Conrad Washington DC

This is a revised review. Originally, I was going to give this hotel 5-stars. However, my experience today with housekeeping downgrades my review. The good: - the staff at the valet stand were always so nice with a “hello” and helped with my bag when I arrived or held a door - room was fine - nice size table to work from, enough drawer space, Nespresso machine, Byredo bath products - 24 hour fitness center that was clean - food at the restaurant was perfectly acceptable for a hotel restaurant The bad: - This is where my review changed. The hotel has a button the guest can press that lets housekeeping know you want your room cleaned. On day 1, I told staff my room needs to be cleaned early as I need to work in the afternoon. I was told press the button and housekeeping will take care of it. I have stayed in several hotels with this feature and it was slick. Housekeeping would know your room was ready to be cleaned and it was taken care of right away. On day 1 of my stay, it worked well. On day 2, I pushed the button at 8:00am. When I returned from my Hill visits at 2:30pm, my room had still not been made up. I tried calling Housekeeping and was told they had until 4:30pm to clean. Unacceptable- especially when you I told staff, in advance, that I needed early service. I tried the chat feature and got no response. I finally had to speak to a manager. Despite all of that, when I went back to my room, housekeeping failed to provide adequate supplies (no bath mat, no soap, only 1 wash cloth). The Conrad is supposed to be a higher tier Hilton. Today was a poor example for what I paid. - Staff at the restaurant has much to be desired. Day 1 - wait staff barely did anything. No checking on me, no refill for coffee- but quick to give me a bill and ask for a tip. Day 2 - no one was at the host stand for breakfast, so me and another guest had to creep into the restaurant where hostess was chatting with wait staff. The restaurant has an odd system where they ask the guest for last name rather than room number. I’ll be honest my real last name seems to be difficult to pronounce. So my giving the hostess my last name resulted in a puzzled look. She also wrongly assumed that the other guest and I were together. I really hate that. For gsake, in DC, you would think many people visit for work. The only plus is the hostess didn’t ask if I wanted to sit at the bar - which seems to be the default for every restaurant in the United States when a solo female wants to eat. I am disappointed. Like I said, my first draft of this review was 5-stars. It is amazing how a few things really ruin it and when staff can’t do their job, it is highly disappointing.

