Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square

The hotel was the perfect size if looking for something that’s not a massive chain hotel. The ambiance was cozy and professional. The French theme was welcoming and all staff were friendly. The valet team was awesome and provided first class service. The shower was amazing!!! They had coffee and water in The room which was perfect. The Opaline restaurant was a pleasant treat for breakfast. They had the best bacon!!!! Staff was friendly and very helpful. The location was perfect for sightseeing in DC-less than a half mile from Mall. The hotel is in an old building that has its own charm. However, the rooms need to be refreshed - Also, when we arrived only a few outlets worked, which made charging electronics difficult!! This was reported to the front desk and immediately they responded with staff to make an assessment. They were eventually able to get some outlets to work, but not all. I would consider this hotel again.

Honestly, this hotel, and the location, is fantastic, the only thing keeping it from 5 stars are a few improvements that I’ll list later. We stayed here for 3 nights over the 4th of July weekend, and booked through the Chase luxury hotels program, so it included breakfast and a property credit and a sweet welcome gift. The staff of the hotel were all friendly and professional. This place is the best bang for your buck and is centrally located. If you are planning to watch the fireworks at the national mall, walking back to this hotel is the best, avoid the metro and stay local, it made the whole experience so easy. The rooms are quiet and solid, you can’t hear much outside the room or the windows, the corner rooms are awesome with a ton of windows. The AC system is old, our room never got below 70, so that was a bit rough in summer, and the beds don’t have a sheet, just a comforter, which is an odd choice. The beds were really comfortable, but I noticed no mattress protector on the mattress, which seems like a hygiene issue. Some features such as the mirror in the bathroom were run down and dirty, otherwise everything else seemed clean and fine. Opaline the restaurant for breakfast is great, food is wonderful, service is subpar and always unfriendly, when you realize gratuity is automatically billed for the meals, you realize why the waiters don’t care about being polite. The prices of the restaurant are outrageous, but can be kept under $100 if you avoid juices and extras, if you are trying to stay under the property credit if you booked through a travel benefit. Charging per cup of coffee instead of the entire carafe is a bit much, the coffee is fantastic but expensive, French press. Would gladly stay here again, as the deficiencies are minor and don’t detract from the overall stay too much. Also just an FYI, no mini refrigerator in the room, which was inconvenient but manageable with.

We booked and paid for our room in advance. We called to ask questions and was told that our room would be ready and available when we arrive. Upon arrival there wasn’t a room available and we were told that it would be a 3-4 hour wait or we would have to take a different room on a lower floor. We informed them that we could not wait that long as we had reservations. We couldn’t understand why a room was reserved and cleaned prior to because we’d already booked and paid in advance. We were placed in a room that was not cleaned, the door lock broken. Used water cartons left for us and other people open food had been left in the drawers and their hair accessories as well. Everything was dusty, other people hair was visible on the bed and in the bathroom, it appeared to be coffee stains on the mattress, sockets didn’t work, work desk top was bubbled up, shades were broken and damaged. Iron did not work, and no microwave or fridge to keep our expensive leftovers cool. A wine cooler was there but that didn’t work either. We were placed in another room after our complaints and were told that they know we have to leave so they will wait for us to come back to speak with management. While we were out staff decided to enter our room to leave a bottle of wine and macaroons. We appreciated the gesture but did not like the fact that they waited to enter the room once we left. Overall, our experience was not good. The thought of being at what’s considered a 5star hotel makes one feel like their experience will be exceptionally great. And for some it may have been but unfortunately for us it was not.