The Madison Rating: 3.5 Pearls

Downtown, Washington, D.C., United States

A Deluxe King Room

Since it first opened in 1963, the Madison Hotel has been a business-traveler mainstay during the week -- it's only a half-block from the Washington Post offices -- and a host to families and leisure travelers on the weekends. It is a clean, comfortable, and elegant place to stay with a solid gym and business center, but it falls a bit short in terms of service and suffers from an unfortunate location -- there's little to see, do, or eat within a two-block radius of the hotel, and after dark the area can feel like a bit of a no man's land.

All of the guest rooms and public spaces were last renovated in 2008, and still look and feel fresh. Each room has all of the big-chain essentials, including a very comfortable bed (300-thread-count sheets; down pillows; down duvets), an electronic safe big enough to fit a laptop, and a 32-inch flat-screen TV, plus a towel warmer in the small but functional bathroom. And at 350 square feet, the standard (Deluxe) rooms are a touch larger than the average hotel room in D.C. (Grand Luxury Rooms, however, are an impressive 550 square feet).

But while the in-room features vary a bit from room to room (only some rooms have massage chairs or iHome iPod-docking alarm clocks, for example) they do have one thing in common -- poor noise insulation between the rooms. I could hear my neighbor listening to Beethoven's Fifth for three straight hours.

Despite a generally friendly and efficient staff, service, too, can be middling. There always seemed to be bellmen and doormen posted at the entrance, but no one came to help me schlep my bags out of the cab, or even upstairs once I was inside the building. In addition, when I asked the concierge to recommend a good tapas restaurant, he just handed over a Xeroxed list of restaurants in the area. And contrary to what the hotel's website says, turndown service is only upon request these days.

While it's a fine choice if you're traveling on business and the location is essential, you might want to first compare rates at the comparable Westin - City Center, just around the corner. Otherwise, it's worth exploring the hotels near Dupont Circle, like the Dupont Hotel, or a downtown business hotel that offers a bit more for the money, like the Four Points by Sheraton.

View on a Larger Map

The Madison is located downtown, half a block from Thomas Circle and the National City Christian Church. It's a relatively central hub for sightseeing, and fine if you're in town to do business near the White House or at the Washington Convention Center (about half a mile away). But very little happens in the immediate neighborhood, and it's a quarter-mile from the nearest Metro stop at McPherson Square. However, if you walk about 10 minutes, you can find a flourishing residential section at 14th Street, near Logan Circle.

• Lafayette Park, a quarter-mile south, could be considered the White House's backyard. It's great for tourist-watching and statue-spotting.
• Walk northwest on Massachusetts Avenue (aka "Embassy Row") for about 15 minutes to reach Dupont Circle.
• Some excellent bars, cafes, and restaurants on P Street, three blocks north
• Two miles to Union Station (the Amtrak and Metro station); 10 minutes by cab, depending on traffic
• Five miles to Reagan National Airport; 10 minutes by cab, depending on traffic
• 25 miles to Dulles International Airport; at least 45 minutes by car