Thompson Washington D.C., by Hyatt

Pros: Decently close to the metro stop. Cons: A 36% fee was charged and it was not disclosed at check-in or in the policy paper they give you on “free breakfast.” And the best part… tax on something that is a free offering! If you have a food credit to use, be ready to pay those big fees. When I asked about this undisclosed fee, I had an interaction with a negative front desk agent who was referenced in another guest’s review as rude and unprofessional, and I agree. Charging a fee as “policy” that doesn’t align with the chain’s standards and isn’t disclosed to the guest is not acceptable. In the room, there were a few small pieces of trash on the bathroom floor. The bathroom door doesn’t close because it’s not aligned with the door jam. Peeling paint all around in the room. The hotel always smelled like marijuana right at the front door. There is already very little light in the rooms and one of the few lights was burnt out. Because of how the fixed shower head is positioned, it sprays onto the bathroom floor and creates a flooding mess. It is shameful for this place to call itself a “luxury” hotel. Many of the negative reviews this hotel has the manager replies to and makes ‘note’ of, but it seems like a lot of too little too late when there is no improvement. Would not return to a place that lacks care for their property and guests like this. Ew!

Staff was incredible as were the rooms for the price. Leaps and bounds better than the NYC and Seattle Thompson properties.

My wife and I stayed at the Thompson Washington D.C. from December 26 to January 3, and the experience was consistently disappointing. Upon arrival around 9 PM, we were greeted by a front desk staff member who remarked, “Wow, this is the longest I’ve ever seen someone stay,” which was an unnecessary and unprofessional first impression. We were assigned an accessibility room, which felt like it was done to prioritize turning over other rooms for shorter stays, and upon entering we immediately discovered a ceiling panel had fallen; while maintenance did come and repair it, additional issues followed. The detachable shower head was broken and, despite being reported the next morning with photos, it was never fixed, forcing us to use only the overhead shower for the duration of our stay. We also later learned that the main room light must be turned on in order to use the bathroom, which was extremely inconvenient, especially at night. We booked through the American Express Hotel Collection, which includes daily breakfast for two, but this benefit was poorly explained and the breakfast experience itself was chaotic and poorly managed, with wait times ranging from 30 minutes to over an hour. On our first morning, my wife’s food was served extremely cold, and despite not being the type to complain, it was cold enough that it had to be addressed. Hoping to avoid further issues, we later ordered breakfast to-go, only to encounter complete disorganization, guests openly arguing, a 90-minute wait, and food that was delivered cold; after leaving out of frustration, we were later contacted and offered the same cold food over an hour later, which we declined. The only consistently positive aspects of the stay were the housekeeping staff, who were thorough, respectful, and attentive, and the valet staff, who were always polite, welcoming, and knowledgeable. Overall, this stay fell far below expectations for the Thompson brand and was absolutely not worth the use of my American Express points.