Grand Hyatt Washington — Hotel in Washington

We stayed at the Grand Hyatt from Wed., 8/7 (check in mid-afternoon) to Mon., 8/12 (check out noon-ish). That’s 4 full days plus an evening and a morning.

Since we drove from Baltimore and were driving home immediately afterwards, we had our car. It definitely is not cheap to park a car in DC, and the further inside the city you go, the more it costs, especially for overnight parking. We paid about $70 a night to park at our hotel, which seemed outrageous to me, but the security of the vehicle during the entire day and the ability to use it if/when needed gave us the peace of mind we desired.

We considered a lot of different hotels and locations, but in the end, decided it was most important to us to be central, so we were willing to pay a little more for our room. We came to DC to be in DC, so we decided on The Grand Hyatt on H Street NW, in Penn Quarter. And while we were at it, we opted for a high floor room with a city view. It felt like a splurge to me, but at under $220 per night, we couldn’t pass it up! It helps that I already was a World of Hyatt member, so we also earned points and perks for the stay. Here are some thoughts about the hotel: Pros: · We could access the Metro right from inside the hotel – we never had to leave the building, and it’s only a few blocks in all directions from all the best tourist sites; there were lots of shopping and dining options near the hotel too; the hotel itself is beautiful and clean and employed a staff that was always willing to help; it’s a very safe building, & I never once felt worried or insecure; there is a DC Gift shop and a really great in-house convenience store on the Lobby level. A bit pricey, but too convenient to pass up if you need snacks or drinks; Valet parking is the best option for parking your car. Don’t self-park – it’s not monitored by the hotel. Cons: · As a whole, our family was not too keen on the in-house restaurants or food options. A bit too fancy and pricey for our everyday tastes, but The Cabinet does offer a decent breakfast, both a la cart and buffet style. And there is a Starbucks Reserve immediately connected to the hotel. No free breakfast here; there was no pool. I knew this when I booked it, & I didn’t think it would be a big deal, but it would have been really nice after a long, hot August day of walking & sweating; there was also construction going on in the hotel. Again, I knew this when I reserved the room, but I wasn’t prepared for the noise every day from 8a-6p, including weekends. It wasn’t terribly loud noise all the time to the point of obnoxiousness and unlivable; just somewhat annoying if we happened to be back at the room midday. And our water got turned off – without warning – for a few hours one morning.

The Grand Hyatt is also known to host very large conventions and gatherings. Every day and night there were groups of people there (most also staying at the hotel as guests) gathering for award ceremonies or work conferences, and the people at the Grand managed it flawlessly.

Packing: We are not a family of light packers (at least the girls aren’t) so we needed room space. Our room – two double beds – had the perfect amount of space we needed to feel comfortable and relaxed for 6 days. There is no dresser (if you like unpacking your suitcase) but there was a very spacious double-door closet. And more than enough bathroom space! The Spa-like shower was just ahhhhhhh…I did wish the beds were a little bigger, though.

Security: Not once did I feel insecure about our safety. The ginormous lobby was locked down at night (6pm/8pm?), and only those with keycards can enter. And the card was needed to access the elevator and rooms as well, which is super important to me on the safety scale. The Metro stations were remarkably clean and well-lit with lots of people around if help was needed. We felt oddly safe (as opposed to other cities), but there were very few workers in the booths, and I didn’t see a single Transit cop the entire ride.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip, and I would absolutely stay at the Grand...

