More about State Plaza Hotel
We Liked the Hotel
by A TripAdvisor Member
Our family of five stayed at this hotel for a couple of days (Thu & Fri) in July. Our rate was $89, which I thought was an excellent rate. The room normally sleeps four.
The room was spacious with two queen beds, a small old fashioned kitchen, a dressing area, and a bathroom. The room we stayed in was clean, with a comfortable bed with plenty of covers. We thought the location was great. We could walk to the western part of the mall area which was about 6 blocks. Since it is in the Geo. Washington Univ. area we felt comfortable waling in the area, even at night. The continental breakfast was not that elaborate, but it was better than some. We parked our van on the street.
The first problem we had at the hotel was that when we arrived at our room one of the beds was partially unmade. We asked for another room and they gave us one with no problems. The one other problem we had with the room is that there was a vent between our bathroom and the one besides us, therefore you could hear their conversations through the vent.
We would definitely stay here again if we were to go back to Washington. I was a little nervous because I read some poor reviews of the hotel, but other than a couple of minor problems we had a good time.
Great view but some problems
by A TripAdvisor Member
My family and I stayed here in June of 2005. We had a very large room with a kitchen, dining area, living room, vanity area, bedroom with two queen beds and bathroom. The kitchen comes with a large refrigerator, stove top, microwave, sink, dishes and utensils. We had the best view ever of the washington monument and (from the bathroom) the capitol building. At night these were lite up and looked fantastic. For the most part, the staff was very friendly and helpful (with luggage, etc). We had a few problems, but none that were not fixable. First, the back entrance looks exactly like the front and our cab driver dropped us off there with 5 suitcases. We then had to go all the way to the other building through corridors, the parking garage, stairways, etc...to get to the real lobby (fortunately there was a bellman to carry the luggage). We were charged twice for our room, once from the online reservation and another after we left from the hotel. Some good points were a free newspaper in the morning, they will store your luggage at the front desk for last day sightseeing before you leave for your return home. One more inconvenience was that the restaurant in closed (never really got a clear explanation why) and the continental breakfast was hard to find, small room and seemed stale, with very few choices. However I would stay here again, next time I will get some things and store them in the kitchen (there is a CVS right next door for this and also has an ATM). The hotel is in a great location and safe neighborhood, within walking distance of certain monuments and very close to the metro and metrobus.
comfortable bed- no air conditioning
by A TripAdvisor Member
On our vacation in late July, my husband and I lodged here. It is a nice place to be for the most part. The biggest problem that we encountered was the lack of air conditioning. It just happened to be the hottest two weeks of summer for Washington D.C. in years and their system just was not adequate. Everything else was good. The bed was comfortable. The water was hot all the time. There was a perfect make-up table for us ladies. When we found the continental breakfast, it was not bad. This hotel is just about 3 or 4 blocks from the Metro, and within walking distance of the White House and the Smithsonians, Washington Monument, and several other attactions. When we were ready to check out, we were not ready to leave the city, so the hotel was very acccomidating in allowing us to check our luggage until that afternoon. We enjoyed our trip and would recommend this hotel in the spring and the fall.
Recommend
by A TripAdvisor Member
Despite problems checking in (hotel overbooked) & being given an already occupied room (you should of seen the look of suprise on there faces - v.unprofessional though!!). I was upgraded to a suite which was very well sized, extremely clean & had all mod cons & more. Room very quiet & excellently located for any tourist! Downside was the complimentary breakfast - usual breakfast room under refurb so breakfast temporarily being served in a room much too small for such a large hotel resulted in it being very busy & food running out if you were late! Apart from that no problems but then again maybe I aint that fussy!! Would stay again though which is some measure.
Are you kidding me? They should pay you to stay.
by TripAdvisor Member coreysmale
In all honesty, I get frustrated reading negative reviews on here only to end up staying at a place that was actually quite pleasant. I think a lot of people that review on this site are a little too picky and can't quite grasp that they are staying at a hotel, not their own home.
However, I'm going to make an exception with this one. I almost always find a way to enjoy my hotel room, wherever it is at. However, with the state house plaza, I could not do that.
I found the staff to be of very little help, and downright rude. I arrived at 2:10 for a 3:00pm check-in and was told my room wasn't ready. I came back at 2:45 to see if it was done, it was not. So I sat in the lobby for 15 minutes and magically at 3:00pm my room was done.
The carpet is worn and has many questionable stains all over it. The bedding is very dated as is the furniture in the room. The bathrooms weren't clean and took 10 minutes to get the hot water running. Also, there was an interesting smell in the room, like a mold.
If you're considering staying at this place, reconsider. If you got this through priceline or hotwire, look on the bright side. It beats staying in your car.....I guess.
Great location..just fine for us!!!
by A TripAdvisor Member
We came to DC to ride our bikes all over the city for the 4th of July. This hotel was more than adequate. Great location!!! The room was very large, lots of room for us to store our bikes. The bathroom toilet did not work, reported it and it was fixed when we returned. Staff was very nice to us, not the rudeness I have seen posted. The continental breakfast was more than adequate. If you want 4 star service stay in a 4 star hotel. I would stay there again in a heartbeat!
