows opened just enough for safety, and the beds were incredibly comfortable. My only small critique: the room lighting was quite dim. A brighter option would be appreciated, as some guests may prefer a well-lit space.||Housekeeping was mostly reliable, though occasionally coffee pods or cups weren’t replaced—but any small need was quickly and cheerfully handled by the front desk. Every morning, complimentary hot coffee and tea were available near reception, and fruit-infused water was provided all day near the elevators (with a new flavor daily!).||The fitness center was well-equipped, featuring a hydration station, a large screen, and plenty of towels—though it was a bit too warm for my liking. Still, it’s open 24/7, which is fantastic. The pool area, with calming music in the indoor section, was a true oasis. I could’ve stayed there forever. Towel service was abundant, and swimming hours officially ran until 10 p.m.||Another pleasant surprise was the laundry room—clean machines in great condition and reasonably priced at just $1.50 per load (wash and dry). Very traveler-friendly.||Special thanks to Linda, the bartender, for making each guest feel like a VIP, and a heartfelt shoutout to Rosalyn McColloun (again, apologies if I’ve misspelled your name) who went above and beyond to accommodate special requests. Her genuine kindness and attention to detail turned hospitality into heartfelt connection.||In sum: Our week here was restorative, memorable, and filled with warmth. We’re already looking forward to...

I had high expectations for a 2-night stay costing me $924 but I was greatly disappointed. One word sums up my impression of my Doubletree suite: SHABBY. The hotel is tired and shows its age. Many things were broken inside my room as well as elsewhere in the hotel. Many things were just plain shabby. There were stains on floors, walls, furniture; scratches on furniture; broken and stained lampshades, broken robe hooks, broken door handles, outside entrances that were out of order because the digital key device was broken, broken shower handles, broken ice machine was out of order the entire 3 days I was there, a window view of a disgusting, run-down, covered outdoor pool when I was able to see out of the half of the window that wasn't filmed over by mineral deposits.

An email from DoubleTree by Hilton on 6/2 asked me to checkin online and to select a room and a checkin time. I selected the button that said 3:00. I received a message confirming my 3:00 checkin time. When I arrived at 3, my room wasn't ready.

The Hilton Honors digital key that allows guests to check in remotely and go directly to their rooms bypassing the front desk means that they will not get the cookie or the special gift bag for Hilton Honors members. The hotel really cheaped out by giving the Hilton Honors gift bag containing two bottles of water. I had to ask for my cookie and the gift bag. No pad of paper or pen to be found anywhere in my suite.

I found one single tissue box in the entire suite and saw it was nearly empty. I brought it to a housekeeper in the hall and asked her for a new tissue box. She gave it to me and I asked her if I could have a second box explaining that I have allergies that make me sneeze and I wanted a box of tissues to put in the living room area. The housekeeper refused my request for an additional box of tissues so I went to the front desk to obtain an additional box. Again, cheap, cheap, cheap.

The air conditioner in the bedroom blasts cold air right at the bed so I had to shut off the thermostat in the bedroom and leave the thermostat in the living room area to cool the suite. Shabby-looking throw pillows with threads and shredded material, towels with hanging loose threads.

Nice touches in the kitchen to provide coffee, sugar, and creamer but salt and pepper shakers or packets would be helpful. The kitchen cabinet wouldn't close all the way because the dishes were too big for the cabinet. No kettle or small pot to boil water for tea. Attention to this kind of detail is expected for a suite costing nearly $500 a night.

Maintenance man woke me up at 7:55am with loud sounds of drilling into the door jamb across the hall. Guest laundry room is dingy with broken dispenser.

Positive features: Nice fitness room, linens in rooms are fairly clean, no bedbugs, digital key is nice to have, small indoor pool looks good but I didn't use it. Two huge televisions in suite. In-closet safe, ironing board, iron, hair dryer, all provided. Full size...

Where do I start? As a professional tour guide for almost 2 decades I spend many a night in hotels of all sorts local and abroad. This hotel is a model of what a welcoming, high standard, smoothly functioning, user friendly place should be for the weary traveler, whether on a business trip or for vacation. The amenities available: from the super comfie lobby to zoom/ work on computer things, to the fabulous pool (half inside and half outside): there is something for everyone- even vegan kosher chocolate chip cookies! The genuine heartfelt greeting with a smile to make a dentist proud at reception by Suzanna, and followed by the caring attention paid by Timothy (whose love for people is obvious) and the calm spirit of Khandra (sp?) are to be commended. If ever a school for hotel staff needs good models: this is the staff to star in it! after a 30 hour flight (don’t ask) and a 6 hour drive: finally a place to rejuvenate and accomplish our mission in Washington DC! The room we were first given had an issue with water not draining in the shower, so immediately we were given a room on 11th floor. Hint: the odd number rooms face the pool and the spectacular sunset. The even number rooms face the sunrise. Our room 1110 was designed smartly: the sink was outside the shower/toilet room, the windows could only be opened partially for safety sake, and the beds were super comfortable. Only issue was that the lighting was poor, maybe it was to create a calm environment, but I prefer the option to control the lighting: bright or dim. Note: the cleaning service wasn’t always exact with replacing the coffee pods/cups, but no worries. Anything we needed was immediately provided by the staff at reception – with a smile! And every morning adjacent to the reception desk there was a huge urn of hot coffee, hot water and the accoutrements necessary. All day there is cold fruit infused water next to the elevators (flavors change daily). The gym was nicely equipped and there were endless towels, hot/cold water machine and huge screen. Just alittle too warm for comfort. Open 24/7. The pool (inside and out) also provided endless towels, swimming officially closed at 10pm. There was zen- calming music playing in the indoor area… I could’ve stayed there forever. There is also a laundry room: with machines in great condition and very fair price: $1.50 per load to wash and $1.50 to dry. Linda the bartender made each person at the bar counter feel like they were VIP. And special shout out to ROSALYN McColloun (sp?) who was able to accommodate special requests and deserves an award for turning each guest into a friend. In sum: a week here has created wonderful memories and a desire to return to this home away...