laurelee

I'm thinking of staying at this place, since I can get a pretty good rate at Cherry Blossom time in Washington DC. I know that the rooms are very large, but what I want to know are more details about the lobby, hallways, and the rooms themselves. Is there a certain view or anything else I should ask for? What is the area like immediately surrounding the hotel?
Thanks.

Anonymous

Have you checked tripadvisor?

Dan

The hotel was once an apartment bldg (hence the large rooms) and thus has a pretty average lobby. I'm not sure what you'd want to know about hallways as they were pretty unremarkable to me. Standard hotel fare. The neighborhood is pretty safe and is a good mix of straight and gay folks. Lots of good places to dine, too. My wife and I have stayed there twice and enjoyed it.

laurelee

I have checked tripadvisor but most of the comments are about the large room size. That isn't so important to me-I'm more interested in information about bedding,bathrooms, well-lit and clean hallways,windows that can open and what view I should request. Thanks.

Dan

There are no views that I can think of. You're looking at other bldgs in every direction, I think. A high floor would be better just so you're not looking at the garbage dumpster, etc.

The bathrooms are blue and both of our rooms had BLUE bath fixtures. Again, this is a relic from the 1970s apartment building days!

Bedding and bath products are hotel standard. Typical Radisson, overall.

laurelee

Thanks, that's helpful. It sounds like as long as I ask for a renovated room that it should be quite nice.

mommybryant

Dont worry about the rooms. We stayed there as well and you will be happy with the accomodations. Our room on 7th floor overlooked the street in front of the lobby. So lots of taxi and garbage truck noise. That was not too much a problem with us as we rose early to catch the Metro. Request high up and on back side if that is a concern. Also, the windows slide open a few inches, so you can get a feel of the area, ha! You will not be disappointed. Several good eating places on P street for dinner/snacks. Very convenient!

laurelee

Would the Radisson be your choice for the Dupont Circle area-those of you who have stayed there?

MikeT

Lauralee - It is a popular hotel for Fodorites, but Dupont Circle has many nice, interesting hotels that are not a lot more expensive. It depends on what is important to you and what you are looking for. There are much more sophisticated hotels, much hipper hotels, bigger hotels, and better located hotels. That said, it is a popular hotel in a fine neighborhood with good-sized rooms.

laurelee

It certainly seems to be the top choice on Fodors! I have been reading lots about Washington DC and it is very highly recommended. I'd be interested in other Dupont Circle Hotels people have stayed in that they really liked...it needs to be close to Metro and well-lit areas to walk in, good but not fancy eating close by and clean -and quaint wouldn't hurt either.
We are only in DC for a few days to do the monuments and memorials mostly, I'm not even sure that this is the area I want to be in , but it comes so highly recommended here.

bennnie

Laurelee,

I stayed at the Radisson based on the reviews here. The rate was great, but overall I was disappointed. The hotel was not up to my standards. The lobby area is fine though small. There are marble floors and one sitting area. There is an entrance to the on-site restaurant and a small gift shop and bell captain station.

The halls are decorated in white paper with a small green and blue floral. The carpeting is some sort of green/blue pattern. Not great but at least it wasn't that dingy beigy brown that is so prevalent in hotels.

Our room was large, the furniture was of average quality and looked dated, the bedspreads were dated and though not obviously dirty I didn't have a good feeling about them. The bathroom was not blue, had been updated and was large. The windows were old aluminum types that opened slightly. We had a view of the dumpsters in the back of the hotel.

We stayed for 4 nights. Maybe for less nights it would have been okay but I'm not in a hurry to go back. There's a Residence Inn across the street. I kept wishing we had spent the extra $25/night and stayed there.

laurelee

bennnie, thanks for your reply. It seems there are renovated rooms that are much nicer than others that are not updated. Sometimes these cannot be guaranteed and that could make all the difference. Staying at a nice place should not be so important to me, I suppose, but I think it can make/break a trip. Thank for the details you provided about your stay--I'm still not sure what to do. I think I have some time yet to think about it though.
If you think of anything else, I'd appreciate it.

bennie

Staying in a nice place is important. I went through the same back and forth that you seem to be doing.

You also asked about the area. It was okay but not great. The block that the hotel is on is mixed. Some nice looking restaurants but also a Burger King and other take out food places. A short walk to the Metro.

