Arlo Washington DC — Hotel in Washington

Do not stay here. I don’t believe we could’ve had a worse experience from any hotel, let alone a 4-star accommodation if they tried. The hotel is beautiful and that is the height of what they offer.

Through several mishaps, nobody on the service side returned a call, followed up, or resolved the issues on their own for the entirety of the 3-night stay. I had to request the urban fee be removed from at least one of the two rooms I booked, and I was only refunded two of the three fees. The front desk person confirmed my claims via service notes but could only partially fulfill my request. There was zero empathy or gratitude for my patience. I shouldn’t have had to fight for basic service.

Day 1 – I asked for a simple birthday note in the room and was told this only came with a paid amenity. I ordered a basket of 10–20 artisanal snacks and 4–8 non-alcoholic drinks. What showed up was 2 bags of Doritos, a box of M&Ms, a box of Skittles, 2 cans of water, and a bottle of Ketel One. I had to email proof of what I should have received. The front desk staff laughed when I followed up, remarking that they’d seen the photo I emailed and told me it would be corrected. It never was. After more follow-ups, I was told the original items weren’t in stock and that this was their “comparable” alternative. No one informed me beforehand. I was refunded the basket and given two breakfast vouchers—on Day 3, resolved by Jeremy.

Day 2 – A maintenance issue shut off water and closed the restaurant Arrels for the rest of our stay. That restaurant was 1 of the only 2 places you could use the $15 daily credit included in the urban fee—but it didn’t apply to breakfast, and there’s no complimentary breakfast. Other guests were also upset, saying the in-room marketing was misleading.

The main restaurant was closed, so we tried Art on the rooftop. We were told they only served “shots, beer, or wine,” though we saw food delivered to others nearby.

Day 3 – Our TV stopped working around 9AM. We were told maintenance would be up “soon.” At noon, no one had come. We followed up again at 5pm still broken. I called again and was told they’d send someone right away. After another delay, I was finally called back by Jude, who acknowledged the ticket had been ignored. He offered to move us to a new room (same level, not an upgrade), and helped with our bags. Appreciated his effort, but again, not 4-star service.

Ice machines are only on the 3rd and 8th floors, and no buckets are in the rooms. When I asked, I was told buckets would be near the machines and no key was needed. We couldn’t find any buckets on the 8th floor and had to go to the 3rd. You do need your key to access the ice room. There were also microwaves in those rooms, which we weren’t told about, despite asking if there was a way to reheat food.

In all the front desk provided a lot of lip service and wrong answers with no follow up and no initiative for resolution. No one was outright rude, but they also didn’t seem to care...

I stayed four nights at the Arlo in DC while on a business trip and checked out this afternoon. Roughly 45 minutes before my scheduled check-out time (I was granted an extra hour late check out by a woman at the front desk the night before), I heard a knock on the door of my room while I was in the shower. My "do not disturb" light was on and I had checked when I woke up this morning that it continued to remain on. I called out that the room was occupied and a few seconds later, I heard the door unlock and open. A man was standing in the doorway of my room, looking through the open bathroom door right at me while I was showering. "Get out! I'm showering!," I yelled before he then closed the room door. A minute later the door OPENED AGAIN and he asked whether I wanted fresh towels and I repeatedly said "No! Get out out!" while he held the door open for several more seconds. Startled and shocked, I hopped out of the shower half covered in soap, dried off, and hurriedly packed up my belongings to get the heck out of this hotel as soon as possible. As I was getting dressed, another man knocked AGAIN and I went to the door. It was apparently someone from housekeeping asking if I needed anything and apologizing for disturbing me, but I highlighted that my "do not disturb" light was on and I just wanted to be left alone until I could check-out. Literally trembling from the experience of having my privacy violated repeatedly by the staff of the Arlo Hotel while I was naked in the shower, I went downstairs and asked immediately for the manager before I departed. Apparently the hotel manager was not on premises and the "Guest Services Manager" was unable to do much other than apologize and say he would speak with housekeeping. ||||This was, to say the least, the most traumatic and unprofessional experience I've ever had at a hotel anywhere in the world. To have been repeatedly walked in on while I was showering and have the man from housekeeping re-enter my room only moments later is absolutely unacceptable. Travelers, especially women and those with children, should carefully consider the extent to which you feel comfortable staying in a hotel where staff will disregard a "do not disturb" light outside your door, ignore your verbal response that the room is occupied, and repeatedly enter your room while seeing you in the shower. Besides being mortifying from the privacy perspective, it's also a safety and security issue that should make people think twice before booking a stay at...

I stayed four nights at the Arlo in DC while on a business trip and checked out this afternoon. Roughly 45 minutes before my scheduled check-out time (I was granted an extra hour late check out by a woman at the front desk the night before), I heard a knock on the door of my room while I was in the shower. My "do not disturb" light was on and I had checked when I woke up this morning that it continued to remain on. I called out that the room was occupied and a few seconds later, I heard the door unlock and open. A man was standing in the doorway of my room, looking through the open bathroom door right at me while I was showering. "Get out! I'm showering!," I yelled before he then closed the room door. A minute later the door OPENED AGAIN and he asked whether I wanted fresh towels and I repeatedly said "No! Get out out!" while he held the door open for several more seconds. Startled and shocked, I hopped out of the shower half covered in soap, dried off, and hurriedly packed up my belongings to get the heck out of this hotel as soon as possible. As I was getting dressed, another man knocked AGAIN and I went to the door. It was apparently someone from housekeeping asking if I needed anything and apologizing for disturbing me, but I highlighted that my "do not disturb" light was on and I just wanted to be left alone until I could check-out. Literally trembling from the experience of having my privacy violated repeatedly by the staff of the Arlo Hotel while I was naked in the shower, I went downstairs and asked immediately for the manager before I departed. Apparently the hotel manager was not on premises and the "Guest Services Manager" was unable to do much other than apologize and say he would speak with housekeeping.

This was, to say the least, the most traumatic and unprofessional experience I've ever had at a hotel anywhere in the world. To have been repeatedly walked in on while I was showering and have the man from housekeeping re-enter my room only moments later is absolutely unacceptable. Travelers, especially women and those with children, should carefully consider the extent to which you feel comfortable staying in a hotel where staff will disregard a "do not disturb" light outside your door, ignore your verbal response that the room is occupied, and repeatedly enter your room while seeing you in the shower. Besides being mortifying from the privacy perspective, it's also a safety and security issue that should make people think twice before booking a stay at...