More about Beacon Hotel And Corporate Quarters
Well Appointed Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member surely2003
I stayed here last weekend and was very pleased. I wasn't able to check in until very very late in the evening and had called to make sure they didn't overbook and give my room to someone else (that happened to me once before in Tampa, FL). They assured me that my room would be ready.
Checking in was a breeze, parking was a breeze (valet), and the bell-hop was nice too. I will make mention that I did indeed reserve a King but they didn't have any more left so they gave me a double -- BUT -- they gave me a double SUITE so that was good.
The worst thing about this hotel was actually FINDING IT. The hotel website gives directions that's it's on Rhode Island Ave - which indeed it is -- but better directions would be to find it from 17th Street. I was circling around the block for at least 20 minutes before I stumbled across it.
The linens were lovely -- except for the bedspreads as they were a cheap polyester. But the sheets were very very nice. I had a robe in my suite as well -- very nice. Nice toiletries as well. Oh -- had a flat panel t.v. on the wall too. Nicely equipped kitchenette as well -- refrigerator/freezer, dishwasher, disposal, stove, microwave, dishes, wine opener, etc. Room was well-appointed and nicely decorated. Good water pressure in the shower - but could have been better.
I also used their business center to jump online real quick -- very nice - very easy to use.
The restaurant had a great breakfast too.
Overall this hotel is great for the money and especially for the location.
Great hotel not far from all the DC highlights
by A TripAdvisor Member
I stayed at this hotel for three nights in late June. I've been disappointed with DC hotels before, but not this time. The staff was wonderful, and the room was huge, clean, and very quiet. The hotel has a very nice restaurant, but is also just a couple of blocks away from some neat restaurants and quality shopping, and it's about a block from the National Geographic Museum. I went to the National Zoo shortly after I arrived, and found a bottle of wine and some chocolates waiting for me when I got back later that evening!
The only little negative I can think of is that it's about four blocks from the nearest Metro (Farragut North). It seemed like a haul the first time I walked it, but after a couple trips I got used to it and it just wasn't a big deal. Of course, once you're on the Metro, you can get anywhere in minutes. It took me about 10 minutes to get to the Smithsonian and about 20 minutes to get to Reagan Airport (red line to yellow line).
I booked through our corporate travel office and got a deluxe room for $200 per night including tax. Not bad by DC standards. A co-worker stayed a few blocks up Rhode Island Avenue at the Helix. The rooms there cost slightly more, are not as large or as nice, the hotel is a much farther walk to the Metro, and my friend was very disappointed in his decision to book there after seeing the Beacon. I will definitely stay at the Beacon on my next trip to DC.
loved the beacon i best kept secret
by A TripAdvisor Member
I must say I really did enjoy myself at the Beacon Hotel, me and my boyfriend stayed the night there for 105.00 and we live in the area, but we wanted a night to ourselves, and i was a little skeptical about staying there but once we got there and into our rooms the set up was just lovely, very contemporary almost like a studio with the kithchenette and the diswasher stove, microwave and the island bar, two tvs a flat screen and a regular one. the bed was lovely very comfortable made me not even want to get out of bed, the bathroom was nice the shower area good have been bigger and the water pressure good have been a little better to but over all i would recommend the beacon its a little kept secrect compared to the big name hotels where you would pay 120 or more for a nice room but the beacon gives you alot more for you money i would stay there again if i ever needed another retreat away.
Pleasantly surprised
by TripAdvisor Member W'sPal
I read the reviews for this hotel on The Trip Advisor, so I had an idea of what this Hotel was about, but you have to experience it to fully appreciate how nice this hotel is. My wife and I visited my son who lives in Washington and we stayed at the Beacon. Our room was very large, with two double beds and a sleep sofa. The flat screen TV was a nice touch as well as the marble throughout the small by comfortable bathroom. The decor was modern, yet almost art deco. Lots of cream colored wood and metal throughout the hotel. The breakfasts were our favorite. Simple, but ample menu with all the typical breakfast selections, served beautifully and efficiently by the attendants. The Beacon Bar and Grill had delicious food served on the patio if desired. The neighborhood was very safe with Georgetown and Connecticut Ave. nearby which offered excellent restaurants. Paolo's and Ruth Chris were especially nice. Downtown was a short distance away, although a long walk. We drove our car and parked in an underground lot for $16 for the day. All this for $99 a night. My wife kept asking me; "Are you sure it's only $99 a night?" I had to double check to make sure. I highly recommend this hotel.
