I’ve stayed at the Park Hyatt Washington DC many times over the years, but my last visit marked the first time I have ever been upgraded to a full suite (versus a junior suite). My stay at the hotel was predictably good. This hotel does not change and (for the most part) I’m just fine with it.
Park Hyatt Washington DC Review (Suite)
It seems I wind up at this hotel every 2-3 years, and have always enjoyed it. For reference, you may enjoy reading my 2010, 2017, and 2021 reviews of this property. The property is located on 1201 24th Street NW on the outskirts of Georgetown, not particularly close to Metro but in a very nice section of town.
Check-In + Upgrade
My one-night stay was $349 plus tax…over $400 when all was said and done. That’s quite a bit for a place to rest your head, but this was a special trip with my father and so money was the lesser concern to his comfort and I knew that I stood a good chance of scoring a suite upgrade (based on availability). And indeed I did. So while $400 for a base room is not ideal, $400 for a large suite was certainly a good exchange.
The only drawback was that a Globalist was occupying the room and did not check out till nearly 5:00 pm. We arrived at 4:00 pm, so our wait was not too bad, but we still sat in the lobby for over 90 minutes (it was raining outside) waiting for our room. still worthwhile for the upgrade.
There is really not a traditional lobby in this hotel…limited seating is available, but this is no Willard with a grand lobby.
Suite
We were upgraded to a Park Executive Suite, room 526, which was 940-square-foot and included a dining room, living room, guest bathroom, bedroom, and master bathroom.
I loved how much room there was to spread out and I found the room tastefully decorated with muted colors and a lot of natural wood.
As you enter the bathroom, you can turn left for a massive walk-in shower and bathtub or turn right for a walk-in closet.
Amenities were present on the sink counter and Le Labo bath amenities (in large dispensers) were located in the shower (tempting to take…but I like nice things, so I resisted the urge).
Interestingly the minibar was empty…is that still a COVID protocol? A Nespresso machine with capsules was fully-stocked, but the coffee is very good downstairs…I did not use the in-room machine.
The hotel sent up a beautiful fruit bowl as a welcome amenity, which we enjoyed after our dinner at Blue Duck Tavern.
The room was also well-stocked with bottled water.
It appears that my room had been used by VIPs, politicians, world leaders, or perhaps prisoners… evidence of a door alarm was present above the room entrance.
Blue Duck Tavern
I wrote about dinner at the Blue Duck Tavern yesterday and will only repeat here that the food is very solid wtih pricing on par for any higher-end restaurant in the District of Columbia. The dining room was full, so we ate in the Blue Duck Lounge area, but still enjoyed excellent food (lamb and chicken) and excellent service.
Not only is there a bar in this area, but what the hotel calls its Tea Cellar, offering “30 rare, single-estate teas from remote regions of China, Japan, Sri Lanka, and the Himalayas.” Before I drank coffee I drank tea, though I was never a tea “snob” like I am with coffee now. Tea no longer interests me, but know that this hotel is one of the best places in Washington DC to get high-quality tea.
We returned for breakfast the following morning and faced a decision: breakfast buffet or a la carte. I suppose we could have done both, but I was most in the mood for fresh squeezed orange juice, a strong flat white, and a bowl of berries and the buffet included all of this.
This was actually the first visit I have ever seen a breakfast buffet. Perhaps it is something that is only available on weekends or during periods of heavy occupancy? At 10:00 am on a Saturday, though, the restaurant was packed (the pictures above were taken in the afternoon when the restaurant was closed). We only had to wait a few minutes for a table, but larger groups faced much longer waits. The weather was still poor, so no one was sitting outside.
As for the buffet, it included the aforementioned berries as well as other freshly-cut fruit, a wide selection of pastries and bread, cereal, yogurt, and a hot section featuring scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and grits (I don’t eat grits often at all, but quite enjoyed them here).
The coffee is very good…and this machine makes a huge difference:
One day I’ll have a machine like this in my home!
Despite the packed restaurant, the service was attentive and I think the breakfast here is a big selling point for this hotel. The food was delicious.
Pool
The pool and fitness center are located in the building adjacent to the hotel.
The indoor pool and jacuzzi are open from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm and in all my years of staying at this hotel, I have never seen anyone actually swim in this pool (beyond myself…).
