DC Westin Grand Foggy Bottom

[CrazyOne]

I was surprised to get a win here on a last minute bid for a one-night stay. There are a few Westins in DC, this is the Westin Grand at 2350 M Street (really 24th and M) in the midst of a cluster of hotels that would fall into Priceline's Foggy Bottom/Georgetown area. Not a bad location, very quiet at night unlike stuff closer to Dupont Circle, etc. (Also translates into nothing much to do around there at night, but it wouldn't be that far to get into G-Town or Dupont or whatever.)

I can't give too many details about different parts of the hotel because I arrived at 1am, went out to the office at about 8am, didn't get back until almost noon and checked right out at that point. (I was hoping to spend less time at the office.) I called ahead to say I was arriving after 1am, and the woman at the front desk said she would check me in at that time so anyone else would know I was arriving. Very helpful. Upon arriving the guy working the late night at the checkin desk was pleasant and efficient (no mention of Priceline from either front desk worker I talked to), and there was one porter/valet I guess for the late night shift who dealt with the car. They were cleaning up in the lobby at the time, vacuum, etc. Hey, gotta do it sometime! The lobby seemed small to me, really. I didn't explore, but I thought the only things off the lobby were a restaurant and another restaurant, not sure.

I didn't ask for a certain room type, and it wasn't disclosed at any point, but upon arriving at the 4th floor room I discovered a king bed. Fine by me. (Note: smoking is not an issue as Westins are all non-smoking.) Room was not near ice, housekeeping or elevator and faced the outside street I'm pretty sure (some must face the inner courtyard). The room was smallish given what was in it. Was crammed with a narrowish desk and a chair for that, the bed, a big combination unit which served to hold the TV, a wardrobe and some drawers (no real closet), two easy chairs of dubious looking comfort (I never actually sat in them though) and the king bed. Bedside tables were small oval tables with open shelf and were on wheels, which could be useful I guess. The clock radio had a CD player in it (didn't look for a line in for your iPod, but it may have had one). There is an iron and ironing board in the room.

Westin's highly touted "Heavenly Bed" does deliver for the quality of the bed linens, and I guess I slept fine although I only got about 5 hours sleep. More amazing was the bathroom, the largest I've gotten for a while even in other 4* properties. This baby has separate tub and shower, all marble and really well lit (amazing how bad the lighting can be in some bathrooms). The double headed "Heavenly Shower" was great, best hotel shower ever probably. Lots of towels in there for a room that could never have slept more than 2 people. There was shampoo, conditioner, bar soap (2) and lotion for supplies, nice enough but no fancy names to report that I know of. Hair dryer and shaving mirror are part of the equipment on a nice wide vanity. The closed off area with the toilet, however, was in a state of slight disrepair. One of the toilet roll holders was broken, and the real thing was apparent water damage from above that had not yet been fully remedied. I mean, it wasn't leaking, but the stains on the ceiling were apparent. This plus some fraying touches in the main room (again the ceiling, oddly) and the size of the room (cramped, plus the position of the TV was not good for watching from bed because it was on the side) made me wonder if it was a less desirable room that would be the last to be sold to a regular customer, if ever.

Still, the bed and the bath were good, and that's all I really needed this time, plus the high speed internet. Still the problem at most 4* hotels, always nickel and diming you with stuff like $9.95 for the wired high speed internet, but it worked fine, and on this trip it's just an expense I get reimbursed for.

All the staff I dealt with were helpful, doorman in the morning, front desk at noon, etc. Didn't call anyone with any troubles, didn't try room service, restaurants or other facilities. (There is an outdoor pool, apparently, which seems an odd choice, and I'm not sure about the workout facilities.) Curiously, I have no idea how much the parking is. The guy at night knew I was parking, and the woman in the morning also knew as she's the one who called for the car to be pulled around. But it's not on my bill, just the internet. (Actually, the internet was billed twice, and I had to have that adjusted.) I didn't spend a lot of time messing with these things as I needed to get out of there. It may work out in the end, and I might need to call and get a copy or whatever. Parking can be as high as $30/night in downtown DC, so I kinda doubt I'll get out without paying for it! (It's happened before, though, sorta. Paid for one night of parking instead of two one time, was not on a Priceline stay though.)