I should point out that I was with my family (dh and 2 daughters) and so what I needed/wanted may be different for you.

laurelee

I'll be with my sort of elderly mother. The area doesn't sound very special...Burger King?. I think I'll look into other places...it's just that this one had such a good senior rate. It may be worth it to us to pay more and be happier overall. It's nice to have a clean place that you like a lot to come back to after a busy day. Thanks so much-you've been really helpful.

MikeT

If Burger King is a deal breaker, you may have a difficult time finding someplace in DC. While it is true that there is a Burger King and a Subway on the same block, there are also two of the best seafood restaurants in DC, some of the best sushi on the East Coast, and other great restaurants.

Even G-town (some woudl argue especially G-town) has plenty of "down scale" places mixed in with the more prestigious stuff. One of the Ritz Carlton's in town is across the street from a gas station and fire station and the other is practically connected to a 16-screen movie theatre.

laurelee

Thanks, good to know. I've never been to this area before.

weski

Stay at a "real" hotel with elderly mother. DC has plenty - around DuPont, the Hilton Embassy Row is very nice, as well as the chic Westin Fairfax (tho it might have changed names recently). Keep your eyes peeled online. What do you want to do when you are here? If you are "malling" it downtown, make sure you are close to Metro or stay really downtown. But there will be lots of walking, no matter what, so make the hotel handy & confortable.

laurelee

Cam you tell me more about the Hilton Embassy Row-close to Met? Close to Metro? Anyone stayed there? I've checked Tripadvisor and it doesnt' sound real favorable. I do have Hilton Honors points so a Hilton would be great.

bardo1

The reasons the Barcelo is popualar are:
1) Price
2) Location

If you have additional, over-riding priorities, then consider someting a little more upscale (and a little more $$$).

The places on this map are all good locations, well lit, safe, etc. (hotels show as dark brown):

http://www.stationmasters.com/System.../dupontci.html

ragszie

My husband and I just stayed here over the past weekend. We were very happy here and would stay again. Our room(s) were nicely decorated-perhaps not the most modern but clean and pleasant. I asked the check in clerk for a renovated room and she smiled and told me that we were getting a very nice room. No view to speak of - we did not look over P street. No noise problems. We had a separate bedroom and a living room. TV set in each room - this really impressed my husband. Limited selection of channels which should not be a big deal if you are spending your time sightseeing. The bedroom had a king size bed with a good mattress and four king pillows. Bathroom had thick, fluffy bathsheets for towels, standard toiletries, good water pressure with hot water. My brother in law was visiting from Europe and stayed at his regular place - The Westin Grand. He had a very nice but very regular room, we all agreed that we had a better place.

We did not eat at the hotel restaurant but we did have a very nice meal across the street at Mimi's. Not the most gourmet meal or spectacular meal I ever had but the portions were large, the plate looked pretty, service was good and the food tasted good. We each had a glass of wine and ala carte soup with dinner - cost for total meal was about $65.

The Dupont Circle metro was located at Q and 20th - about a 2 1/2 block walk away. The walk to the Foggy Bottom metro from the Westin on hotel row on M street was longer- maybe 4 blocks. This stretch of M street has many hotels but it seems more expensive. Our hotel on P street had a residential feel. Our hotel was on the same block as the already mentioned Burger King (and a Quiznos) but we grabbed good Middle Eastern food for lunch and snacks at the DC Cafe and as mentioned, we were right across the street from Pesce and Johnny Half Shell, two well known seafood restaurants. Also, Thai and Japanese food is available in the block. I also utilized the 24 hour CVS drug store located within the block. There are two deli's that sell beer and wine. It was much less expensive and very convenient to bring back a bottle of wine to our spacious room for post sight seeing cocktails.

I will not spend $20 apiece for breakfast at any hotel. We found Cosi's in Dupont Circle had tasty, filling omelette bagels $3.50 including coffee. This allowed us to save time, money and calories for other meals.

We travel quite a bit for work and for pleasure. We are Holiday Inn people - I will choose a Holiday Inn over another chain when able, but we will almost never spend substantial additional money to be in a Westin or a Hilton or an Embassy Suite. I agree that a poor hotel can wreck a vacation. I do not pay attention to details of lobby and hallway areas as this is just not important to me but I would notice if they were inferior. We felt that the Radisson Barcelo was convenient, comfortable, affordable and added to our vacation experience.