Washington Plaza Hotel Rating: 3.5 Pearls

Downtown, Washington, D.C., United States

Lobby has a great retro feel

Opened in 1962 and designed by architect Morris Lapidus -- of Miami Beach's Fontainebleau and Eden Roc fame -- the Washington Plaza stands out among the cookie-cutter Marriotts and Hiltons at the center of the city. Though the hotel's Thomas Circle location may be far from the coast, the 340-room curvy edifice still echoes Lapidus' trademark beach resort style. In its heyday, the hotel was the choice swimming hole for Jackie O. and the kids (the pool is still one of D.C.'s best, though the original dome covering it is long gone). Nowadays, the Washington Plaza hosts mostly families on a budget and European business guests during the off-season.

In the last two years, RB Properties -- which also manages the Hotel Lombardy, the Henley Park, and the State Plaza -- has been sprucing up this property with the hopes of returning it to its original glory. With Mexican stone floors, Bauhaus Barcelona chairs, and vases from the Far East, the newly renovated lobby, restaurant, and bar/lounge maintain a fabulous retro feel. The hotel's renovated rooms are done up in a bold color scheme of plum, orange, and gold to reflect Lapidus' original design. Guest rooms and suites are cozy and cheerful (with either two full or one king or queen-size bed). The lovely original blue and white tiling in the bathrooms has even been restored. Modern touches include rain water showerheads, free in-room Wi-Fi, and 32-inch flat-screen TVs with HBO.

The Washington Plaza lacks some of the amenities you'll find in other large D.C. hotels. The fitness center, for example, doesn't have any weight-lifting equipment, plus guests must pay to use the business center (most chain hotels throw in the business center as well as Internet access for free). But this hotel is still an excellent value. The nearby Holiday Inn White House, another good bet for the neighborhood, has larger rooms, but the decor is slightly dated. If it's off-season and the pool is closed, guests may fare better at one of Kimpton's hotels in the area, such as the Palomar or the Hotel Madera, for their extras like a free nightly wine reception and morning coffee. But for some stylish nostalgia -- without the fuss or price tag of some of the city's more historic properties, like the Hay-Adams or the Jefferson -- stick with the Washington Plaza.

The Washington Plaza provides all of the basic services you'd expect from a large hotel, and with a bit of charming formalness. During my stay, all hotel staffers referred to me as "madame."

• Front desk/concierge can help guests with reservations, tour bookings, and sightseeing advice.
• Dedicated concierge is available during the second half of the day and night on most days of the week.
• Turndown service with chocolates
• Same-day laundry and dry cleaning
• When the pool is open, drink service and poolside dining is available from No. Ten Thomas.
• Room service is available from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Valet parking is $28 (includes in and out privileges).

View on a Larger Map

The Washington Plaza is in downtown, on the eastern side of Thomas Circle, where Vermont and Massachusetts Avenues, and L, M, and 14th Streets meet. The area straddles two very disparate neighborhoods: the bustling business district and the vibrant, flourishing residential section at 14th Street, near Logan Circle.

• Three blocks to the McPherson Square Metro Station (Orange and Blue Lines), which provides easy access to the Smithsonian Center, the Mall, the White House, and virtually every sight in downtown
• Five blocks to the Farragut North Metro Station (Red Line) for easy access to Union Station, Capitol Hill, Adams Morgan, and the zoo
• $15 to $25 taxi ride to Reagan National Airport
• $40 to $60 taxi ride to Dulles International Airport
• Union Station -- D.C.'s main train station served by Amtrak, commuter railroads, and the metro system -- is five metro stops away (or a $10 to $15 taxi ride).
• Five minutes by foot to the White House
• 10 minutes by taxi, or five minutes by metro (via Red Line), to the U.S. Capitol
• 10 minute metro ride to the Air and Space Museum (via Orange Line)
• Hotels staffers can call or hail a cab any time of the day; taxis are easy to come by on weekend evenings.
• Hotel is three to eight blocks away from the many restaurants, shops, and nightlife of Logan and Dupont Circles.

The Queen Superior Room

The hotel is in the process of renovating all 340 guest rooms. Currently, rooms on the 6th through 9th floors are done, and the hotel plans to complete the remaining rooms by early 2010. Rooms on the top floors are so newly renovated that during our October 2009 visit, they actually had a faint smell of fresh paint.