Decent for families
by TripAdvisor Member NurseLRT
My family of four stayed here in April of 2005. We have two small kids, ages 2 and 4 at the time. We had a room with two queen beds, a kitchenette, and a pretty nice bathroom with separate vanity area. My husband bid on Priceline and got if for 90 dollars. The room was dated but clean. We had a view of a brick building. The kitchenette came in handy to store milk and juice for the kids, snacks, etc. There is a CVS drug store right next to the hotel. I liked the bathroom. Although it was old, it was clean. The water is extremely hot, especially in the kitchen. The vanity area was nice to sit down and get dressed and do your hair, etc. We didn't eat the complimentary breakfast. We heard it was served in a smaller room and decided to go out instead. There is a nice cafeteria down the road next to the Red Cross building. I think it's called Java City Café. There is a café and a huge cafeteria with all sorts of delicious breakfast items. I mainly saw workers, but it is open to the public. I can't comment on the front desk, since my husband went in and I stayed in the car. The parking garage was crammed full, but wasn't a problem. There were employees there to move vehicles if need be. Overall the hotel was fine and met our needs. It was clean and comfortable. I wouldn't pay much over a hundred dollars per night though. The location was excellent.
Great Value - good experience
by TripAdvisor Member mcc1229
We went to DC for a Wednesday and Thursday night. There were few rooms available anywhere in town and all were over $400.00 per night. We finally chose the State Plaza because they had availability and the room was $185.00.
The location was great - if you go out the back door you were in GWU. this made eating easy (we ate in the Marvin center food court of GWU) and we felt very safe with the campus security all around. The Metro is three or four blocks.
The hotel is an older apartment. The room was large - separate kitchen, dressing area and bath. The room had been recently refurbished. It was very clean, comfortable, smelled good, bed was comfortable. As quiet as you could expect in DC.
The heat is old steam piped type with little control. When we found it a little warm we cracked the window. The complimentary breakfast was cold danish and lukewarm coffee, we skipped it after the first day.
The desk staff did not like to speak and stayed in hiding most of the time...althought we never needed them. the maid service was fine.
Overall not a bad experience.
Ho-hum hotel
by TripAdvisor Member DrJimbob
I stayed at the State Plaza because of its location, fairly close to a place where I was having a meeting. It was mid-week in October, so unfortunately prices were quite hefty (>$150/night). Location was prime for the meeting I had, but fairly inconveniently far from good restaurants, coffee shops and other things that most tourists would be interested in (though the Corcoran Gallery is a mere three blocks away). Rooms were a pleasant surprise in their astonishing roominess -- separate work area as large as the bedroom, with a nice comfy cough and a second TV set, small kitchenette with fridge, stove and coffee maker. The place was not flea-bag shabby, but the carpets did look a little worn, the decor a bit dated. Bathroom was on the small side, nice lineup of Gilchrist & Soames toiletry samples, but water pressure in the shower was a major problem, and the water did not stay at a consistent temperature without multiple adjustments. Included breakfast was pretty awful -- mediocre coffee and some truly awful rolls including chewy doughy bread disguised as croissants. Oh, and the place advertises high-speed internet access, which is sort of true -- there's a high-speed router in the business office room, staff will provide an Ethernet cable if you ask for it, but internet access is an extra $9 per day.
In short, far from the worst place I've ever stayed, even in the over-$100 per night category in a big city. Probably not a place I will choose to stay in again, even if my business takes me back to the same area.
Forum Posts
Vacationing in Washington DC in October
by jlentner
What's the weather like in Washington DC
What's the best hotel to stay at in Washington DC and be close to the attractions: museums, monuments etc. Would like the rates to be reasonable for a group of 4 to 5 including at least two teenagers.
Thanks!
Julie
RE: Vacationing in Washington DC in October
by cs94wahoo
Ha! The weather in DC is unpredictable! In October, it can be hot and humid or very fall-like in the 60s. I suggest layers.
As for hotels, check options outside of the city for better rates. For example, a hotel in Crystal City, VA will cost less than in DC. And the metro is easy, clean, and fun to get you into the city and back. It runs until 1 a.m.
RE: Vacationing in Washington DC in October
by D.C.
A great hotel for you to stay in, that unfortunately does not have good rates, is the J.W. Marriott. It is an excellent location for seeing the sites, and it has a pool, which very few hotels in DC have.
For 5 people in a room, you might want to consider the Embassy Suites. You get a kitchenette and two rooms.
I notice newspaper ads from a particular chain of hotels that frequently runs discounts. The Hotel Lombardy, State Plaza Hotel, Henley Park, Washington Plaza Hotel and Morrison-Clark Inn are owned by the same company. They aren't all near the Metro, but I have seen them advertise rooms for under $100/night.
Unless you are coming on Columbus day weekend, you won't need to book a room too far in advance, so you have time to snag a special somewhere.
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