The Capital Hilton with Sights, Sounds and Smells, from the..........Bathroom?
Written: Dec 26 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent Location and possibility of good rates.
Cons: Poor service and terrible room configuration.
The Bottom Line: Though I cannot recommend this hotel to a friend I can say it is worth the low price of $129 if you can tolerate what I would deem two-star-service.
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| popsrocks's Full Review: Capital Hilton |
Sometimes you expect more because of a name or past experience. Maybe that's why I am so down on this hotel. I happen to be a Hilton Honors member and have stayed in a number of fine Hilton properties over the years from NYs Millenium Hilton in Lower Manhattan, NY Hilton near Rockefeller Center and Rome's five star (well deserved) Cavalieri Hilton. We have also had many stays at many Hampton Inns that are part of the Hilton family.
All these shined in service and overall amenities. I expected the same from the Capital Hilton but received so much less.
On an Up Note
I was going to Washington with my wife for a visit to the White House during the Christmas Season to see it decorated for the Holidays. I was looking for two specific things with a hotel at the time, location and price. This hotel advertises itself as "Just Two Blocks from the White House." This true but it takes a bit of serious walking to get there on a very hot, cold, or rainy day. We walked it a couple of times and opted for a cab to the White House one a cold morning. The entrance area of the White House is on the far side of the building as are most DC destinations. Even so the location is still pretty darn good.
As far as price, I was looking for something inexpensive but not a dump. That's what I got here. I tried direct phone calls to the Hotel, hotels.com, Travelocity, and a few other sites in search of a bargain price. I even introduced myself as a writer for Epinions Travel. Ha, that didn't go far. In fact the request was ignored by the hotel manager who I know did receive the two Emails.
I did get an excellent rate through the Hilton on-line reservation system. I wound up with a rate of just $129 including a hot buffet breakfast. This was a very good deal being the usual rates of this hotel are much higher when more people are usually in town for conventions and other business. We were there the week of Christmas and many people were already out of town and going home for the holidays. Unfortunately, after staying at the Capital Hilton I could never recommend this place at its regular high rates.
First Impressions
By following their driving directions it should not be difficult to find this hotel. When we drove up to the front overhead entrance to the hotel I saw brass stanchions set up for those waiting for a cab and thought things looked good for some possible service. I knew ahead of time that there would be a $26 per day extra charge for valet service parking. I understand this is part of the cost of staying in any major US city with a vehicle and thought the price in line with other like hotels.
Unfortunately after waiting a few moments in the car no one came out to the vehicle. I stepped out and opened the back storage area. Still no one. I was looking for help and the fact is there is not any parking nearby so I could not just leave my car.
I then walked into the hotel and saw the valet stand inside the doors. I gave them information of the car and was still hoping a doorman from the hotel might greet me. No luck. We had a suitcase and garment bag that I had unfolded in the back of my vehicle. We didn't want to fold it so I was waiting for a bellman with a cart. There was no one to be found. I was at that point a bit annoyed, went inside and asked where all the help was. Off to the right the bellman stand was empty but a fellow came out of a room nearby. I asked for a cart and help and he'd said be right there. I waited and finally out of frustration gave my key to the valet and grabbed our gear and walked into the hotel. I was halfway to the Check-in desk when a fellow started out with the cart. I told him "No thank you" at that point.
My wife observed another bellman coming from the same room and apparently in other conversation with someone within the room using profanities. Hey, I don't care what's going on, professionalism must be maintained in a business atmosphere. Clearly it wasn't being done here.
Check-In and Lobby
The check-in area, to the right of the main lobby area that is attractive and had a Christmas Tree as a center point during the holidays, was quick polite and efficient. My reservations were all set and I received our electronic keys an unwanted regular key for a mini-bar.
The lobby also has a bar and lounge area, a gift store. (my wife purchased some DC souvenirs there)and the entrance to their highly touted Spa that unfortunately we didn't have the time for.
