The Royal Sonesta Washington DC Dupont Circle - Washington, District of Columbia

Kate F.

Pros: The king spa studio was very spacious and the bathtub was huge as advertised. Front desk staff and doormen were very nice. Bed was comfortable and sheets clearly clean and creased. 2 water bottles provided with coffee machine. Huge closet and sitting area. Convenient market across the street for necessities and snacks.

Cons: No vending machines in hotel. Room smelled a bit musty/smoky but not enough for me to go through the annoyance of moving for a one night stay. The tub was oddly high verging on unsafe to get in/out of and the tub's seats were meant for two people to sit upright and look at each other not the lounging spa tub that I'd hoped for. It took 30 min to fill up due to the combo of size and slow trickle of water. Room and bathroom felt a bit run down, with some visible flaws in the bench and sofa, a well worn rug and some chipping rust in the tub. Bathroom products did not smell nice. I heard the couple in the room next door to me quite clearly.

Matt M.

Had an excellent stay during my week-long trip to DC for legislative meetings. The rooms were clean and ready. Location was near a variety of restaurants. But especially outstanding was the front desk help especially Rayshawn. She went above and beyond to help me get what I needed for my meetings was there each morning with a bright smile.

niaitathomass

Just got back from a stay at the Royal Sonesta in DC, and honestly, it had its ups and downs. Here's the breakdown:||Pros:|First off, the location is chef’s kiss. It’s close to everything—tons of great spots within walking distance, which made exploring the city a breeze. They also added a nice local touch with chocolates in the room, which I loved.||I didn’t get to try the restaurant, but I heard great things about it. The $15 credit they give you at check-in is a nice incentive, and their in-room coffee setup was solid. Bonus points for having access to a pool and fitness center, even though we didn’t really use them. Oh, and the bed? Super comfy. It made up for the fact that the room itself was on the smaller side.||Cons:|The service was...just okay. The front desk team was great—friendly and helpful—but I wasn’t a fan of how the attendants handled our departure. They were really pushy about us taking a metered cab and didn’t explain the details, which felt unnecessary and left a bad taste.||There were a few issues with the room, too. The water pressure and temperature in the bathroom were not great, and the walls must be paper-thin because we could hear way too much from the hallways. Our view also left a lot to be desired, but I’m guessing that depends on the room you get.||Overall:|The Royal Sonesta has its good moments, and if you find a great deal, it’s worth a stay. But with so many hotels in DC, we’ll probably try a different one next time. That said, it’s not a bad option if you’re looking for a convenient location and a comfy bed!

Cheyenne K.

Bruce at the front counter gave me a FREE room upgrade at check-in because I was « nice and smiley. » It was great customer service and much appreciated. I got a very spacious room on the 9th floor. The valet service team members were also very friendly and helpful. It was a close walking distance to the DuPont Metro which was a big plus. I got a free hat at checkout. All around a good trip and I will be returning!

Arthur B.

Location is great, but staff and rooms leave a lot to be desired. Do not recommend.

Pros:
-Amazing location--close to restaurants, Metro, and a great dry cleaners across the street
-Valet/door staff was friendly
-Room was quiet
-No complaints re housekeeping

Cons:
When I arrived, the AC wasn't working in my originally assigned room. The desk staff seemed put out by this--like it was my fault there was an issue--and suggested that I wait for a technician to come repair (they had no idea how long the wait would be). After a long day of travel, this was not appealing, so I asked for another room. I was grudgingly assigned a new room, but when I got in, I discovered that while the AC was technically working, it couldn't be set below 65, and despite being set to 65 was definitely not maintaining that temperature. Seeing the other reviews about temp issues, it looks like this is an ongoing problem. Additionally, the new room I was assigned was much smaller, on a much lower floor, and faced a dumpster. It sort of felt like they intentionally stuck me in the worst room they had.

On my last night, an employee banged on my door and demanded that I explain why I was still there and not already checked out. Apparently there was a discrepancy in their systems--my dates had been booked months in advance and I never changed my reservation, so I have no idea why they would expect me to leave a day early. While they got it figured out, I didn't get much of an apology or any recognition that the disruption was pretty jarring.

After spending quite a bit of money to stay here for 6 nights, the overall experience left a bad taste in my mouth. I would certainly never return.

Yourcenar D.

I have some pros and cons about my stay. My girls and I stayed for the weekend and originally had a regular room then we were told by Dave we can upgrade to a suite. The size of the suite was perfect for 4 girls who need room to get ready. The location of the hotel was perfect ! It was close to everything we wanted to do.
Dave also recommended we buy a burger. It was really good but expensive ($40). There were no bad interactions with other guests or the staff members. Everyone was friendly that we met. The king bed was extremely comfortable.

My biggest issues: The room was hot. It was hard to regulate the temperature. We never received housekeeping service and we had asked one of the housekeepers to come in on Saturday. She said she would, but no one ever came. Our sheets were never changed. Trash wasn’t taken out. So that was disappointing. And lastly, there was no microwave in the room. My friends who slept on the sofa bed said it was very uncomfortable.

Would I stay again? I’m not sure.

Elvira B.

The location is good, but almost everything else is average or worse. No hand soap in the bathroom is crazy! We got only one robe for a double room (why even put one?), there was no way to request a room cleaning after 11 (nothing you could leave on the door to signal it), room service was prohibitively expensive (a forced gratuity plus a service fee on top), but worst of all was the process of purchasing a movie to watch. Be mindful that they don't have smart TVs, so you are forced to buy programming from their own service... which I attempted to do, unsuccessfully. The TV wouldn't let me, directing me to call front desk. I called front desk and was rotated between 3 different people who had no idea what to do, and even went as far as saying: "I don't think you can buy movies." It was kind of laughable. The bed was comfortable though! Spend your money elsewhere.

Emily

Positive: Location! Beautiful hotel with spacious room. Bed was comfy too! Staff, both front desk and valet, were so friendly and helpful. Negative: You get taxed on the parking and it's $61/day. Also, there is a destination fee on top of the resort fee and that also gets taxed. Our room ended being over $--- after all the fees when it started at $--/night