Salamander Washington DC — Hotel in Washington

Salamander D.C. is the best 5 star hotel experience I've had yet (and I've stayed at Ritz Carlton New Orleans and JW Marriott Nashville). From the moment I stepped out of the uber to check in to the moment I left, Salamander D.C. provided the most hospitable guest service. Nearly every single hotel staff I interacted with was attentive and solicitous of my needs and quick to respond to any requests. ||Special shout out to Gonzalo Patino, the front office manager, who checked me in and personally offered to bring my luggage up to my room and made sure I knew how to use all the modern light buttons and where things were located in my room. Gonzalo also addressed me by my name every time he saw me during my stay. That's always impressive...a hotel with hundreds of guest rooms and hotel staff remembers your name.||I gifted myself a spa vacation for Christmas. I stayed 4 days, 3 nights. And my intention was to simply relax. I initially booked a deluxe king city view, but upgraded to water view upon checkin, which was only $27 more per night, and it was definitely worth it. I had a beautiful view of the wharf. At night time, it was great to look out my window and see all the Christmas lights along the marina. ||The room itself is very well-appointed. It had character, elegance yet cozy rather than very nice but corporate and cookie cutter. Every piece of furniture made me feel like I was staying at a friend's guest bedroom. The bathroom is very spacious. The separate glass enclosed shower is beautifully tiled. And the soaking tub was luxurious. The tub was one of the reasons I picked Salamander. Since my intention was to have a relaxing vacation, I knew I wanted to lounge in a soaking tub. My hotel room and bathroom were very clean. And housekeeping came everyday to clean it and do turn down service.||For my spa service, I booked the 2 hour ultimate zen body treatment and made use of the jacuzzi and sauna prior to my spa appointment. The spa elevated my stay to something quite luxurious.||I also used the gym twice during my stay. The gym has modern and varied fitness equipment. It is very clean. And there is also a yoga/stretch room.||The only amenity I didn't use was the heated pool....something for next time ;) But I did take a peak, and it is a lovely indoor heated pool on the same level as the gym.||I ordered room service for several meals. My food was delivered promptly and the meals were delicious. There was one hiccup during my in-room dining experience, which was a sizable shard of glass or hard plastic that I encountered while I was drinking my smoothie. Thankfully, I didn't cut myself. I notified hotel staff. The kitchen manager was very apologetic, and they automatically took the entire breakfast order off my hotel bill, which I greatly appreciated. ||The newly opened onsite "Dogon" restaurant is a must try. It was fully booked, but I was able to get a seat in the lounge area. I have a separate review for the restaurant on Google reviews. To sum it up, it's very flavorful (Afro-Caribbean cuisine). ||The location of Salamander hotel is fantastic, walking distance to the wharf. I walked down there twice. The hotel is connected by sky bridge to the beginning of the marina. I walked by myself at night and during the day and felt safe. The wharf has a great collection of restaurants from seafood to Spanish cuisine. And it's also a great place to people watch. During my stay, the ice rink was open and there were Christmas decorations and Christmas trees along the wharf. There is one vendor who sells stuff to make smores and who doesn't like smores. People roast them in a large, communal fire pit. One store definitely worth a visit is "Shop Made in DC", which supports DC artists and craft makers. ||I absolutely loved my entire experience at Salamander D.C. And I will definitely be back, especially since I live in the area. This will be my new staycation hotel, my home away from home because it literally felt that way.||I can sum up Salamander DC in two words: elegance and...

Salamander D.C. is the best 5 star hotel experience I've had yet (and I've stayed at Ritz Carlton New Orleans and JW Marriott Nashville). From the moment I stepped out of the uber to check in to the moment I left, Salamander D.C. provided the most hospitable guest service. Nearly every single hotel staff I interacted with was attentive and solicitous of my needs and quick to respond to any requests.

Special shout out to Gonzalo Patino, the front office manager, who checked me in and personally offered to bring my luggage up to my room and made sure I knew how to use all the modern light buttons and where things were located in my room. Gonzalo also addressed me by my name every time he saw me during my stay. That's always impressive...a hotel with hundreds of guest rooms and hotel staff remembers your name.

I gifted myself a spa vacation for Christmas. I stayed 4 days, 3 nights. And my intention was to simply relax. I initially booked a deluxe king city view, but upgraded to water view upon checkin, which was only $27 more per night, and it was definitely worth it. I had a beautiful view of the wharf. At night time, it was great to look out my window and see all the Christmas lights along the marina.

The room itself is very well-appointed. It had character, elegance yet cozy rather than very nice but corporate and cookie cutter. Every piece of furniture made me feel like I was staying at a friend's guest bedroom. The bathroom is very spacious. The separate glass enclosed shower is beautifully tiled. And the soaking tub was luxurious. The tub was one of the reasons I picked Salamander. Since my intention was to have a relaxing vacation, I knew I wanted to lounge in a soaking tub. My hotel room and bathroom were very clean. And housekeeping came everyday to clean it and do turn down service.