A Concierge Desk is in the front of the lobby. We did get some information from the friendly and cheerful fellow. Unfortunately we were steered wrong in reference to the closing hours of the Washington Visitors Center because it was closed (at its regular time) forty-five minutes before we even arrived. It closes earlier, at 4PM, than most other DC destinations that are open till 5PM.
One other negative in reference to service was the wake up call. They have an automated system. My wife, who was not sure how to use it, called the front desk directly for instructions.They said please don't worry about it because they will take care of the wake-up call for her. I heard my wife give the time of wake-up, say thank you and then hang up. We never received that wake-up call. Thankfully I was already up and we did not miss our early morning appointment.
Stellar Service
We took the elevators up the seventh floor. If there is one thing that was stellar about this hotel, it's the elevators. I have NEVER seen such quick service at ANY hotel I have EVER stayed at. An elevator door opened within a few short seconds every time I pressed the button during our two day stay. The elevators were clean and rich looking but no TV monitors with MSNBC. The fact is you would not be able to hear more than a few words of the news. These elevators were VERY fast. They opened to a series of halls with signs directing us to our room numbers. We had a long haul to our room, all the way down the first hall, make a right and nearly to the end of the second hallway. We were in room 718. I don't recommend it!
The Room
As we entered the room we went through a small alcove that had an attractive mirrored sink area with a countertop sporting a fine looking ice bucket(it was a long walk to the ice machine from where our room was) and coffee machine with product. The two closets gave plenty of storage room and held an iron and board. Just want to mention that this was the only part of the room where cleanliness was an issue. At one point my garment bag fell down in the closet. When I picked it up it was full of dust bunnies.
The room then opened to the right with a king bed in the open area. The bed was comfortable and the linens acceptably soft and of good quality. The head board matched the cherry wood of the desk, chair and Federal style armoire that housed a 19" TV with cable and games available at an extra charge. The furniture was in fine shape and well maintained. A comfortable chair was also in the room. The fact is, for me, that it was the only way to see the TV properly. I suppose with todays larger sized screens I have gotten spoiled with a good sized viewing area. The problem here is that the TV size wasn't all that big in the first place and due to the configuration of the room was nearly twenty feet from my eyes when laying down in bed. The open space of this room was between the foot of the bed and the desk and armoire at the other end of the room. The chair made closer viewing possible.
The carpeting was clean and the decor pleasing. The only view we had was of the other wing of the hotel. There are privacy curtains behind the sheer curtains. It took me a little while to realize this as I was looking for a way to close the front drapes, that, though attractive, simply do not close.
I didn't care for the overall dim lighting in the room. Again I feel it was because of the rooms shape. The night tables by the bed gave good light for reading.
The Bathroom
The bathroom itself was of fair size and well appointed. The decorative lighting on the two sides and above the sink were stylish and fitting. Counter top amenities by Neutrogina consisted of shampoo, rinse and two different sized soap bars. The plentiful amount of towels were of average size, nothing worth noting. An exhaust fan, thankfully, was in this room. More on that in a bit. The shower/tub enclosure was marble tiled as was the floor. It looked newish and was clean.
The water temperature and pressure differentiated with the use, I suppose, of others in nearby rooms. The pressure would go up and down and was not easy to regulate. Fortunately there were no extreme temperature changes.
I though it strange that the double rolls of good grade toilet paper that were hanging next to the toilet one above the other were so close to the floor. The bottom roll was just six or seven inches from the tile.
YIKES! Do I Really Want to Know That Much!
I had a major problem with where the entrance to the bathroom is and the kind of door that is used. Some couples may be open to everything in their personal use of bathroom and toilet facilities. If that's their thing, I have no problem with what they think and do. My wife and I do not share those same views, or other senses for that matter. We do maintain some distance between us when it comes to certain hygiene and bodily functions.
