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The Watergate Hotel – reviews, photos

3.5 of 5
2650 Virginia Avenue Northwest, (Closed for renovation until late 2009), Washington DC, DC 20037
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The Watergate Hotel
The Watergate Hotel
The Watergate Hotel
The Watergate Hotel
The Watergate Hotel
The Watergate Hotel
Ranked #109 of 123 hotels in Washington DC
3.5 of 5 stars 65 Reviews
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65 reviews from our community

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Traveller rating
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    17
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Date Rating
Vancouver, BC
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
“Watch out for those add-ons!”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 September 2007
3
people found this review helpful

We booked online and when we arrived, we were allowed to check in early and were provided with an upgrade to a Georgetown room. The room was huge, and very nicely furnished, but showing its age. The TV
was old and small, with a CRT screen (and electrical tape on the frame!!). The bathroom was nice, with a fabulous walk-in shower and separate tub, but the bathroom door had a gap in it, which you faced when you were using the toilet. It made me feel a bit exposed! The bathroom had an excellent magnified mirror in it, and the toiletries were very nice.

One thing that annoyed us over the course of our stay was the way higher-end hotels charge separately for everything that is included in business hotels or lower cost hotels. For example, internet access
was $10 a day (but if you have a wireless connection, you may get lucky and find a network that is open to use from your room!). A mini-fridge cost extra as well, as did local phone calls (or access to 800 numbers). Parking is valet only (I think it was $26 / day) so you also have to keep in mind all the tips you'll be handing out, especially if you are going in and out a lot. There was a coffee machine in the lobby, and it cost $2 (I think) a cup (it said it was Starbucks coffee). When you get a good deal on the room, it can kind of be eaten up by things like the parking and internet fees, so keep that in mind (this is typical of higher-end hotels, particularly in DC, I realize). The room had a refrigerated mini-bar that was kind of old-fashioned.

The view we had was beautiful. If you don't like airplanes, though, you might not like it - we were right on the flight path for DCA. We like watching planes, so it was very good for us. It wasn't super noisy, but if you are a light sleeper, you would probably notice it (I'm not sure how late planes were landing).

The location was quite good, but we didn't try out public transportation (in our experience, the traffic wasn't quite as horrendous as the guidebooks all make out, but it could be kind of confusing to get to the hotel during rush hour, as they made a 2-way street into 1 way, and our GPS unit didn't know this).

There is a Safeway, a CVS and a liquor store right nearby - you have to go down below street level to get to them, so you might miss them.

Overall, this was a nice hotel to stay in, and I'm glad we chose it, but we will probably try somewhere else next time.

  • Liked — The room was very nice
  • Disliked — Everything cost extra, so the room rate was artificially low
  • Stayed July 2007, travelled with family
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Check-in / front desk
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
    • 2 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“i miss the watergate!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 August 2007

I am seriously going to miss this hotel. From the lovely suite (bigger than my apartment) looking out onto the Kennedy Center, to the impeccable food and service at our business meeting to a late night at the bar - this place was fabulous.

  • Liked — great service!
  • Disliked — well, it closed!
  • Stayed March 2005, travelled on business
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Check-in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
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Ask rabidog about The Watergate Hotel
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Cincinnati
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
26 helpful votes 26 helpful votes
“Now closed”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 August 2007

I have stayed at the Watergate numerous times when I am working at the Kennedy Center. This last time I had a great room and no problems. The Watergate has not been consistent though. There have been times the staff has been rude at the front desk. The elevators don't always work properly also.
The Watergate is now closed for what they call renovations. I heard 2nd hand while I was there that it really was permanently closed as a hotel and is being redone as apartments and condos like the rest of the Watergate complex.
I will miss it.

  • Liked — Plush bathrooms
  • Disliked — Pricey restaurant
  • Stayed June 2007, travelled on business
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 2 of 5 stars Check-in / front desk
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
    • 3 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Chicago, Illinois
Senior Contributor
23 reviews 23 reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
139 helpful votes 139 helpful votes
“Good access to Foggy Bottom”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 June 2007
7
people found this review helpful

After booking the Renaissance Hotel for $325/nite, a friend recommended the Watergate. I was leery at first, given that rooms were available at almost half that rate, but couldn't pass up the chance to save some money. I was dropping off my son at GWU and didn't want to spend a fortune. What I got was a fine hotel, in a good location for access to both Foggy Bottom and Georgetown, at an insanely low price by DC standards.

The White House is maybe a mile away, but I walked it with no problem. There is a Metro station within a few short blocks to take you anywhere you need to go.

Well worth it.

  • Stayed June 2007, travelled solo
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Check-in / front desk
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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Ask d&mlovevegas about The Watergate Hotel
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paris
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
19 helpful votes 19 helpful votes
“good”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 11 June 2007
1
person found this review helpful

I used to stay here when this was a 5 star swissotel... this is not the same anymore, but the price did not get down !

Nethertheless the rooms are still large, with marble bathrooms. It is a quiet place.

I arrived after a night flight from LA at 8 am : they allowed me to get the room at that early time in the mornong with no extra charge so that I could have a nap and shower...

Breakfast at the restaurant, with the view on the Potomac is a real pleasure.

There used to be a swimming pool here but there is no more...

The staff is not very numerous bau is quite efficient.

To summarize, this hotel gets old, and sometimes does not look as clean as it should be. It is still a good hotel but this will not last for years without refrurbishment !

  • Liked — marble floors
  • Disliked — getting old
  • Stayed June 2007, travelled solo
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Check-in / front desk
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
    • 3 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
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The Watergate Hotel Also Known As

  • Watergate Hotel
Address: 2650 Virginia Avenue Northwest, (Closed for renovation until late 2009), Washington DC, DC 20037

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