I must say I was very wary of this hotel after reading previous reviews but was very pleased once I got there. My family stayed for 3 nights on vacation. I believe that we got lucky and got a good room. Big enough for the 4 of us. Comfortable beds and very soft linens. The bathroom did have a couple of issues but not bad enough to complain to the management about. We had a great view from the 15th floor. Being directly over the Metro stop was great!! Be advised there are no restaurants near the hotel that we could find so had to take metro to eat dinner every night. But it is so easy that we enjoyed going to different parts of the city to eat. Only problem was at check-in. Was told by person who made my reservation I could have early check-in. Arrived at 11:30. Room was not available till 3:30. That was a bit annoying after driving several hours then having to kill time till we could get in room. Location to Smithsoneans is wonderful. Easy walk to all of them. Never had time to use the pool but it looked nice. There is construction going on but not on the side of the building we were oon so we weren't bothered by any noise. Overall was very pleased and happy that we had none of the issues others have had.

The main reason we stayed here was for the location - we wanted to sightsee along the National Mall. We stayed for 3 days, and I really have no major complaints about it. The room was comfortable, the staff was reasonably friendly. Our daughter was given a welcome gift with a beanie baby. We also had a dog and a baby with us and we were accommodated in a nice room, close to the pool. There was an area to walk the dog right there instead of having to go down the elevator and outside. The pool was a little small and closed on one of the days we were there, but we made do. The location is great - it's two blocks from the Mall. You literally walk straight down the street and into the Smithsonian. Access to the metro is underneath the hotel and we used it to go to the zoo ... very convenient. The only downside is that there aren't a lot of dining options in the area. I also wasn't thrilled that they wanted us to pay for parking. Overall, though, I thought it was a good value for the convenience of the location. I'd probably stay here again.

Positives: Good location- with in walking distance to the mall, metro stop in basement, quirky store in lobby (lots of diverse fashions) Negatives: Indifferent staff, we were given a room with a broken fan making a horrible noise, they wouldn't move us and insisted on sending up a mechanic, then after he confirmed the problem would take hours to fix were were moved to a nice, neat room. We were given no towels, we had to call multiple times. When women in our party talked we were ignored, only when a male called were our requests heard. We talked to see if we received complimentary breakfast at this hotel: we were rudely told that because we booked on the internet we were not eligible for that. Overall we were treated like second class guests because we booked on expedia. Go elsewhere, don't waste your time on L'Enfant until they learn some customer service skills.

As much as I hate to be negative I have to say I would never ever stay here again. Other reviewers have stated that the lobby is nice and that much is true; its just too bad that the rooms are so grungy! The bathrooms need to be completely gutted and re-done. They could not have been touched for at least 20 years! The wallpaper is old and peeling, the bathroom door had a hole in it, the sink and counter and bathtub are so old that they have permanent stains all over. The bathtub floor moves! It feels as if they placed a plastic liner over the old bathtub; needless to say, I dreaded taking a shower everyday!! The bedroom has old wallpaper, drapes and carpet. The furniture is okay but the upholstered chairs have stains on them - which is pretty gross. If I pay for a hotel for a week and it is rated a 4 star I expect the accommodations to meet or exceed my own homes accommodations. Do not be fooled, this is not a 4 star hotel. The only positive to this hotel was the location as well as the fact that the majority of staff we came across were pleasant and helpful. With this said I can say with certainty that I would not return to this hotel unless a major renovation was completed.

I stayed at the L'Enfant while attending the NEA Convention and found this hotel to be very enjoyable. The staff was wonderful and treated me like visiting royalty, seeing to my every need. My room was immaculately cleaned every day and the bed and linens were crisp and luxurious. The air conditioning was quiet, as was the hall, so sleep was never a problem. Having a Metro stop and eateries on the lower level was an extra plus. I was able to enjoy an easy walk to the Mall, Memorials, and the Smithsonian. The L'Enfant provided a very enjoyable "home away from home" during my visit to Washington D.C. It was a perfect place to hang my hat!