Right next to the middle of one side of our king bed is the entrance to the bathroom. There were a few problems in that. First is that the entrance, because the space between the wall and the bed is so close, had to be a double door. They open outwardly into the bedroom and the double doors have small handle that are hard to grip when pulling them closed. Don't bother looking for a lock or any kind of privacy, in fact there is a half inch space between the doors with a site line coming into the bathroom from the bed. Though you can't see a full show within the bathroom there certainly isn't any feeling of privacy.
As one sits up or lays down in bed all the sounds of the shower, brushing of teeth and other "noises" are quite noticeable not to say anything of any odors that may arise.
The placement of this doorway also made it a problem with lighting. When I got up before daylight in the morning I would have to go into the bathroom, close the doors and then open the light otherwise that light would flood out onto the bed of my sleeping partner. There was still a beam of light that sliced through the space between the doors. How annoying is that?
It's also hard to try to keep noise down at these very early morning hours without the sounds of a TV or other outside distractions. I will say that a person traveling on their own should not have a problem with this layout at all, a modestly modest couple might.
Restaurants
This hotel has two restaurants. There is a sports type place in the basement area down a long flight of stairs. We had breakfast at the street level ..... This was a good deal that came with the price of the hotel for just an additional $10 for the room.
We met up with another couple that happen to be writers here at Epinions they are Doc and Tom. we had a wonderful breakfast and good time together during our brief but interesting and fun filled meeting. Doc contributed a very recent review of the restaurant Twigs and Tom of the hotel Capital Hilton a few years back.
We had a very pleasant breakfast and, though I was engrossed in conversation, was very satisfied with the service and food at the buffet style meal.
If you do stay at this hotel, the breakfast deal is a must. At regular price, about $16-17 per person it's not quite the same. Ten bucks for two was a bargain!
The Bar
After coming in from a show at the Kennedy Center at about eleven my wife and I decided on having a cocktail before retiring to our room. The bar is one or two steps elevated and is on the far end of the lounge area that gives a view and sense of being in the open space of the public area. This area is very attractive at night too.
We walked in, it was quiet except for a few people at the bar. We found a table overlooking the handsomely decorated Christmas Tree. We left our overcoats and seeing that there wasn't any table service, walked over to the bar to pick up a couple of drinks.
We took some time ordering. I should say it was me. My wife knew exactly what she wanted right away. I finally made a decision and the bar tender took care of the order. It's then I went to pay the bartender that a waitress comes out of a back room telling us we should have waited for her and table service. Once again the hotel was a day late and a dollar short on their service. The fact is my wife and I were in the lounge with those drinks for at least twenty minutes in conversation. We never saw that waitress make another appearance to see if all was OK or ask for another drink order.
Closing Thoughts
I want to mention here that when I travel I always have a wad of singles and a few fives in my pocket as "extra" money for those who in the service line being they valet, doormen, bellmen, waiters, cabbies, street entertainers or whatever. I happen to work in the service line and tips, at times, are part of my income so I understand what these people need and expect in making a living. I have no problem giving out money for good service, in fact my wife gets annoyed because I'm sometimes a bit too free with my "extra" pocket money. The fact is I did not give up any money except for the bartender, waitress at breakfast, and our maid service. Oh yes, and a couple of bucks to the guy who brought our car at the end of our stay.
I expected excellent service at this hotel but unfortunately, for the most part, did not receive anything that even resembled good service. The staff just wasn't there when I needed them.
Having said that, if you are not looking for out of the ordinary service or any service this place at $129 with breakfast for two is still worth a look if you don't mind the sights, sounds and smells of the bathroom next to your bed. I just couldn't, in good conscience, recommend this place to a friend.
Other DC reviews by popsrocks
Fairmont Washington Hotel
The Old Ebbit Grill Good Eats near the White House
Washington DC an overall look
The Washington Monument
Lincoln Memorial
Washington DC
The Korean War Veteran's Memorial
The Vietnam War Veteran's Memorial
The National World War II Memorial A new Major memorial
The National Art Gallery
The National Archives This has just reopened and it's bigger and better!!
The National Air and Space Museum
Recommended:
No
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