Fantastic and full of surprises!
by A TripAdvisor Member
My wife and I stayed in this hotel over July 4 weekend, 2005. I had lived in DC for years and remembered this place as the old Governor's House Hotel. The remodeling is now complete. The hotel lobby is small but clean and stylish. We were upgraded to our surprise--for free--to a full suite on the 8th floor w/a grand view. The room was immaculate, and the suite had everything you could need. The hotel staff was very friendly, helpful, and prompt with any requests we might have. The location is superb; it is centrally located next to the beautiful St. Matthews Cathedral; it is a 5 minute walk from DuPont Circle and another red line train at Farragut North. It is also 7 minutes from the blue line at McPherson Sq. You could walk to the White House in 15 minutes. We ended up having the breakfast on our last morning, which was excellent--and a good value for DC prices. I would highly recommed this hotel, esp. if you can get a bargain online like we did! Don't go for the "higher stars"; save your money for food and other DC fun--this is more than fine.
The good, the bad, and mixed emotions
by A TripAdvisor Member
The Good:
Great location! 2 blocks from Johns Hopkins university area, dining, shopping. 3-4 blocks to Dupont Circle (& metro) and the metro at North Farragut.
Courteous staff. Helpful providing directions and suggesting destinations.
Price. Not too expensive - approx. $130/night online.
Rooms decorated nicely using modern furniture and furnishings.
Exercise room provided 2 treadmills, 1 elliptical machine, stair stepper, and bike. Each had a Phillips flat-screen TV to view. You could also go across the street to use the YMCA facilities for FREE!
Each room came with a fridge and cooking area.
The Bad:
Fairly noisy. Could hear people talking through the vents, people flushing toilets, walking above you, and maid service in the hall.
The hidden fee of $22 a night for parking does not come up until check-in or you bring it up.
Poor TV channel selection. You actually get HBO twice.
Internet is NOT FREE! Costs ~$11/day to access a wired connection.
Mixed Emotions:
Nice romantic and stylish bar & grill with patio seating if you like over priced food and drinks.
Rooms are nicely renovated but could have spent an extra $100 a room to upgrade the ventilation covers and light switches. Didn't go the extra mile on this one.
About 1 mile walk to the major tourist attractions (White House, the Mall, etc...).
Beacon more for business travelors
by A TripAdvisor Member
To me the Beacon Hotel is more for business travelors than for families trying to sight see. They have none of the normal children's channels on the televison. Most of the channels were news and sports. It is about a half mile to the metro stop, which would be fine if you had not already walked 10 miles on the Mall. I thought that the rooms would be very nice because there was a recent renovation, but they were nothing special. We were on the 8th floor and we could here people yelling in the park below us and there were ambulance and fire trucks coming by constantly. We ate lunch in the restraunt one day and it was very good (child's meal $7.00), but my child was the only child in the restaraunt and there were only about 4 people out of 25 who were not dressed in business attire. After two days, we moved to the J.W. Marriott. It was much closer to the places we wanted to be, there were more places close by to eat at, and we felt more like we were on a vacation than on a business trip. I would suggest that you pay the extra money and stay somewhere closer to the Mall. It will save you time and energy that should be spent seeing all that Washington has to offer. If your a business person, who really doesn't want to be bothered with kids and people on vacation, then this is the spot for you.
Beacon Hotel was a great value
by TripAdvisor Member MickiKaye
After literally weeks of trying to find a DC hotel, sight unseen, we settled on the Beacon based on reviews read here and the good price we got through Expedia. The hotel is in a great location -- just minutes away from "everything" -- downtown, Dupont Circle, the Mall, and a couple of Metro stops. The hotel itself was very nice and clean -- the decor was funky and still looked new (since it was apparently just renovated in 2004). The bell and front desk staff were all extremely friendly and helpful, always willing to assist and offer good advice. Our room looked great initially, although on closer inspection, it was obvious that the bathroom didn't have a top-notch renovation. There was a vent that blew continuously (no switch to turn it off), and there was heavy dust on the wall in one spot from this vent. You could also see that the wallpaper wasn't done perfectly, although that was a very minor issue. I did find the walls to be rather thin -- for instance, as we tried to nap that first day there, you could very clearly hear the cleaning person cleaning the room next door. I purchased some earplugs, and that problem was solved. The restaurant was rather pricey ($4 for a bagel!), so we only ate there once. Great little exercise room complete with THREE flat-screen TVs, adequate "business center" with computers and fax machines. The Beacon wasn't perfect by any stretch, but it was a great value for our DC dollar!
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