Hotel Review: W Hotel Washington DC – Wonderful Room

Hi Travel Junkies,

I just got back from a quick weekend trip to our nation’s capital that featured a stay at W Hotel Washington D.C. Though I have been to this hotel many times to visit their incredible POV Bar I had not yet stayed there, so I figured a family trip was the perfect chance.

The W Washington D.C., formerly known as Hotel Washington

The W is just a short walk from the National Mall and many other famous D.C. attractions, making it an incredibly convenient choice for me as my wife and I were traveling with our 8 month old daughter.

It took us less than 10 minutes to walk from the hotel to the Washington Monument, Smithsonian Museums, and dozens of fantastic restaurants and bars.

The W Washington D.C. is a Category 6 Starwood property, meaning it can be booked for a rate of 20,000 Starpoints per night. With rates often exceeding $500+ per night this would typically be a great use of one of my favorite hotel loyalty currencies.

The W Washington D.C. typically goes for 20,000 Starpoints per night

But, as I always do when booking award travel, I checked the cash rates just in case.

I was able to find a prepaid rate of just $264 per night on Hotels.com and immediately booked it. Yes, this rate was not refundable should I have decided to cancel my trip, but I was able to book it just 4 days prior to departure and was very confident that my plans would not change.

At a value of just 1.32 cents per Starpoint I decided it would be better to save my points for a future trip.

I was also able to apply a free night reward from my hotels.com account that was valued at $231.22, bringing my average nightly rate to just $188.12 per night.

$430.80 would be a decent rate for 1 night at this property, but for 3 nights it couldn’t be beat.

I also have Gold Status with Starwood thanks to my Platinum Card from American Express, which gives me an upgraded room + 2 free drinks at check in. This only solidified my decision to choose the W Hotel over the many other options in the area.

Enjoying a free cocktail overlooking the White House at POV thanks to my SPG Gold Status

At check in I was greeted by Marlon, who I had personally communicated with prior to my arrival with some questions about the property.

Marlon informed me that I had been given a room on the top floor of the hotel but advised that I opt for a different room, as the rooftop bar becomes a nightclub after dinner and can be quite noisy. Normally I wouldn’t have cared but I was sure that my 8 month old daughter would have thought otherwise.

W Hotel Washington D.C. Lobby

I ended up in a “corner” room on the 5^th floor that had one king bed with a view of the Treasury Department. I say “corner” because the hotel is connected to another building, making their “corner” rooms just standard rooms with no neighbors on one side.

The room was only about 250 square feet so things felt pretty cramped, particularly when you add a crib into the equation. Such is life when you are staying at a hotel that is about to celebrate its 100^th birthday.

Wonderful Room at the W Hotel Washington D.C.

View from the 5^th floor of the W. Hotel Washington D.C.

The bathroom and shower were standard with a glass wall separating them from the rest of the room. Unlike many other hotels I have visited lately, the glass shower wall was frosted which provided a little more privacy.

Marlon sent up a bottle of champagne and cheese plate with a note welcoming us to the hotel, which was a very nice touch.

Champagne and cheese plate at the W Hotel Washington D.C.

Overall I was very impressed with the service at the W. The hotel staff were incredibly attentive to our every need during our stay, especially when working with our unpredictable schedule each day.

We were able to check in early, check out late, and have our room cleaned during non-standard service times to accommodate my daughter’s nap schedule.

The hotel was also able to provide me with 3 tickets to visit the National Museum of African American History, which are incredibly difficult to come by. Usually you have to go online right at 6:30am and hope to grab some before they sell out.

And of course no trip to D.C. is complete without a quick meetup with 10xT Editor in Chief, Spencer Howard! We grabbed cocktails at POV before heading to dinner across the street at The Hamilton.

Grabbing cocktails with 10xT Editor in Chief Spencer Howard. No, we did not coordinate our outfits.

Overall I had a wonderful time staying at the W. Washington D.C. and would recommend it to anyone. The hotel itself is fantastic, the location can’t be beat, and the staff is fantastic. I won’t hesitate to book the W again on my next trip to our nation’s capital.

Showing the world’s youngest points/miles enthusiast around D.C.

Happy Travels,

Bryce