Hotel Arboretum — Hotel in Washington

The two of us stayed 6 nights - early December 2024:

We saved about $50 a night versus a "better" location/hotel and I don't regret it one bit. Over a 6 night stay, that was $600 we got to have more fun with. No, it's not in the greatest neighborhood but not having ever stayed anywhere else in DC, it might be an unfair comparison because my context is familiar cities I know much better.

We were also unfamiliar with transit but figured it out and saved another bundle there. It's a simple walk up the street to the bus and Google Maps took it from there. The 1 share-ride from the airport we took to get here cost more than the entire rest of our use of public transit for the rest of our stay. I loaded a Metro card with $30 and when we left, still had $5 on it which we gave away. I preface my review by saying I have no problem whatsoever with using public transit.

The good:

(1) The rooms were clean and we only opted for cleaning two times because we weren't there very often.(2) Bed and pillows were nice and didn't care about "the view". (3) The staff was massive friendly and welcomed us back each day we arrived. Thomas, the breakfast guy, was overwhelmingly a joy to be around. The front desk people were gorgeously friendly. One thing about DC is that the hotel room entry cards have to be re-keyed when you return from DC sights that have security checks and scans and they did it kindly each time. In fact, they were the ones who told us that was the reason. (4) Don't know if it makes a difference, but we had a full-size couch in the room...which was nice. (5) Very easy and speedy Wi-Fi. The best part was that it wasn't charged separately...it was free each day we were there and it was a very simple one-step connect without having to code in room number or name or all that other BS most places have now.

The not-so-good:

(1) Hotel HVAC was well-meaning, but we couldn't get into "the zone" we liked but that's true of every hotel, no? Average temperature outdoors while we were there was 40-degrees. We found "the zone" on our last two nights. (2) When did hotels stop issuing TV channel guides? The TV was huge (50 inch?) but we had no idea what was what and had to scan through each to find things. Not even an on-screen guide. I tried to use YouTube TV to see what was on and there was no identification of what channel was what. There also wasn't really an option to connect streaming services. (3) The hot water wasn't as hot as I like it. It was mostly high-warm...on the very edge to being hot. Good for a shower, but not so good to just stand under. (4) The toilet "flush" (you might need 2) was underwhelming but eventually effective. (5) Keurig coffee machines are nice and easy and they actually work and aren't confusing as hell for a non-Keurig user myself, but would have liked a bit more premium coffee. I'm a coffee snob. The water plays a part here too and that might be a DC thing.

The bad:

(1) Breakfast was nice but it's the same thing...every day. Scrambled eggs (real), sausage (pork and turkey), cereal, and bread/bagels for toasting. Yogurt...coffee, juice, milk, etc. No waffles (even though most other patrons always leave these messy) and not much fruit other than oranges and apples. (2) The toaster for bread/bagels was on the other side of the room and the butter was always just out of the fridge. Ever tried to spread solid cold butter on toast you have to carry across the room? Minor bad in the grand scheme of things though. Admittedly a bit finnicky of me. CONTEXT: The staff and people MORE than made up for this. (3) No indoor pool or hot tub. With the shower "not-so-good" above comment, it was early December and it would have been nice to warm up in one. (4) No local restaurants nearby that we know of...because there was no local or neighborhood information. Would have liked to order a local pizza, but had no idea other than Google Maps where one might be. We used Uber Eats and it was like playing Russian Roulette. Our Chinese food came from an hour away for...

Overall a nice hotel 🏨 in NE DC for the price… the housekeeping/maintenance staff are the best and the Manager Mrs Hawkins is an absolute sweetheart….

Unfortunately I’ve stayed here for almost 2 weeks and had intended to stay here for 2 more months…

But one particular staff member at the front desk has ruined this experience and I fear for many others as well.

Just today I witnessed her telling a couple “nothing could be done about the situation” and told them “to be down by 11am” for checkout, when the hotel policy clearly states, check out is at 12pm

I was waiting in line because I thought the WiFi password had changed as I was having trouble logging in.

When I was my turn I politely asked her if I could have the new WiFi password… she very rudely told me, there is no new WiFi password, the WiFi is down… and walked back in her room…

Since she turned her back on me and brushed me off with that reply.. I asked “so that’s your answer” She then said “it’s down, I ain’t no technician, wudda you want me to do about it”

Just a nasty attitude… I see her treat everyone that does not look like her like this, and it’s wrong…

Not to mention she is adamant about “doing her job” when it comes to asking for the hotel deposit but not when being asked simple questions about one’s stay…

Since I’ve had multiple reservations at the hotel.. I asked her in one of my first encounters if we could just roll over the deposit to the next reservation

Again very rudely tells me she can’t “do noffin bout it” “it’s my job” I asked her to please reach out to the manager and she declined…

On another occasion the Manager helped check me in (she’s the biggest sweetheart btw) and the manager specifically told her not to charge me the deposit (I had locked my card, knowing she would try it) and sure enough, 2 attempts were made on the card the same instant the manger was telling her not to charge it!

I guess she was looking and hoping to charge it and say “oh my bad, too late”

Communication is 10% what you say and 90% how you say it… and this hotel rep is definitely not a people person and in the wrong position…

Till this day, 6 days after that check out, I’ve yet to receive a release on that deposit she charged me when the manager was not here

Unfortunately, I will need to pay a little more and find another spot.

Please do not be discouraged to stay at this hotel… I gave it 1 star (because we all know, that’s what everyone wants to read first) but in reality this place deserves 4-5 stars

Unfortunately that team member ruined it all.

And my hopes are that they find her another position that is not face to face customer interaction

Thank you for your attention to...

I was concerned about arriving at the hotel too early since my colleague and I landed at 7 AM at IAD. After a 20-hour flight, I knew we’d be exhausted, and indeed we were. I had specifically requested early check-in or any other options, as shown in Picture 1. Once I received a positive response from the hotel, I felt relieved. Please note that I made the request a week in advance, on October 7, well before my stay on the 13th.

However, when my colleague and I arrived at the hotel on the 13th around 9:00 AM, the receptionist simply said, “No, I can’t do that,” and acted extremely unprofessionally throughout our conversation. I tried to explain that I had made the request directly to the hotel, not through the booking platform, and received confirmation from “the hotel.” She was dismissive, refused to listen, and offered no solution—no arrangements, no explanation, no negotiation—just a blunt refusal. Since then, none of my messages have been answered.

After this terrible check-in experience, things only got worse. My original booking was until the 16th, but I realized I needed to stay an extra night because my return flight was on the 17th at 7:00 AM. I made a reservation for the night of the 16th-17th two weeks before my check-in. On the evening of the 15th, I confirmed with the receptionist to ensure that we could stay in the same rooms and not have to move out, as we had early mornings every day in DC. The evening receptionist assured me that all I needed to do was inform the front desk in the morning to check out and back in to the same room, which seemed simple enough.

However, on the morning of the 16th, the same receptionist from the 13th was on duty. Once again, she flatly said, “I can’t do that,” and forced me to move out at 7:30 AM. To make matters worse, look at the room she arranged for me afterward (see Picture 2). I’m not sure what’s going on with this particular staff member, but I strongly advise against staying at this hotel if anyone expects to be treated with basic courtesy and...