I chose this hotel for it's convenient location and it was definitely a great locale! It is also safe and within walking distance for the sights I wanted to see. The housekeeping is not up to par - I drew back the heavy drapes to let in some light and there were cracker crumbs on the carpet. Since I was only staying for two nights, I didn't need my towels changed or the linens so I didn't put out the door sign and so none came at all! My bed remained unmade, no replacement of soap, etc. The afternoon cocktail reception was disappointing. The only choices were soft drinks or wine; no waters or juice and there were salted nuts. Weeks before my stay, I got repeated emails from the hotel inviting me to upgrade my room for additional money. That was annoying. The hotel does have a super concierge and give you plenty of clean towels!

We got a great deal on this extremely convenient hotel on Expedia. com. The hotel lobby was warm and welcoming. The staff was very friendly. Everyone we encountered always said hello as we passed. Our queen room was small but reminiscent of a European hotel carved out of a historical building. The room was clean and comfortable. Everything very quiet with the exception of an exit door directly opposite us that had no other mode than "slam." Unfortunately many of the people leaving a wedding that ended around 11 p.m. used this door to leave. Still not enough to ruin our stay. After all 11 is not that late! We did request a room on the 2nd floor (per earlier reviews that mentioned that the 1st floor was actually the basement) and we looked out onto the lovely patio of the Poste restaurant. The evening reception was very nice. Very nice wine was served, Sam Adams beer, variety of gatorade style drinks, water, etc. There was a selection of lovely specialty olives and nuts for munching. The gentlemen serving couldn't have been nicer. We love the American Art Museum/Portrait Gallery and the area around the hotel--China Town, Verizon Center, great restaurants, etc. Ford Theater is two blocks away (closed until 2/2009). This place couldn't be more convenient for those places. While there is no coffee maker in the room, coffee is served in the lobby (quite early on a weekend too--think it was around 6:30 on Sunday when my husband went to get us a couple of cups). Pros: Comfortable room, wonderful friendly, helpful staff, close to Museums and Gallery Place Metro station, a few blocks from the Mall, great restaurants, entertainment, sports. Cons: Small room, slamming door. Would we stay here again? Definitely!

On the plus side: Friendly desk staff, unique architecture/room layout. The best part is the location - very close to the Gallery Place metro station and Verizon Center, across the street from the Portrait Gallery + an easy, several block walk to the mall. It was the perfect base location for sightseeing during the day and catching the fireworks on the mall at night on the 4th. Things to consider: The bed itself was comfortable with great pillows, etc., but the sheets were rather rough/scratchy which came as a surprise. Our room was on the first floor (as others have noted, this is the basement) and it was very nicely laid out and very clean + had great light, but there was no mistaking that it was the lowest level of a building - there was some humidity/dankness. For inexpensive food options in the area, we had a nice meal at Ella's Pizza (next block over) and Bruegger's was around the corner for breakfast items.

I chose to stay at the Hotel Monaco in DC after having a great experience at the Chicago property, and was not disappointed. We were given a room on the first floor, which turned out to be below ground, which I was a little concerned about (the hotel is housed in a historic post office, so the layout is a bit non-traditional). But the room was very spacious, with high ceilings, and ample light came through the tops of the windows. It was not weird at all. The bed was absolutely the most comfortable I have ever slept in. We did have to switch rooms mid-stay, since the toilet would not stop running (a pet peeve of mine), but they were quick to accommodate and it did not really interfere with the stay at all. My boyfriend ordered room service in the middle of the night (2 am), and it came quickly and was tasty. I spend a lot of time in DC, and I really liked the Chinatown location... pretty central to everything, with some interesting nightlife options. I thought the price was incredibly reasonable for the caliber of the hotel, but the valet parking was a bit steep (and the level of service was only so-so).

We had a very nice stay at the Hotel Monaco. Our family stayed there for almost a week during our visit to DC. It's location is terrific; right across the street from the Portrait Gallery and the Spy Museum, and about 8 blocks from the White House. The rooms were a bit snug, but management has explained room sizes in previous reviews. Customer service was outstanding during our stay-- the staff was very friendly and helpful. We were given a room that adjoined to another, and could occassionally hear them in the room next door, but the hotel was quiet otherwise. We found the beds comfortable, and overall had a very nice stay!