The Westin Georgetown, Washington D.C. — Hotel in Washington

Multi-year Titanium Elite here. Spent 4 nights here over the holiday when there were very few other guests. The common areas are nice, employees were great, but my experience overall was far below brand specs. My worst stay of the year and closer to an Expedia nightmare even if it was generally made up for on paper. I booked a Deluxe room and their system showed I booked a Traditional room so I later found out I was "upgraded" to a Deluxe (room 600) which unfortunately had both HVAC problems and a mattress in dire need of replacing even if it's only a year old. Sweating instead of sleeping for the second night, I was moved to 604 at 2am where the thermostat stayed off to be safe. The next night it was found this other thermostat was broken and swapped out by maintenance at 10pm on 12/24, he was a star in every way and salvaged the rest of the stay while confirming room 600's system is broken.

Gotta love that upgrade, eh? The mattress here was to Westin standard and the rest of the stay was decent, but the HVAC was still flaky and didn't keep anywhere near a consistent temperature even with a different thermostat. At least it wasn't pushing out heat the whole time, sleep was possible and I had no interest in moving all my holiday and work stuff another time just to spin the wheel again.

In what world does a Titanium Elite member just barely land a "decent" stay a Westin during a holiday week with very low occupancy? Georgetown, no less. Short of a solid refresh and a worthy upgrade (or just like any upgrade), I'd have to pass on this hotel every time. Just a month ago, another Westin (not here but also DC) bumped me to a presidential suite despite having much higher occupancy. I didn't bother the staff about a thing, and I never expect the same but come on. This was the exact opposite side of the same spectrum.

Other details about the hotel and stay: It's in a good location, a quick walk into Georgetown or to transit options. Rooms are clean and spacious. Guests need to ask for a fridge since what's there is the mini-bar with sensors so they can automatically charge you if any drink or food is just moved even along the counter top. Not an uncommon setup, and these (among other fees charged higher than set in the reservation) were taken care of by the staff without contest, yet it's a burden to have to bring it up--especially as other reviews mention it. On that note, the newest exercise equipment needs loaned ("for a nominal fee") while the massage gun station within the gym is so old and neither gun works. Fluorescent lights, old loud treadmills and cable machines that could use some maintenance. Again, come on. On a positive note, the elite credits for breakfast were easy to use and the staff there was spot in every time. And the cider station was a nice touch, especially with the cold that week.

I didn't catch enough names but I do want to shout that Nicholas heard my airing of grievances at checkout and took care of the remaining billing errors and then some to make up for some mistakes in their system. He's a champ, listened well, and provided an agreeable resolution to keep balance for all parties. He ended the trip on a better note, and I'll reiterate that all the staff was kind, professional, and as accommodating as could be within their realm of...

Not at all impressed so far. I was arriving to DC a lot earlier than expected. When realizing I needed to modify my room accommodation, I contacted the hotel and was assured I would get an early check-in for 9-10am for the larger King Room I paid for the two nights I would be in DC. I also communicated I was more than willing to pay for an early check-in. However, sometimes when you sound like a white professional and your name the same on the phone and then arrive being a young black guy wearing more stylish urban clothes, things quickly changed. Immediately, when I walked into the hotel at about 6:30am, I was surprisingly grilled and ID’d by another african American “auditor” that was working at the front desk. After verifying all of my information, he then wrote a note telling the oncoming staff to prepare a room for 9 am and call me when it was ready. He told me three times the parking was $50 per day which isn’t a big deal for me, he gave me a parking card fob. Some of our conversation was a bit condescending, but it wasn’t horrible. I ran to grab a bite to eat to kill time and then came back to the hotel and parked in the garage. I thought it would be a good idea to check on the status of the room and use the bathroom. Then I sadly met Carlos at the front desk. As I explained my situation, before he even looked up any information on my room, he said very rudely, check in is at 4 pm. As I explained that I called and also spoke with another person who told me I would be accommodated for an early check-in, with breathes of frustration he looked up my room and said he would get me in a smaller room sooner. I kindly said I will just wait back in the garage for my room. Before leaving I then asked if he was given my information from the other desk attendant that was there earlier, and he said again rudely, I see your information. I said “ok, may I be contacted promptly if my room becomes available”, he said, “I can’t just kick someone out of their room.” Annoyed, I just walked away.

I’ve stayed many times at the Georgetown Ritz and was always given impeccable service. I don’t blame the staff for a room not being ready, I should have booked for the night before, however, I can blame them for making me as though I don’t belong here. If that isn’t the case, by the way they spoke, looked at and responded to me makes me feel as though. I just made additional reservations at Watergate Hotel hoping for a better experience. I am a professional, however, when I am not working, I love to dress in urban casual. Out of the hundreds of hotels I’ve stayed in, this by far was a very sub-standard experience. I felt judged and ultimately I am very...

Our family of four had a great trip to DC and enjoyed being at the Westin except for a poor experience (and related hotel policy) on the room we were initially placed in.

We arrived at the Westin at about 6pm on a Tuesday. The front desk agent was very friendly but quickly mentioned that we were booked into a King since we used a third party booking site (seeing that there were four of us - 2 adults, 2 kids aged 10 and 8). I said that while I'd prefer two beds that if there is a couch and/or a rollaway that'd be fine. She told me they were almost sold out that first night and that the room did not have a couch or space for a rollaway. So basically our kids would have to sleep on the floor in a cramped space and while she said she could see we booked for four, but when you use a third party site there are 'no guarantees on what we get'. We had booked this room several months in advance and I confirmed in our reservation I had printed out that it was for four of us. She then told me she could move us to a handicap room one King for that night that would have space for one rollaway and then they could move us into a basic room with two doubles the following day. Both options came with a surcharge. I didn't want our kids having to sleep on the floor the whole trip so I took that option. It was a cordial conversation but my questions were just met with 'that's what you get with a third party booking'. I've done this many times and while I'm used to not getting the best rooms but I've always been able to have a bed for the guests I've booked.

The trip to DC was great overall, and we honestly enjoyed the Westin. Based upon my experience however I’d recommend avoiding staying here unless you are booking directly with them or you only have a party of two or less. If you’ve booked through anyone else you may end up without enough beds (or even space for a rollaway) for your party. And if you want to change rooms you’ll get hit with a daily surcharge.

When checking out I again asked about the surcharge. The front desk agent thought that the charge should not have been made and apologized but said only a manager could review and remove it and one was not there at the time. It may have just been a training issue with the person we checked in with. Hard to say but it any case it was a bummer.

I've previously held SPG Platinum status so I can certainly appreciate them wanting to prioritize SPG status but even when booking through someone else I think you should be able to count on having a place to sleep (besides the floor!)...