Before staying at this hotel, I had a very positive opinion of Kimpton from previous stays. However this hotel substantially reduced my opinion.
The Topaz has a great location near Dupont Circle, but the hotel itself has terrible views. Outside my window is an alley, a dumpster (which was dumped last night at 6 am and woke me up) and another building... and I'm on one of the highest floors. Next to the hotel are buildings with boarded up windows.
The rooms are very large, but old. The material of the building is cheap, for example there are popcorn ceilings and the paint in my room is chipped.
The amenities are terrible - no gym, and the room service menu is unacceptable, especially for a vegetarian. During a week, I'll normally eat 2-3 room service meals, but this week I've had none because nothing on the menu is even remotely appetizing.
Also, the staff does not pay attention to detail. When checking in, I registered as Dr. Soandso, not that I care, but their registration form asked. During the entire stay (approximately 10 interactions with the front desk), I've been addressed as Mr. Soandso. Again, it doesn't bother me and I never say anything, but high end hotels (which Kimpton claims to be) usually pay attention to these details (for example, who is on vacation, who is on a honeymoon, etc). The hotel staff apparently do not care at this location.
All-in-all, the Topaz is about equivalent to a Holiday Inn in terms of service and room quality, and that may be a little generous.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
10 February 2012
Dear BooTheGroundhog,
Thank you for posting a review of your experience with us here on Tripadvisor.com. This one stings. There’s a lot to digest in here. So, I appreciate the candid and detailed feedback. I’m terribly sorry that your stay was not an outstanding one.
The views on the back side of the building are not the most appealing. However, our guests typically enjoy the tree-lined N Street view as much as that of any downtown hotel. The dumpster should not be picked up prior to 7a on any day. I apologize for this disturbance and will contact our vendor. The vacant building at the end of the block isn’t the most savory. But, it does little in my opinion, to detract from the charm of N Street.
The building was originally erected in 1954 and still retains some of the touches from way back when including the crown molding, which I really like, and the popcorn ceilings that were mentioned above.
In lieu of having a fitness center the hotel features rooms with exercise equipment in them in addition to passes to the 6 level fitness facility at the end of the block. I play basketball there a couple of times weekly. But, they also have an Olympic-sized swimming pool, track, rock climbing, weights, racquetball, and tons of cardio equipment. With regards to our menu, I was disappointed to read that you weren’t interested in any of the items featured. There are 5 vegetarian options on the current room service menu and over 10 offered daily in the lounge.
I’m sorry that you weren’t greeted and addressed as a doctor during your visit with us. This title was not reflected in the reservation which is where the disconnect occurred. However, I have reemphasized the need to pay close attention to these details with our team. They put everything they have into taking care of our guests. So when they don’t receive the information they need to provide an excellent service experience we take it very seriously.
Sincerely,
Donte
General Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
