Here is my review of the Holiday Inn Washington-Capitol in Washington DC:
Summary:
A business-oriented hotel in a central location. It offers reasonable prices compared to other hotels in this area. I stayed in a lovely room, that was well-equipped. The amenities I liked the most were the gym and laundry room, along some other useful facilities, such as the business center. Visitors of the hotel will enjoy excellent Wi-Fi. This is a non-smoking hotel with a yard for smokers. I was disappointed from the breakfast buffet that I ate in the Capitol Bistro (the hotel’s main restaurant). The swimming pool wasn’t available during my visit. Keep in mind there’s no free parking, but you can find plenty of that around the place. Holiday Inn club members are eligible for certain benefits.
The place: Holiday Inn Washington-Capitol
Address: 550 C St SW, Washington, DC 20024, USA
Date of the visit: September 2018
Number of days: 2
Booking.com
The Pros:
Excellent Location – The hotel is in a central & safe area that is close to many monuments, museums & government buildings. Most of the attractions are gathered around “National Mall” that is approx. 10 minutes walk from the hotel.
Familiar monuments that are worth a visit:
- The United States Capitol (approx. 15 min walk)
- Washington Monument (approx. 20 min. walk)
- The White House (approx. 35 min. walk)
- World War II Memorial (approx. 25 min. walk)
- Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool (approx. 25 min.walk)
- Lincoln Memorial (approx. 35 min. walk)
And above all, the hotel’s building hosts a Starbucks right on the corner.
The room I stayed in was great – I got a two-queen bedroom, that wasn’t that big, but I just loved it. The room was clean, had everything I needed (except maybe a proper kitchen) and it was well maintained.
The furniture was functional and made the most of the limited space, which is something I just admire. There were many photos and lamps across the room, but they all fitted into the mix.
The beds & pillows were very comfortable, and I slept well.
There weren’t any disturbing noises from the neighboring rooms, the corridor or from outside the hotel. This is worth mentioning, because there’s a train station right next to the hotel, but it didn’t generate an extreme sound.
The bathroom was also clean and in good condition. The water flow and water temperature in the shower were great. There were enough towels and free toiletries from good quality.
Inviting and spacious lobby / ground floor – Across the lobby/ground floor are spread many sitting corners. They were comfortable, and included colorful workstations with integrated USB charging ports.
This is why this hotel is such a great place for work and business meetings, and I think it will satisfy the needs of most people who you might encounter for job purposes. For instance, this is a non-smoking hotel, which is praiseworthy – But if you someone has to smoke a cigarette, then he/she can do that in a designated yard.
There’s Free Wi-Fi that worked well during my stay – Visitors of the hotel will enjoy free Wi-Fi.
The Wi-Fi was fast and reliable with no interruptions or disconnections.
The Holiday Inn membership club benefits – Once I started doing traveling reviews, I began taking more seriously hotel membership club benefits.
Since I stayed before in Holiday Inn hotels, I was sure that I’m already a member. But according to one of the receptionists – I wasn’t. So, I asked to join the membership club, in a process that took several minutes.
This made me eligible for immediate benefits, including discounted entrance to the morning buffet at the Capitol Bistro (the hotel’s main restaurant), and late check-out.
No one on Holiday-Inn pays me to say that, but if the membership doesn’t cost you any money, then I think it’s a good idea to join the Holiday Inn members club.
The check-in and check-out went relatively fast, and most staff members were kind & professional – Excluding a specific incident that you can read about in the“Cons” section.
Additional amenities and attractions – Here’s a list of some of attractions this hotel offers:
- Capitol Bistro – The hotel’s main restaurant.
- 21st Amendment Bar & Grill – a nice bar next to the main restaurant. I didn’t sit there, but it seemed like a decent place to watch sport events and grab a drink/bite.
- Lobby market – a small shop to purchase stuff for a-bit-more-than a reasonable price.
- ATM
- Boarding passes kiosk.
- Business center – If you don’t have a computer, you can work from there.
- Vending & ice machines spread across the floors.
- Guest laundry room on the 2nd floor, that had everything you need to do laundry properly.
- The Sport facilities are on the 9th floor, including a well-equipped fitness area that is open 24 hours.
Booking.com
The Cons:
A certain staff member had a bad attitude and wasn’t familiar with the membership benefits – During my visit, I learned that if you join the Holiday Inn members club, you get certain benefits, including a discount for the morning buffet at the hotel’s restaurant (Capitol Bistro).
Receptionist #1 took my details added me to the club for free. This receptionist also gave me a voucher that I could use at the Capitol Bistro and get the discount for the morning buffet.
Later, some members of my entourage asked from another receptionist (receptionist #2) to become club members as well. Receptionist #2 apparently wasn’t familiar with the discount voucher for the breakfast buffet, and to add an insult to injury, spoke to them in a very rude way.
Eventually, this issue was sorted thanks to another staff member (receptionist #3).
My entourage members were added to the Holiday Inn members club and received the coveted discount vouchers.
But the toll it took from my entourage to get this benefit wasn’t worth the trouble – The bad attitude we received from receptionist #2, that wasn’t aware of the working procedure, and caused us to spend precious time on something that took receptionist #1 to do only several minutes.
Though this incident was unwanted, as someone who wants to share his knowledge with others – I encourage you to join the members club, ask for the discount and redeem this benefit (as long as it is still available).
Also, I expect staff members to be familiar with the hotel policy and respect any benefits that are offered.
BTW, If you’re asking how the breakfast was – then read the next paragraph…
Breakfast didn’t meet my expectations – Capitol Bistro is the hotel’s main restaurant and dining room, that serves breakfast buffets as well.
To me, visiting a buffet is like going to a party. And when the buffet is discounted, it gets me even more excited. But sometimes it happens that your expectations aren’t fulfilled – And this was one of those times.
Though the morning buffet at the Capitol Bistro was diversified, in the end of the meal I felt a certain dissatisfaction. I tried to figure out what caused that, and concluded that it’s a combination of several factors:
- The food wasn’t tasty – When there’s an abundance of things to eat, in a place like this, then something must be good right!? Well it wasn’t…
- The restaurant was crowded and messy – There are certain things I prefer to avoid, such as noisy places with too many people. But when you go to a buffet, you should consider these factors and leave them aside.
- I was annoyed in the first place because of the incident I described in the previous paragraph, that made me feel uncomfortable upon my arrival – I don’t think it hurt my judgment, but it also didn’t contribute to the situation.
There’s always a chance that the day I visited the restaurant was the exception, and usually the food is much better, and the place is less noisy.
The Swimming pool wasn’t available during my visit – I’m not sure what was the exact reason that the swimming pool was out of order. But if it is that important to you, I advise to check it with the hotel in advance.
No free parking – There are many parking spaces around the hotel, including in the hotel’s building itself that will take you straight to the lobby. But no matter what, you will have to pay for the parking.
FAQ:
I will update this section if needed.
Photos of the Holiday Inn Washington-Capitol:
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