This Park Hyatt DC review came about because I had to go to Washington DC for work recently and my wife and I decided that she and our daughter would come along for the weekend leading up to my time there. I cringe at the industry term ‘bleisure’ but that’s what this was.

When I go on my own, I grab a room at the Hyatt Place nearest where I’ll be working. With my family I’m looking for something a little bit nicer. And of course given how early my toddler daughter goes to bed, a suite is a real bonus so we don’t have to sit in the dark and in silence before going to sleep ourselves.

For this trip the Park Hyatt DC made great sense. I confirmed a suite there as a Globalist and with the weekend stay we’d even have time to take advantage of breakfast benefits.

Park Hyatt DC Exterior

Park Hyatt DC Entrance

One Of The Stranger Vehicle Valet Experiences I’ve Had

Arriving at the property I learned that the front desk is currently also the valet and the bellman. So one of the front desk associates helped with bags, while another took the car. This was a theme throughout the stay – there was never anyone waiting out front at the valet stand when I’d return to the hotel. Instead I’d just I’d just flag it for the front desk and someone would drive it away.

There was apparently someone staffed as valet, though, and one time when I called for my car that person brought it up – but didn’t tell anyone. So when I went down to ask after my car, they brought me my keys. The car wasn’t out front. I asked where the car was, and they determined no one had gotten it yet. They went off in search of a car that was… right around the corner.

Upgrade To A Park Hyatt DC Georgetown Suite

A confirmed suite upgrade assigns a ‘Park Suite’ which is a proper suite with two rooms. I’d intended at check-in to ask about the possibility of a larger ‘Park Executive Suite’ but was told I’d been assigned to a better-still “Georgetown Suite.” This is a business hotel, and there’s not a ton of business travel. It also doesn’t attract as much leisure business as some others. There were plenty of empty suites, indeed there were a lot more people at the property frequenting their excellent Blue Duck Tavern for drinks and for meals than staying at the hotel.

Georgetown Suite Living Room, Dining Area, And Office

Georgetown suites are in the corner of the hotel. When you walk into the room there’s a bathroom on the right and a long-ish hallway that leads into a dining area and living room. The next room over is the office.

Guest Bathroom

Living and Dining Area

Living Room

Coffee

There was a bottle of water and chocolates on the dining table when we arrived, as well as waters in the refrigerator above the coffee maker and in the bedroom.

Chocolates

The office is a really nice bonus, and I made great use of it since my wife and daughter flew home a little over a day before I did. Plus when I’d wake up in the morning before my wife I had a place to catch up on work.

In the office, though, especially the room’s wood floor was very scuffed. The property is aging and could use some investment, which is probably put off further by the pandemic.

Office

Park Hyatt DC Georgetown Suite Bedroom And Main Bath

Along two sides of living room are windows, and the windows extend through the office and the bedroom bringing in light and offering a view of 24th Street.

The bedroom hard a king size bed, with a mattress I found very comfortable, but pillows lacked any substance – the night after my wife left I used three pillows instead of two, and I realized I should have asked for more earlier in the stay (and I’m usually happy with just one).

Bedroom

The star of the show was the fantastic shower and tub, which was a large room unto itself with good water pressure and multiple shower heads.

Bathroom

Shower

Bath tub

Off the sink was the toilet and behind it a walk-in closet, perfect for storing more than one piece of luggage – open, even – as well as hanging clothes.

Closet

The television remote in the bedroom didn’t work. The remote in the living room was identical so we just used it for both TVs as-needed. All in all though I found the room incredibly comfortable.

Room Service Breakfast, And Housekeeping

Breakfast at the hotel used to be in its restaurant only, the Blue Duck Tavern. It’s a fabulous spot for dinner, and one of the more attractive hotel dining rooms you’ll find in the U.S.

Now Globalists can take their breakfast benefit in the restaurant or via room service. I was proactively offered this at check-in. While I was told that the benefit is “$40 per person” that seems to be ‘plus plus’ and indeed at check-out they hadn’t flagged there were three of us and so there was extra breakfast charges on the folio. Realizing my two year old was with us, they wiped the entire bill for each day (the first morning it came to nearly $200 that got taken off – more than $40 apiece!).

Room Service Breakfast

Usually service was quite prompt whenever I rang, and room service was delivered quickly. I’d put the food outside the door after we ate, call to let them know to pick it up and they’d do so right away.

On the one morning where I was running out of the room quickly I didn’t call. Housekeeping came and cleaned the room, and put the tray outside the door themselves (rather than collecting it). Nobody came to pick it up the rest of the day. Or overnight. Or the next morning until I ordered again.

To be clear, I was grateful to have daily housekeeping since so many properties no longer offer it! However I had other housekeeping snafus during my stay,

• One day they left the door to my room open when they left

• On another occasion, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, my daughter was napping. I had placed the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door. And since they didn’t want to disturb us, housekeeping called to find out if I’d want service that day. How is calling instead of knocking not disturbing?

I’ve Already Booked My Return

It may sound like there were some service failures here, and there were. The hotel is clearly struggling with staff (one in particular, who’d been there a week, was very sarcastic with guests).

However I think I have to grade on a curve and right now, compared to what I’ve experienced at most other places, the stay was fantastic – so much so that I rebooked my upcoming stay in a few weeks to be here again.

I had a great short visit to DC with my wife and daughter. They went home on Sunday, and I stayed to work. I had most of Sunday on my own so I caught up on work and even went out to the suburbs for my favorite Thai food, Elephant Jumps in Merrifield. I returned to the hotel and had the giant room with a really residential feel to come back to. The furniture was comfortable for both relaxing and working, and it suited my preferred style completely.

Elephant Jumps Banana Blossom Salad