The guest rooms vary in size due to the building's curvy shape (the largest come in at around 500 square feet). Rooms are cozy, modern, and cutely decorated, with accents of plum, orange, and gold -- a far cry from the old wooden furniture and bland decor of the Washington Plaza's past (which is still to be found on floors 2 through 5, so try not to book one of those rooms).

• Superior (newly renovated) and standard (unrenovated) rooms have either a king, queen, or two double beds.
• Beds are incredibly comfortable and have posturepedic pillow tops and 250-thread-count sheets.
• Suites include a full-size pullout couch.
• Renovated rooms have a large work desk.
• Sunbeam alarm clock has MP3 player hookup capabilities.
• Wall-mounted 32-inch LG flat-screen TV with basic cable, HBO, and movies on demand; unrenovated rooms have old tube TVs
• Bathrooms are small but a pleasure; most basic rooms include only a shower stall, but they have the hotel's original blue and white tiling plus a rain water showerhead.
• Bath and Body Works brand toiletries, and lots of fluffy towels
• Free Wi-Fi in all guest rooms

The pool

The large swimming pool is Washington Plaza's crowning jewel. At 25 feet long, it's big enough for laps and splashing. The pool deck offers one of D.C.'s best sunning refuges, far away from the city's grime and grueling politics -- with drink and food service, too. The hotel also has a business center and a fitness center.

• Large outdoor pool open Memorial Day weekend to the weekend after Labor Day; drink and food service available during the swimming season
• The fitness center on the lower level is on the smaller side, though comparable in size to other hotels in the city. It includes four treadmills, two elliptical machines, and one stationary bike, but no weight-lifting equipment.
• Business center, also in the basement, has three desktop PCs, with an individual printer, plus an additional printer/scanner/copier (pay by credit card); Internet is 40 cents per minute.
• Free Wi-Fi in all guest rooms and throughout the building
• Valet parking is $28 (includes in and out privileges); self-parking is $23 a day.

Pullout couch in a Superior Suite

The Washington Plaza is a great choice for families. The self-contained resort-style property has a large seasonal pool, a decent (but not great) restaurant with reasonably priced fare, and a location that's close to just about everything D.C. has to offer. For families, the only problem with the cheerful new suites is the lack of a kitchenette -- so much for preparing meals in the room. For that, consider the Marriott Residence Inn just across the circle, which has full kitchenettes in the rooms.

• Both standard and superior guest rooms come with either a king, queen, or two double beds.
• Suites include a full-size pullout couch, but no kitchenettes.
• $15 a night for rollaway beds and cribs
• Large outdoor pool open Memorial Day weekend to the weekend after Labor Day
• Kids' menu available at the restaurant and on room-service menu
• Three blocks to the McPherson Square Metro Station (Orange and Blue Lines), which provides easy access to Smithsonian, the Mall, the White House, and virtually every sight in downtown

The hotel is currently in the process of renovating all of the guest rooms, which means an inevitable bit of dust here and there on the floors under construction. Still, for the most part this property is very clean. The rooms on the lower, not-yet-renovated floors do show a bit of wear and tear, but that's why they're getting a facelift. The lobby, restaurant, and pool area are all kept very clean.

Omelette station at the buffet breakfast

In general, food at this hotel is well prepared but not particularly interesting or inventive. It's just your basic continental fare: sandwiches, salads, simple pasta dishes, steak dinners, and fresh fish. The full buffet breakfast at $15 a person is a good value. Plus, the hotel is nearby plenty of fine restaurants and quick eateries.

• No. Ten Thomas serves three meals a day from 6 a.m to 10 p.m. The continental menu includes salads and sandwiches for $10 to $14; dinner entrees are generally $18 to $30.
• The restaurant's buffet breakfast is $15 for extravagant (both hot and cold bar) and $11 for continental. The hot bar includes an omelet station, pancakes, waffle station, and plenty of side dishes like bacon and sausage.
• The International Bar is a pleasant place to grab a quick cocktail, especially for happy hour each night from 4 to 7 p.m., when they offer beer, wine, and well drinks for $4 to $5 each, plus bar snacks like hummus with crudités, buffalo wings, and sliders for $5. The bar also serves tasty hand-cut potato chips for free.
• During the warm season, drink service and poolside dining is available from No. Ten Thomas.
• Room service is available from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• The hotel is just four blocks away from a slew of restaurants on or around 14th Street and Logan Circle. Favorites include Stoney's, Logan's Tavern, and Thai Tanic.
• Head south on 14th Street towards the mall for plenty of quick-eat places and Starbucks coffee shops.