Loved the River Inn - but a bit expensive
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 1/9/06
PROS: Unobtrusive & very attentive customer service; location; views; style; free DSL
CONS: A little more expensive than necessary; $20/day valet parking fee; lack of sufficient hot water
IN GENERAL we loved The River Inn. We are bed and breakfast or country inn people but Washington has such a sketchy B&B community that we opted for a small off-brand hotel instead. The River Inn has much of the charm and attentiveness of a B&B but not many of the amenities.
The Inn is a converted apartment building, and with the exception of the bathrooms, you couldn't possibly tell. The bathrooms were renovated too, but they are small apartment style bathrooms, not the larger, bright bathrooms one would expect in a big city hotel. As a result, the unit-specific hot water heater did not really make it all the way through two long showers in the morning. I suppose if you took regular showers it would be fine though.
We stayed in a Potomac Suite on the top floor with a a 20 foot wall of windows providing a overlooking Rosslyn, Georgetown and the Potomac River, great view of the Watergate as well. Out our bedroom and kitchen windows you could see the top of the Washington Monument, but dont kid yourself into thinking you will have a "monumental" view, you are in the wrong part of town for that!
The hotel staff was very accomodating and very friendly as well. Despite having to pay $20 a day for the valet parking, a phone call to the front desk as you left your room resulted in your car waiting for you at the front door when you reached the lobby. The turn-down service was an unexpected (albeit also unnecessary) treat appreciated by my wife. She also loved the seperate vanity area and "lotions & potions" included with the room.
With a large work desk, plenty of lamps in all the right places, kitchen, living room, eating area, bathroom, vanity and bedroom (with safe) you certainly get a lot of rooms for the price. I think the price was still a little high given the market, but if you wanted a nice hotel with a different feel, you will leave mostly satisfied as we did.