YOTEL Washington DC

This is a great hotel, just down a bit from the Capitol so a nice walk or short cab ride. The staff are tremendous, the rooms are a nice size, and well maintained. The bar/restaurant are really good. The food is well prepared, and the servers are super friendly.

Not What I Expected—More Like a Space Pod Meets Hostel Meets Camping I was initially intrigued by Yotel—bright, modern, with lots of movement. The self-check-in process felt fun and futuristic, and stepping into my room with its cool lighting made it feel like I had just entered a sleek space pod. But that’s where the shine stopped. Almost immediately, I noticed how much of the experience was designed around cost-cutting measures rather than guest convenience. There was no information at check-in about amenities like the fitness center hours, and my colleague had a strange experience where her room wasn’t ready, so she checked in at the front desk and got an upgrade—just for using a person instead of a machine? Odd, but we rolled with it. The biggest inconvenience: no way to make hot water in the room, and the shared dorm-style coffee and water dispenser didn’t even offer hot water at night. Clearly a cost-saving move for them but a hassle for guests, especially for those wanting a private, convenient experience. I adjusted my expectations to a hostel mindset, hoping the beds would at least be a fun feature. They looked cool, with their roll-out design, but in reality, they functioned like flimsy pull-out beds—no support in the middle, so I found myself sinking in while the top half lifted awkwardly. I’m a small person, and even I felt the lack of stability. The next morning, I threw on my shoes over my pajamas and ventured out to the communal coffee station, hoping it actually worked (since hot water wasn’t available the night before). It did, but the coffee itself was low-quality, burnt, and reminiscent of camping—certainly not what I’d expect in a hotel. Overall, my first experience at Yotel felt like a mix of space pod aesthetics, hostel-style inconveniences, and camping-level amenities. It was recommended for a work trip through the conference, but I wouldn’t choose to stay here again. I was curious, but now I know—it’s not for me.

I've stayed at this hotel many times for the same annual conference. First, let me say that the conference support staff for the group was phenomenal. Sadly, the overnight guest experience has diminished. Over the three nights I was there here are some of the issues: - I discovered one of the beds was missing a sheet when I got ready for bed. I called to try to get one and there was no answer at the front desk nor housekeeping. I was kind of irked that I had to go downstairs into the lobby area to stand in line in my pj's to talk with the front desk in person with my fellow conference attendees around me. The staffer said there was no one in housekeeping in the evening and only her to work the front desk, so if people weren't in front of her, she couldn't take the time to answer the phone. - The third floor smelled a bit sewage-like - Our toilet stopped flushing during the stay and needed fixing. We had to personally walk around and find an engineer to fix it. - upon return to our room one evening, the room hadn't been made up. In the past, this has been a wonderful and affordable hotel. I've recommended it to many people and hope this trip was a fluke.

We booked two rooms, and needed to adjust one of the two for an additional night. In that conversation, we also asked that the room name for the second room be updated. That part was never done. I would agree with recent posters. The service in the front desk and concierge is lackluster. Checking in, my room wasn’t even ready until after 4:00. Never did they offer to hold my luggage. I watched another employee (I think I saw her again at the restaurant) talking with the concierge and they were complaining (in earshot of a guest, me) about peoples packages being delivered. One fell and they laughed, and she continued to pretend to throw all of the packages on the ground. The room & housekeeping were great. However, they no longer provide washcloths, to suit the European brand. Which, I understand except this is the United States. Guests expect those. Last time I stayed here, they were provided. I called down and learned they didn’t include them any longer. They brought me 2, which was really nice, but I was there for 4 nights. The only other room complaint was the shower. The shower head wasn’t great. Very minimal pressure. On day 1 (Saturday) I called down because my outlets that were in the bed didn’t work. They were going to send up someone from Engineering. That NEVER happened. The front reception could use improvements in service, for sure. When I was waiting in a very long line (over 15 minutes), the gentleman getting luggage was much older. Nice guy. But there were 3 employees at the front desk, not one was helping. BUT then, a young female guest behind me got one’s attention, and he ran over and helped her. Behind me. It seemed a bit flirtatious so maybe they knew each other. Not sure. But it felt a bit annoying that he wasn’t helping anyone else. The restaurant was a bit of a challenge and closed often. The one dining experience there wasn’t great.

The only thing that I liked was the location. There was no hairdryer in the room, although I booked a room with it and the AC was not working properly. I checked out on 13th of February and till now they have not refunded me the security deposit and they charged it twice (instead of 100$ they took 200$). There is no email to contact them, only a phone number which for an European citizen is a problem. this is a scam and an awful customer service. Money taken without any explanation.