For my spa service, I booked the 2 hour ultimate zen body treatment and made use of the jacuzzi and sauna prior to my spa appointment. The spa elevated my stay to something quite luxurious.

I also used the gym twice during my stay. The gym has modern and varied fitness equipment. It is very clean. And there is also a yoga/stretch room.

The only amenity I didn't use was the heated pool....something for next time ;) But I did take a peak, and it is a lovely indoor heated pool on the same level as the gym.

I ordered room service for several meals. My food was delivered promptly and the meals were delicious. There was one hiccup during my in-room dining experience, which was a sizable shard of glass or hard plastic that I encountered while I was drinking my smoothie. Thankfully, I didn't cut myself. I notified hotel staff. The kitchen manager was very apologetic, and they automatically took the entire breakfast order off my hotel bill, which I greatly appreciated.

The newly opened onsite "Dogon" restaurant is a must try. It was fully booked, but I was able to get a seat in the lounge area. I have a separate review for the restaurant on Google reviews. To sum it up, it's very flavorful (Afro-Caribbean cuisine).

The location of Salamander hotel is fantastic, walking distance to the wharf. I walked down there twice. The hotel is connected by sky bridge to the beginning of the marina. I walked by myself at night and during the day and felt safe. The wharf has a great collection of restaurants from seafood to Spanish cuisine. And it's also a great place to people watch. During my stay, the ice rink was open and there were Christmas decorations and Christmas trees along the wharf. There is one vendor who sells stuff to make smores and who doesn't like smores. People roast them in a large, communal fire pit. One store definitely worth a visit is "Shop Made in DC", which supports DC artists and craft makers.

I absolutely loved my entire experience at Salamander D.C. And I will definitely be back, especially since I live in the area. This will be my new staycation hotel, my home away from home because it literally felt that way.

I can sum up Salamander DC in two words: elegance and...

I was there celebrating my mother's birthday and Mother's Day Weekend. This is a really nice hotel, but the service needs to be consistent across the board before I will ever return. Some members of the Salamander team are completely subpar, at best. While others are top-notch! So there is definitely room for improvement.

Let's discuss the pros first. The hotel is very beautiful. It's located close to all of the major museums and monuments. We arrived on Thursday, the 9th. Eskedar checked us in at the front desk. She was so warm and polite. While I was checking in with Eskedar, my mother was conversing with Mark, the security manager, who was extremely welcoming. My mother was wearing her birthday tshirt and Mark noticed. Consequently, soon after we settled into our room, a birthday card and macarons were delivered to our room courtesy of the hotel. I attached a picture. The macarons were delectable, but the thought that was put into them made them extra enjoyable. It warmed my heart for the staff to show such an exceptional level of hospitality towards my mother. On Saturday, the 11th, we had Spring Afternoon Tea in the lounge. The hotel was undergoing renovations so the lounge was only open to hotel guests. The afternoon tea was exquisite. Martaz, the dining manager, went above and beyond to ensure that we had a memorable experience. All of the food was delicious, especially the lobster rolls, egg salad, and scones. I attached a picture.

Now, let's dive into the cons.

a) The lady at the front desk the evening of Friday, the 10th, was exceptionally rude. I did not catch her name, but she was there around 7pm. I'll refer to her as "The Receptionist". My mother and I decided to walk to The Wharf. The Receptionist gave us directions to do so. As we were walking, we noticed that we had to walk across an overpass. My mother has a fear of heights so we turned around and went back to the hotel lobby. The Receptionist asked us if everything was alright. We explained the situation to her and she callously walked away. We took Uber to The Wharf. During our ride, I noticed a blue car with the hotel logo on the side drive by. I did some quick research on my phone and learned that the hotel has a complimentary car service, known as the Gem Car, that takes guests to The Wharf. The Receptionist never mentioned this option to us. We brought this to The Receptionist's attention once we returned to the hotel. She completely disregarded our concern. She shrugged us off and gave us the driest and most disingenuous apology. She still never took the time to explain anything about the Gem Car.

b) When we returned home from our vacation, I noticed that the hotel charged me for Valet Parking during our stay. We did not bring a car to Washington, D.C., nor did we rent one. We walked and took Uber to all of our attractions. I called the hotel Monday, the 13th, around 10pm to discuss the situation. I was told that they would look into the overcharges and get back with me via phone or email ASAP. I didn't receive a response so I called back on Friday, the 17th, around 1pm. Someone greeted me and put me on hold. No one ever came back to the phone. I was on hold for over 90 minutes. I attached a screenshot of my phone showing how I was still on hold after an hour and 31 minutes. I probably would still be on hold to this day if I hadn't hung up. I never got the overcharges resolved.

*Update as of 5/20/24, members of the Salamander team, including Eskedar, who I previously mentioned was fabulous, and Richard Tsai, from Guest Services, have personally reached out to me to discuss my experience. They made me feel heard and valued as a guest. They also issued me a refund for the overcharges that were erroneously added to my bill. I edited my overall rating from 3 stars to 4 stars due to...