Residence Inn by Marriott Washington DC Capitol, Washington

Quiet neighborhood with small restaurants nearby, and it is within blocks of the Mall. A train runs behind the hotel. Not bothersome at night, but in the morning, it does blow its whistle for some reason. This is the same time that other guests begin getting up so you’ll probably be awake anyway. We felt safe walking in this neighborhood. We had a Queen/sofa bed room, with a separate bedroom that had a door which closed between it and the “sitting area.” With the door closed, the bedroom was fairly quiet at night according to my husband. The heating/cooling was up to date and kept us comfortable without us noticing it. If you get a room with a sofa bed, you must make it up yourself (sheets are in the closet). For the price of the room, I was surprised. The sofa bed was not too uncomfortable. We had plenty of pillows. The main door to the hotel room, like many hotel doors, is too short by at least ½ inch. That means that light and noise come from the hallway. The windows have blackout drapes. The room came with a mini-kitchen with two counter-top burners, a microwave, a dishwasher and a full refrigerator. The cabinets had ceramic bowls, plates, and mugs, plus glasses. There are pots, a colander, and cooking utensils, as well as real (not plastic) eating utensils. There are enough to serve 4 people. They also provide paper towels, dish soap and a wash cloth. This was so cool! We cooked and ate dinner in our room each night. There was a flat-screen tv in each room. There is a closet which contains an ironing board, the iron, and a wall safe. The sink has a large counter and is outside the bathroom, there is no exhaust fan. The bathroom was very nice and clean. The shower curtain was rounded, so the curtain doesn’t blow into you when you’re showering. The ladies we met at the desk were very nice and accommodating. The gentlemen that my husband dealt with at the desk, not so much. The one gentleman that helped us get our luggage out of the luggage storage was very nice. The hotel has a parking garage underneath. It is tight, but our Ford Escape fit just fine. There were plenty of spaces. We liked the price, and that it was park yourself rather than valet. You need to check in and use your room card to get in the garage. You also need your room card to use the elevator or the pool. The official check in time is 4 p.m. I believe, but when we arrived around 1 p.m. we were able to go right to our room. Checkout is normally 10, but we were allowed late checkout (til 12). We were able to leave our luggage in a secure room on our last day with no time limit. One gentleman told us we could only leave our car in the garage until checkout time at 12, but we were later told that we could keep it there until 5 p.m. You do not need a card or anything to exit the garage. We were also glad to have breakfast included. We got to breakfast both days around 9 a.m. Saturday morning was full but not crowded. There was a good selection of food and beverages, and there is a separate, decorated section with a number of tables to sit at. Sunday morning was filled to overcapacity. I’m not sure why such a difference, but it was the day before Presidents’ Day. They ran out of clean dishes and put out plastic, and also I believe they ran out of eggs and pancakes, either that or they were not on the menu. They had to open up another room to seat the overflow crowd. But we were able to find seats, to eat and were satisfied with the food. There was still a good selection of pastries, waffles, cereal, bagels, etc. All in all, this hotel is on a quiet street, but really close to the busy-ness of downtown. It seemed very clean, and I have no major complaints. We would very likely stay there again.

Room was not ready at check in time so the desk upgraded our room to a two bedroom. Great when we are travelling with 4 children. Rooms were very clean, staff all polite, and free breakfast and dinner was a super saver on our pocketbook. Close to the mall in a good neighborhood. I would stay there again.

We stayed in this hotel last Dec. 26, 2008, checked in around 4:30 or maybe later, front desk person was polite but he can do better than that, no help with parking, we will be more willing to pay for parking but of course it was not offered, I have to ask. My check in experience was very flat, maybe we were not fancy dressed because the couple next to us received a warmer welcome. The lady in the front desk gave us directions but you can tell that she had enough of tourist asking for a good resto for dinner. Our encounter with this 2 front desk staff was ok, I guess, you could tell that they are there for their paycheck, not costumer service. What really disappointed us was our check out! The front desk lady was not happy and was showing her disgust when I told her that I will be using my gift cards! I specifically mentioned during check in that I will be using this and I was told to give them during check out. I also asked about my bill because there was a 17 dollar charge and I never ordered a movie, but then it was probably my 3 year old using the remote. I was just asking and she became defensive! She even called a supervisor, or whatever but he just said hello and was friendly. All she could have done was explain, that is all i'm asking. We were really disappointed, I was embarassed, it was my sister's first time to visit Washigton and she is from Australia. She has no business to be a front desk staff. They are the front line and our first encounters. We were happy with our room because it was spacious and clean, the breakfast bar was OK and the cooks and waitresses were great! but we will never go back to this hotel because of their front desk people! We all need jobs, but to their managers I think they need to be trained in costumer service, because they definitely don't have people skills!

Good looking hotel but cleanliness is not a very stong suit. This hotel has removed the "Please change my linen cards" completely from the rooms. Their statement is that they will change your linen every three days. I have stayed at this hotel for about 15 nights on a work assignment and can truely say that they have never vacuumed the floors even once in my entire stay which includes four different rooms over the course of my stay. The staff is very friendly though and the hotel is optimal for transportation via cab, bus or Metro.