You would be better off taking your money to a motel or homeless shelter than wasting a single dollar at the Grand Hyatt Washington. Where do I begin with how awful my stay here was? Me and 6 of my friends booked 2 rooms to stay in for the weekend as we were in town for a convention. Upon check-in I was DOUBLE charged which wiped out all of the money in my account that I was planning to use for my vacation. Front desk staff pretended as if they didn't understand why I was upset and said that the money would be back in my account in 3-5 business days. I told them that doesn't help me because the $1200 extra they erroneously charged me for was what I was going to use to enjoy myself this weekend, they shrugged and rushed me out of the line. The following morning they sent a letter to our rooms telling us that because our card hadn't gone through they would be closing our rooms. I called them about this mistake and they ensured me that they accidentally sent the letter and I was good to go. I even went down to confront them in person and they said the same thing. The next day I'm in the city in the middle of a concert I paid for and i get a call from my friends that we have been locked out of BOTH rooms. The staff makes us run up and down the floors between the front desk and rooms to try out SIXTEEN (16) different keys they made for us, none of which worked. Finally one of the front desk employees had the idea to call engineering, who tells us its a security issue and they can't fix it. Security arrives and they struggle to finally get the rooms open. I missed the entire concert I paid to be at over this and spent almost 2 hours having to try and fix their mistake, which they refused to admit fault for or sincerely even apologize. They did offer me an initial 2000 Hyatt points, which isn't even a quarter of what you need for a single night in the most basic room. Another manager offered to give us a late check out time to make up for us being locked out of our room. I call them Sunday morning to ensure we have late checkout and I go to front desk in-person to confirm it as well. They ensure me they have me marked down for late checkout. At 11am we are once again, LOCKED OUT OF ROOMS for another hour. Security gets us back into our rooms, but to our surprise and shock, the hotel has already allowed someone to start renting out our room. A complete stranger was in one of our rooms, in our shower, messing with our belongings. Security, instead of forcing the stranger out, told us not to make a scene and escorted us out of rooms and didn't even give us time to collect our bags. We rushed downstairs to report to management about the intruder and the very first thing that the manager, Cristina Uquillas does is call security on me. For reference, I am a tall, darkskin black man and while I admit to raising my voice and cutting line, its understandable considering that someone had either broken into or was given access to our room and all of our personal belongings. Once again they give us TWELVE (12) more keys and tell us try and open our room, which still doesn't work. About an hour later security finally arrives and allows us to go back upstairs and collect our stuff. They wouldn't tell us who was in our room, how they got into our room, why they gave someone access to our room when we were still not checked out, they just stared at me blankly and offered me 3000 more Hyatt points for our troubles, which still isn't enough to do anything with. Why would I ever want to come back to such a horrible hotel with how me and my friends were treated? We spent more of our vacation getting locked out of room and talked down to by staff then we did enjoying ourselves. I am never coming to any Hyatt location as long as I live, and I would encourage you all to do the same. Everyone working here should be ashamed of themselves for how awful a...

I feel compelled to share my disappointing experiences at this hotel through a scathing Google review. Although the lobby is undeniably impressive, I must admit that the overall quality of the hotel falls short. Over the past two months, I have unfortunately had the displeasure of attending two separate events that were booked at this establishment.

Let me start by describing my first encounter. Upon check-in, I was handed a slip of paper with my key card. However, as soon as I entered my room, the deafening sound of jackhammers filled the air. To my dismay, the slip of paper turned out to be an explanation regarding ongoing renovations and construction. The noise and constant vibrations made it impossible for me to focus or get any work done during the conference breaks. While I understand the necessity for the hotel to remain open during renovations, I fail to comprehend why they insist on overbooking. It would have been a much more enjoyable experience for guests if they had blocked off the section undergoing renovation, including the floors above and below.

Additionally, I had requested a brief 30-minute late checkout so I could change my clothes before my flight. However, the staff unapologetically informed me that such an arrangement was not possible, despite asking me how late I would be. On this particular trip, my flight happened to arrive early. To my astonishment, I witnessed the hotel staff provide key cards and directions to the elevators for dozens of other guests who had also arrived early. Meanwhile, I was told that my room was not ready and that they would text me when it was. Nearly SIX hours have now passed, and I am still sitting in the lobby, anxiously waiting for the promised text message. I will update my review with the exact waiting time.

As someone who frequently travels to DC and has stayed at numerous hotels, I strongly advise against choosing this establishment if you have other options available. It is evident that this hotel is cramming in guests and conferences beyond their capacity to provide a satisfactory experience. Their actions only warrant negative reviews and should discourage others from staying here at all costs. Unlike this hotel, renowned chains such as Hilton and Marriott prioritize their guests' satisfaction. Even the Capitol Hill Hotel, known for its exceptional service, would never treat guests in such a manner. If your conference happens to take place at the Grand Hyatt, I urge you to consider staying elsewhere nearby and simply commute for the conference activities. Personally, I will never subject myself to such a disappointing experience again by staying at this hotel. Furthermore, I must highlight an additional inconvenience I encountered during my first stay at this hotel. Due to the unavailability of a late checkout, I was left with no choice but to change my clothes in their public restrooms. While waiting on transportation to the airport, a colleague informed me that they were permitted a 30 minute late check out to change clothes. It is utterly disheartening that a hotel of this caliber would not prioritize the basic needs and comfort of their guests. This added inconvenience only further solidifies my recommendation to avoid this establishment and seek alternative lodging...