The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. — Hotel in Washington

Disappointed and Deeply Concerned – This Hotel Does Not Represent the Ritz-Carlton Standard

We’ve stayed at several Ritz-Carlton properties over the years and have always associated the brand with elegance, attention to detail, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Unfortunately, this location simply does not live up to that reputation. While a few elements shine, the overall experience falls far below what one should expect from a Ritz-Carlton. In many ways, this property feels neglected, poorly maintained, and not remotely reflective of a luxury hotel.

Let’s start with the positives—the staff and the location.

The bellmen are exemplary—consistently courteous, proactive, and professional. They create the kind of first impression you hope for when arriving at a high-end hotel. The housekeeping staff are diligent and friendly, maintaining the rooms as best they can given the facility’s limitations. Most notably, the Club Lounge personnel are exceptional. They go out of their way to deliver gracious service and elevate the guest experience. Without these individuals, the hotel would be a complete loss. Plus, the location is unequaled.

Unfortunately, the physical condition of the hotel is troubling and reflects poorly on the Ritz-Carlton brand.

Room quality is subpar at best. We’ve stayed in several rooms at this property recently, and nearly every one has had the same problem: failed window seals. The result? Foggy, cloudy glass that nearly obstructs what should be a clear view. It’s not a minor issue—it’s one that immediately detracts from the sense of luxury and attention to detail that Ritz-Carlton is known for.

Lighting and layout are poorly thought out. The entryway lighting to the rooms is dim, especially around the closet area, making it inconvenient to unpack or get dressed. The desk space is minimal and cramped, almost an afterthought. For business travelers or anyone hoping to work comfortably in the room, it’s essentially useless.

Bathroom functionality is another issue. There is only one electrical outlet near the mirror, which is frustrating for couples or those traveling with multiple personal care devices. The shampoo and conditioner dispensers appear to have flow restrictors, requiring an unreasonable amount of pumping to get a usable amount of product. This is a basic comfort that should never feel like a chore. The toilet room door swings inward, making the already small space nearly unusable for any adult.

Safety is a serious concern. There is no visible emergency lighting in the hallways or stairwells. In the event of a power outage or emergency evacuation, this lack of illumination would create a dangerous situation. For a hotel of this caliber—especially one that hosts large events—this is unacceptable and potentially in violation of safety codes.

Facility maintenance is generally poor. The single elevator squeaks constantly, suggesting overdue service. The secondary entrance—used regularly for events—has a missing plate on the handicap button, which is not only unsightly but also a potential hazard. This level of visible neglect speaks volumes about management’s priorities.

Food and beverage offerings leave much to be desired. The bar area is loud and chaotic, detracting from what should be a relaxing and refined space. Meanwhile, the attached restaurant is wholly unremarkable—uninspired cuisine, mediocre service, and an ambiance that fails to meet even basic expectations, let alone those of a Ritz-Carlton.

In summary, this hotel coasts on its brand name, but delivers an experience more akin to a mid-range business hotel than a world-class Hotel. The few highlights—largely thanks to the dedication of individual staff members—are overwhelmed by the facility’s many flaws. It is not a five star location.

Unless significant investments are made in maintenance, design, and guest comfort, I cannot recommend this hotel to anyone expecting the luxury, quality, and attention to detail that defines the...

My wife and I stayed at the Ritz West End recently and had very high expectations for our first stay at a Ritz given their reputation, but unfortunately, we were very disappointed. The short version is that the location is fantastic, the staff is great, but the facility itself is on par with a 3 star hotel. We had a broken toilet that took multiple attempts to fix, the gym and "spa" features are just at basic gym (that's more for local members rather than hotel guests), and the room/bathroom just feels like it was built to look expensive but isn't really practical.

Broken toilet experience: We got into our room and noticed the toilet was running. Went in to see that the handle was broken/disconnected. We called down and they sent someone up to fix it. He was there for a bit, but after he left we tried it and the handle fell off again. As best we can tell he tried to fix the toilet with hopes and dreams. We spent the first night there with a loud running toilet. The next morning we told someone it was still broken, then went to the gym to check it out. After about 20 minutes of looking at the (disappointing) gym, we went back to our room and nothing had been done. We went down to the front desk and told the manager about it and they sent someone up to fix it. They finally got it fixed, which was great, but it was extremely disappointing that it took multiple complaints to get a working toilet at a Ritz Carlton.

