Hotel Lombardy

mid-March 2019. The Lombardy is great historic hotel with a captivating bar and cafe. Small and quaint, about three blocks from Foggy Bottom metro station (Blue Line) which directly connects to DCA. It is an 8 minute Lyft ride to Blues Alley and a :30 walk to JoJo's Cafe on New Hampshire and U street NW. Staff was very friendly (not overly) and the hotel accommodated a special request without question or cost. However, we were in room 414 which was challenging for the two night stay. First, the first night the couple in the next room were "amorous" until 3 am and the walls allow the noise to come through. Called the front desk but still "the beat" went on. Second, there is construction at the adjoining property happening which is being done at night - no notice from the Lombardy there could be a noise issue. So the second night was nothing but truck "beeps" when they were backing up, workers talking, and noise from the alley. You could say things went from "boom boom" the first night to "bang bang, beep beep" the second (first night could have been all three but the "boom boom" was the immediate problem.) Third, the bed was quite firm (too firm for me) and the pillows over-stuffed making them great to sit up, lean back on and impossible to sleep on unless you like a 45 degree angle to your head. I love the hotel, the location

This is supposed to be a 4 star hotel, it should be label a 2 or 3 star hotel. The inside of the hotel was not well lit, a very gloomy feel. The hallway on the upper floors had exposed pipes and I thought it was just my floor, which I stayed on the 11th floor. However, I stopped the elevator on several floors and it was the same. My room decor was very dated, but neat and clean. One window blind was broken, literally one slat was broken off and it was very noticeable when I closed the blind from the daylight. When I was stepping into the tub for the first time, I almost fell. The bottom of the tub has some type of foam/gel that felt very fluffy, thick and soft. I am not sure if that is the way the tub is suppose to be or there was a defect in it, but there should be a warning sign to warn you to make sure you hold onto something, when entering tub/shower. The staff was very nice and professional, especially the doorman, desk clerk and maid. I feel that the pictures that I saw on Expedia were nothing like the actual hotel in person, it was purely a disappointment for me, I am used to staying in hotels that are no less than 4 stars. I was in DC for business for two nights and it cost me $299.00/nightly. At this rate, do not waste your money at this hotel.

As expected, the building was really interesting. The doorman and registration staff were awesome! The room itself was nice and quite comfortable. However unless you have a room that faces the front not only is there no view, you can’t really even leave the blinds open. My room was about 10 feet away from an office building and all of its workers. I went down to get a drink at the bar and had a rotten experience. I don’t usually drink cocktails so I asked for the drink menu. The bartender said there wasn’t a drink menu. That was fine, but he was really rude when I didn’t know what to order. I told him that I wasn’t sure what to order because some of the drinks are complicated (at least they are to me because I don’t know what’s in them) so, his response was “don’t order anything complicated“ that left me at a loss for words because I didn’t even know where to start after that. I told him I like drinks that have a fruity flavor, then he asked me what kind of liquor I wanted in it. He couldn’t grasp that I didn’t know how to make the drink I guess. All of this would’ve been fine if he have been the least bit helpful in this tone. But he never once smiled and it seemed to me he was being very condescending so I just left to go somewhere else. There were a lot of people in the bar earlier in the day so it may have just been because it was late, I’m not sure. Overall, the staff was helpful but if you’re looking for a atmosphere that’s open and interacti, this isn’t it.

Our second stay and once again a mixed experience. I’d rate it three and a half if I could. On the positive side, the room rate was extremely competitive. The location is excellent, near the metro’s Silver Line at Foggy Bottom, so getting to and from Dulles Airport was straightforward and saved more than $100 in cab fares. Close to the White House. Its proximity to GWU means there is a buzz about the area with many options for getting food. Housekeeping was excellent with the exception of Saturday. Staff generally helpful and friendly. The bed was large and very comfortable. On the negative side, the window overlooked offices. They were so close it was intrusive - you could see computer displays clearly. This was referred to in responding to Expedia’s “check-in” email seeking feedback. The hotel’s response was that they were “mediating” directly with the customer. This was not true. There was no contact from the hotel. It was annoying to find a $50 bill for valet parking had been shoved under the door on our last night when we didn’t have a car. The absence of an apology when this was rectified was disappointing. The coffee machine was extremely difficult to access and on a shelf adjacent to the bathroom toilet. Thin walls, meaning noise from corridors and adjoining rooms could become intrusive. Dated TV with limited channel options.

This hotel was great, I loved the old fashion theme. Great location, rooms were clean, drapes were heavy duty (no light emerging), unique, snacks available for purchase in room, and complimentary water bottles. check-in and check out staff was friendly and welcoming. The reason I did not provide a 5 star rating was due to a couple events that happened. Once we checked in, we dropped our stuff off and went off sight-seeing. When we got back housekeeping had came into the room closed the drapes and dropped of water. It was a little uncomforting know that house keeping would just come into the after check in when know one was present. I initially brushed it off but once we showered and realized that the tub wasn't draining that when I went to the desk to notify them. I mentioned to them how I felt about housing keeping going into the room unannounced when know one was there, they told me "that what they do, its called turn-down time" - maybe I just wasn't used to that? When I told them about the draining issue they just said they'd get someone to check on it, which no one did. Other than the two, what I would consider slightly minor, issues. the hotel stay was wonderful and comfortable.