Fitness Center
Across the hall from the pool is a fitness center that features brand new TechnoGym equipment (both strength training and cardiovascular) plus Peloton bikes.
I enjoyed a pair of great workouts here.
Just note that while massage treatments are available, this hotel has no sauna or steam room, which is very much a missed opportunity and my ongoing biggest gripe about the hotel.
CONCLUSION
This was another great stay at the Park Hyatt Washington DC and a very special time with my father. I’ve been meaning to try the Thompson and return to the Willard, but every time I am in town and in need of a hotel it seems like I wind up here. That’s for good reason. It’s not the best park Hyatt in the world or even the country, but it is a consistently excellent hotel that has changed very little over the last decade.
I prefer an empty mini fridge, and in upscale hotels where it is stocked, I ask to have the items removed so I can use the refrigerator space for my own stuff. I’m curious what most people do. I’ve always been under the impression that most people don’t use the minibar, even at high end hotels, but perhaps I’m wrong. I’d be delighted to see them remain empty everywhere.
I generally avoid them too due to the high costs, but I have a friend who just loves them. And frankly, sometimes they come in handy…like when the hotel has cheap bottled water but Evian in the minibar.
I stayed there in March as a globalist. It was very tired. The suite, the next one up from yours, was old and lacked things like accessible electrical outlets and USB outlets. No personalized welcome letter, pre-arrival email, or any kind of amenity besides a bottle of water. I didn’t get the fruit plate. I expect a stocked mini-bar at a five-star hotel. No newspapers were available. No bellman, just a doorman who seemed pretty occupied. At breakfast, they tried cheating me out of the globalist benefit by claiming it was only breakfast for one.
So did you and your dad share the king bed or did one of u take the couch
Shared the king. We don’t snore.
Thanks for the detailed review, we stayed at the Ritz across the street on our last visit to the area but had breakfast at the Blue Duck Tavern which was fabulous. This hotel needs a refresh, the hallways and rooms in particular look tired in your pictures. I wasn’t overly impressed with the lobby area either as we walked through it on our way to the restaurant.
Did Ritz have steam room and/or sauna?
Many Hyatt properties suffer from the same tired decor. Lots of neutral tones and light-colored wood. I describe it as early 2000s Ikea. Countless Hyatts, Hyatt Regencies and Park Hyatts. Also, the layout of the lobby was weird. Guests had to walk through the bar and restaurant area with their luggage to get to the elevator. I found that very bizarre.
Compared to the nearby Fairmont, the two Ritz-Carltons, and Four Seasons, I think the Park Hyatt is very disappointing. It’s certainly not in the same space as those hotels.
Four stars for sure, but not five stars.
Was there in February and it is definitely one of the nicer hotels in Washington D.C. We stayed over on Saturday and Sunday night and I do not recall a breakfast buffet option, we almost surely would have opted for that.
Thank you for a great review.
Quick tip: you have a few lines without parentheses. This makes them easy to read.
You should (maybe) consider (potentially) adding parentheses (like these) to the few remaining sentences that do not (maybe an oversight?) have them (eventually).
Coincidentally ate there last Friday while in town with my son, we sat in the glass ‘cube’ with the two benches. We were staying at the Grand Hyatt but I had to introduce him to the fries at the Blue Duck. Have stayed at the PH many times and also never seen a breakfast buffet before.
Saturday night stayed at the Thompson, which contains many wonderful nautical touches in the room’s furniture and the familiar Thompson smell. If you’re not attending a baseball or soccer game, I see no reason to stay there. The neighborhood is brand new, corporate, and could be in any city in the US. Stray more than a couple blocks and you’re in some very low income neighborhoods.
Does the Park Hyatt DC still pump that odd smokey smelling scent in the air ? I found their suite furnishings to be uncomfortable and too basic, odd lighting. Very early 2000’s
Yes the same scent is there. I happen to love it, but if not to your liking it would definitely be a turn off. Also every Thompson I’ve been to (LA, NY, DC) does the same thing- albeit with a slightly different fragrance.
The DC Circulator bus stops in front of the Fairmont across the street, linking the hotel with Metro stops in Roslyn and DuPont Circle. The GW Foggy Bottom Metro Station is a 10-15 minute walk. I live in the neighborhood.