The Positive: The bed is extremely comfortable and the folks that work there are very friendly.

Negatives:

Bathroom: Other than the broken toilet, the door stop was barely attached to the door and dragging on the floor. The shower is an awkward shape that caused my wife to smack her head on the wall, and isn't big enough to raise your arms to the side. The toilet is tiny and behind a huge door, so in order to get in and out you kind of have to push your body into the corner or stand over the toilet to swing the door open, it just feels like the big door is there to make it look expensive, but the practicality is lost as soon as you try to actually use it. There's also a nice soaking tub that looks relaxing (and works perfectly fine), but the lights in the bathroom only have one setting, and it's SUNLIGHT ALL OVER - so you can't dim the lights or have any kind of ambiance, which is a bit disappointing given how nice the tub is.

The Room: The room is fine, it has 4 walls that are great for making it a room. The only odd thing is that they have a really nice huge mirror that's great for getting ready in front of, but the lights are the opposite of the bathroom in that there are only 3 small lamps, so the brightest you can make the room is akin to a full moon on a clear night. It just makes it hard to get ready and have certainty that your fly is up or that your makeup isn't accidentally on the back of your head.

Gym - it's a regular gym. There are no real amenities on top of what you'd get in a gym by your house, small sauna/steam room in the locker room, no actual "spa" services, they have racquetball, but you have to bring your own equipment, it's just clearly a gym for members that live nearby and not meant for people on vacation and away from home in terms of the amenities.

In all - the staff is great (except for the hopes and dreams repairman), the location is awesome, but the building is just old and the rooms seem like they're planned to look expensive vs actually...

BAIT & SWITCH - i booked my room in July with a discount code for 5 days the rate was super low - we called hotel to verify the rate and code and the lady who answered phone checked, and confirmed that the rate was correct for that code - on the day i checked in front desk authorized my card for that same amount for five days plus another $150 per day for incidentals - that night I ordered room service - a well-done cheeseburger but I received a rare cheeseburger - i contacted front desk and politely advised them that the cheeseburger was rare instead of well done and if i could have a well done cheeseburger. They replaced it! The next morning I ordered room service again - breakfast - the food was served on a white tablecloth with a hole in it and a long strand of black hair (see pic) - I contacted front desk and politely advised them that there was a long strand of hair on my table with my food and requested that they redo the breakfast without the hair. They did come and retrieve the hair and the food and replaced it with a new order minus the hair but they forgot my eggs. The next day I received a phone call from the hotel manager, stating that they had been trying to get in touch with me. Now they have my cell phone number and there were no missed calls and the hotel phone was not blinking red as if someone had left a message - he then began to tell me that they checked my rate and that I had been given the wrong rate and that going forward for the rest of my stay, my rate would be an additional $120 more per night - I knew this was in retaliation for me expecting them to give me food that is cooked and without someone else’s hair on the tablecloth (see pic). This is only the beginning every day that I ordered room service, my food was incorrect, the coffee would even arrive cold - one time I ordered a cheeseburger well-done no onions, no pickles what i ended up with was a meat patty, cheese and some bread - no sauce, no lettuce, no tomato - it appeared that they did put onions on it but they tried to take it off but they left a few behind (see pic) - clearly this was intentional. They were trying to get me to leave the hotel. I no longer felt welcomed at the Ritz - the people at front desk no longer smiled at me but instead would look at me as if i didn’t belong as if I were beneath them because I had a discount. If you are a minority, then you know that look that I am talking about - if you are of the LGBTQ community, then you know that look I’m talking about. But I never stopped smiling at them and I refused to let them run me out. There’s way more to tell I will finish it later. But let me close with this, I have stayed at plenty of 5-star hotels and resorts and this Ritz Carlton DC is more like a 3.5 STAR but no way can they be classified as a 5-STAR - I was very disappointed in the way I was treated and in the lack of attention to basic details like NO HAIR WITH MY FOOD, WELL DONE INSTEAD OF RARE, HOT COFFEE INSTEAD OF COLD , etc. Disappointed in the fact that they FAILED to honor the rate that I booked my stay at and that midway through my stay is when they decided to notify me of said increase (almost 50%). ZERO INTEGRITY! ZERO GOOD FAITH! ZERO CUSTOMER SERVICE! IT WAS CLEAR AND APPARENT THAT THIS BLACK WOMAN WAS NOT WELCOMED AT THE RITZ DC! ...