$75/night Priceline stay March 8, 2007. Good deal all around, despite what may be a blemished room. Outstanding bathroom and bedding, worthy 4* though you may get a smallish room.

[shellbell757]

My husband and I went to DC for a weekend away. We arrived very late and they checked us in very quickly. I knew they were in the middle of renovations; however, the hotel was not full at all so I was surprised that we were placed in a room that had not been renovated. We were on the 3rd floor and the hallway had chipped paint and the wallpaper was coming off the walls-not exactly what you expect to see at a 4-star hotel. The room was the smallest one I have ever stayed in-even in Europe or NYC. The furniture was banged and chipped and the carpet was badly stained. There was an entertainment center with a small TV and a minibar. The wardrobe had an iron and ironing board and 3 drawers for clothes. There was a small desk which had keyboard with a note informing guests about Internet access (with no price anywhere, but come to find out it was $9.95 per day).

The morning after we arrived we were woken up (after only a few hours sleep) at 8:00 am by very loud banging. I was irritated, but decided to get up and take a bath since my husband and I planned to go to the museums a little early anyway. I got into the bathroom and discovered the cold water did not work-the handle would not even turn. I called to the front desk and told them about the cold water and that we were woken up by workers banging in the hallway. The front desk apologized and said they would send someone up to look at the tub and that the workers were not supposed to start until 10 am (they kept banging anyway so I suppose the front desk never told them to stop). A worker came and fixed the hot water and then informed me that the handheld shower head in the bathtub was broke. When I looked at the bathtub more closely I realized there were chips missing from the porcelin as well. Nothing was offered by the hotel for the inconvenience of being woken up or for the bathtub situation.

The rest of our stay was uneventful, but I'm certainly glad I got a good deal on the room because if I had paid full-price I would have been furious. The lobby and common areas are very nice, but this is not a 4-star hotel by any stretch of the imagination. You can tell they are trying to be an upscale property (they even have the typical $3.00 sodas in the minibar and no vending machines), but they fall very short. I will not be staying again-for full or half price.

[spacy]

I just returned from my stay in DC with a quick review.

I was concerned, initially, that the hotel would still be undergoing renovations when we arrived, since other reviews suggested as such, but they seemed to be completed. We called ahead, to request a room with two beds, if possible. Unfortunately, like many others before me apparently, the only option available when we arrived were rooms with king-sized beds. They provided a rollaway bed, which was actually pretty comfortable, but still a disappointment. Anyone traveling with a family and using priceline should be aware that the options for double beds seem to be limited.

Our room was really nice, with a large bureau, flat screen tv, beautiful bed linens, and a large bathroom with separate shower and jacuzzi. However, it was a little small, and looking at the other rooms on the floor with the map provided seemed to all show similarly sized rooms.

I can't be sure of the distance to the metro, since we drove almost everywhere. One afternoon, we did walk to the White House/Mall area, but I wouldn't recommend walking, particularly in the summer.

There was a mini-bar, snack tray, and downstairs in-hotel restaurant, but it was a bit pricey, and we ended up either eating out, taking out from the Thai restaurant or cafe across the street, or picking up snack foods from the cvs and walgreens a block away.

Valet parking was 28 dollars a day, but there were several garages for self parking in the area, for a range of prices. There was also the option of parking in a metered spot during the night, and then moving the car/taking it to downtown during the day. Have many quarters and dollar bills available, in that case.

We didn't have too much interaction with the staff, but they seemed courteous, for the most part.

I would likely stay here again, but not as a family - one king size bed doesn't really cut it.

Hope this helps!