I like Conrad Hotels. Unfortunately, the Conrad DC will never be a go-to hotel. I’ve stayed here several times and baseline service remains questionable. That it bills itself as a luxury hotel strains credibility. Check-in/room: My original room was unacceptable; too small. Robert (thank you) showed me another room and then, I finally settled on a third one, room 642 – a studio suite – much better space; not too big and not too small. I was disappointed that the room had a connecting door, but I was told by Robert that a connecting room comes with this room category. Oh well. Same furniture as on previous visits; nothing really a stand-out – unitarian and spare, which is fine with me but nothing I would call luxurious. The on/off light switches remain a frustrating process. While I like the design of the bathroom, the curb-less shower creates a flooded floor. There are ways to mitigate that, but it’s clear after all these years that such details are not a Conrad DC priority. Room service: The good news is that room service, a vanishing option at hotels, is available. The bad news is that a simple hamburger isn’t an option. Their hamburger is, from what I was told by Room Service, a frozen patty that could only be cooked well-done as there were no other cooking temperature options. I took a pass. Housekeeping: Non-existent. Housekeeping remains a challenge at this hotel. During my 3 nights, the room was never serviced. At 10:30 AM on the morning of my last night, I called to request a room refresh and if it could be completed in the next 2 hrs. I was told “I’ll put in the request to housekeeping.” I then left for a business meeting and the "service room light" was on. Upon my return at 12:30 PM, the room had not been serviced (and the "service room light" was still on). I was in and out of the room for the next 3 hrs. and housekeeping never came to the room. As I was leaving the hotel at 3:30 PM, I stopped by the Front Desk, and I asked Diamond if there was a secret code to get my room refreshed. She apologized for the room not being serviced and put in a request. I returned to the room at 5:15 PM, and the room was still not serviced. I returned to the Front Desk and spoke again with Diamond. The conversation suggested that housekeeping may not be available since we were at the end of the day. Good grief.🙄 At that point, I requested 2 sets of clean towels. What do they bring? Three (3) bath towels with no hand towel or washcloth. They then returned with 5 washcloths and 5 hand towels. Insane. Housekeeping is a baseline service. I can’t understand why it’s so lacking at this hotel. I'll so mention that on my first night, it took 3 calls to the service line (and 45 mins.) before someone finally brought a decent-sized coffee cup to the room. 🫤 Given my prior visits and challenging service at the restaurant or bar area, I didn’t bother on this current visit. The gym was fine for what it is – it’s functional. Valet parking: Sigh. Same weird, vague service. I drive up, the guy at the podium stares at me; I exit the vehicle, I retrieve my luggage from the back of the SUV, and the guy then comes over to ask: “Are you checking in?” Yes, Captain Obvious. But I didn’t say that. 🙂 Luxury hotels should be on top of baseline service. I shouldn’t have to make numerous calls or visits to the Front Desk to get the room refreshed or have the valet person ask if I’m checking in when it’s obvious that I am. (Yes, I know the valet service is outsourced.) I can’t figure out why baseline service is absent at the Conrad DC. Baffling. Luxury hotel? I think not. Nota bene: In 2023, I had the opportunity to experience the Sakura Club (thank you, Conrad DC). Unless you plan to stay in the hotel for most of your visit, I do not think the Sakura Club is worth the cost. It reminded me of what the former Hilton Lounges used to offer with some slightly better food options and better service, but an “elevated experience?” Sure, if haven’t had any experience with the previous Hilton Lounges. While the food was generally OK (nothing too exciting), the service was outstanding. Kudos to the service team in the Sakura Club. Not surprisingly, housekeeping service was also lacking on this prior visit. 🙄

The DC Conrad was an amazing experience full of luxury. I must say that it would have been a nice stay over all but not amazing if it was not for the Sakura lounge option! Have you ever been to a fancy restaurant that was great but full of a lot of people and noise. Ever wish you could have a nice restaurant all to yourself? That is the experience my wife and I had with the Sakura lounge/room. Unlimited food and drink, wonderful view of DC, and the most amazing service! Tom and Amarti made us feel like we were VIPs and the most important people in the hotel. I loved that there were never more that 5-10 people in the lounge at any one time so the staff was very focused on us and anything we needed. Even as a diamond member who usually gets taken very good care of, it was the first time it truly felt like they would have given me anything I could ask for. I gave this trip 5 stars but frankly it would have been 4 without Tom. Class act all the way. Someone please give him a bonus! Sakura room was awesome, loved the full walk-in shower, bed was wonderful, and loved the in-room espresso maker. Dewey T. - Hilton Diamond Member.

The Conrad in DC is fabulous. Very warm and welcoming staff. Room is well appointed and comfortable. Enjoyed our time in the Sakura Club, which is terrific, as is their team. Thank you Tierney, Amari, and Marco, who took care of us during our stay.

Wow. What an incredible experience we had at the Conrad this past weekend. Besides the hotel being gorgeous and right in the heart of DC, the staff was truly unbelievable and helped make our stay one of the best hotel experiences we've ever had. Check in was a breeze with Chris and Jackson at the front desk. They were so friendly and welcoming! The room we stayed in on the 9th floor had the most incredible views of DC. Our room was spacious and spotless. The beds super comfortable. Water pressure in the shower was incredible and having a huge bath was such a plus! The turn down service showed the amount of detail that this hotel does....from lining up the slippers next to our bed to placing a coffee mug right next to the coffee maker so it's ready for the following morning. We also had the opportunity to be part of the Sakura Club which I HIGHLY recommend, if just for the refrigerator full of snacks alone! The breakfast and dinner buffet was abundant and delicious. Tom was a superb host, making sure we were taken care of every step of the way. Tierney was a warm, welcoming host as well. Upon check out we met Kayla who was also incredibly kind and helpful. We are beyond impressed by this property and will definitely return soon!