Marriott Wardman Park Hotel

This hotel was bad all around. The worst part of it was that we had to fight with the hotel manager to get the room rate promised to us when we checked in. Luckily they gave us a receipt when we checked in stating the price per night that we would be charged, or they would have made us pay over $500 more. They were rude to us when we complained about the rate charged to us. When we called down to the front desk it was always busy, so we had to use an outside cell phone to even get through. Once we did, and requested more towels, they never came. The rooms are small and crowded, except if you get put in the one nice tower. The temperature settings were horrible - either it was blasting air conditioning when you set it at 70 degrees or, if you moved it up 2 degrees, if would blast heat constantly. The coffee maker was broken. There were definitely no bath robes, as promised on the hotel fact sheet. And, although there was room for a mini fridge, there was none present. Definitely don't stay here, unless you want to have a frustrating visit.

The Wardman is a hotel that is caught between three worlds that each offer a different experience and each have their pluses and minuses.

Having stayed at the hotel on a weekly basis for three months, I had the chance to understand the nuances and grow to appreciate them for what they are.

I developed a particular fondness to the Wardman Tower as it is the older building with spacious rooms, high ceilings and the charm of a hotel of the past. Having the ability to walk around my room(s)( as on numerous occasions I was placed in a suite or a room with a parlor), I found the experience to be luxurious as I was able to enjoy the balcony, and revel in the craftsmanship that went into the rooms (e.g. the moldings, the thick walls and doors and the furniture) opposed to the basic sheet rock of todays standard rooms. On the down side, there is a dearth of lighting and the windows need to be replaced as air and noise pass through freely. However, for the charm and space of an older building, I just adore the Tower.

The more modern building that is connected to the Tower is a basic slap them up hotel. It has new and modern furniture and conveniences (like the flat panel), but lacks both the space and charm of the Tower and I felt that I was in a courtyard as opposed to a premium Marriott property. For instance, the bathrooms are sooooooo small that you can not reach a towel from the shower without closing the door and yes, you can actually reach the towels that are under the sink from the shower. In addition, the walls are thin and noise carries, and the shapes of the room are odd where you may actually get a room with a window, that is looking at part of the roof. Overall, I hated the new building.

In the fall/winter of 2007 the hotel was under massive construction which I was not informed of as a guest or while making reservations. I loathed the fact that they started construction before 7AM (aprox 6:30) and detested that they did not inform me ahead of time nor could actually tell me when they are anticipating completing it. Having been moved to a quiet part of the building, I did not notice the construction and did not consider it a problem except when I was eating at the hotel restaurant A STONES THROW. As construction was being done on the area outside of the restaurant, it was alarming and annoying to hear a grinder or smell the grinding as I was trying to eat my breakfast. Having experienced it twice, I quit eating breakfast there (free or not). Again, as a guest they did not consider how this would impact us.

As for the food, A STONES THROW is OVER PRICED (regardless of the meal) and the food is mediocre at best. I would rather walk to one of the 15 restaurants at the base of the driveway than spend the money that they ask for something that lacks quality, ambiance and a professional dining experience.

The staff at the Wardman are nice, but far from JW, RENASSIANCE, Resort or RITZ quality. The people are pleasant, respectful and courteous, but lack the sense of following through or going out of their way for a guest (and this is coming from someone that spends on average 125 nights in Marriott hotels a year). There are a few people that exude that professionalism and make the stay worthehile (and obviously impkressed me enough to come back), but it hasn't transcended all of the staff as there are obvious "lifers" or "wait until this shift is over" people that need to go. It's about making a connection with your guests and their needs..some people get it and care ~others don't.

Overall, it's a good place and a decent stay. It's a 190-250 per night hotel..however, nothing more than that. As for other Washington area Marriott, I have experienced those in Bethesda and downtown..there is a difference between staff, but I feel that overall the DC staff lacks some of the qualities of smaller hotels in other smaller cities

Right from the start, our visit was terrible. When we made the reservations, we asked for a king size bed and a refrigerator but instead we received two double beds and no refrigerator. There was a hole for the refrigerator but that was it. I had to call the front desk three times before a refrigerator was finally brought to my room the day after we checked in.

The room itself is very small and cramped. The bathroom is extremely small and impossible to move about in without hitting something. You cannot get to the shower/tub without shutting the bathroom door and the toilet is right against the front of the tub. Thank goodness my husband and I are not large sized people as they would not be able to use this bathroom.

The television in the room just takes up needed space because it only picks up a handful of channels. The internet connection throughout the hotel is not free. My husband and I travel very often for business and I have yet to come across a major hotel chain that charges for internet service.

Our worst experience came from the hotel restaurant, A Stone's Throw, where we were suppose to have free breakfast each morning. When we checked in, the front desk employee gave us two vouchers and explained to us that they would be used for our free breakfast each morning. The vouchers had an expiration date on them for the day that we checked out. She told us to just show the vouchers to the hostess when we entered the restaurant. We did just that the first morning and everything went smoothly. The hostess told us to keep the vouchers and show them each morning to receive our breakfast. Well, our second morning did not go as smoothly. We showed them to the hostess just as before. Then our server asked for the vouchers and we showed them to him. He then tried to keep the vouchers. He said that they were only good for one breakfast a piece not for all three days. We showed him the expiration date but he still insisted on keeping the vouchers. He told us to go back to the front desk of the hotel and tell them that we needed individual vouchers for each day. He told us that the front desk should have given us 6 breakfast vouchers, one for each day for each person. So, after breakfast, we headed back to the front desk and explained to the employee what just happened in the restaurant. She said that was not correct and that the vouchers that we had been given were correct. She told us for the next morning to just give the waiter our room number and everything would be fine. Well, everything was not fine. The next morning, we were sitting in the restaurant eating our breakfast when the server that assisted us the first morning of our visit approached our table and rudely said that we had walked out without paying on Sunday morning. My husband and I were shocked and very angered that she would say such an inappropriate thing and in front of the other guests of the restaurant that were now all looking at us. We explained the situation with the vouchers and then she walked off and returned with our current server. The two servers stood there at our table and argued over the proper procedure for use of the vouchers. My husband asked them to take their conversation else where because we were trying to eat. A few moments later, our server returned and asked to see our vouchers. We told him that he had taken them the day before, (he was also our server the morning before). He said he knew that but that the had told us to go to the front desk and get new vouchers. We told him about our conversation with the desk employee and that she would not give us new vouchers. He then walked off without saying another word. He returned and said he had called the front desk and spoke with the manager. He said that no one at the front desk knew what they were doing concerning the vouchers. He told us that he would take care of the issue. No one ever came back to our table to offer an apology or explanation before we left the restaurant, embarrassed and very mad. We went straight to the front desk and asked for the manager, who was not very friendly and didn't seem very concerned with our issue. He did offer a weak apology. We told him that it should not have been our place to run back and forth between the restaurant and front desk trying to resolve the issue. His only response was that there were lots of new employees in the restaurant and front desk that were not familiar with the proper procedure of the vouchers.

We would never stay at this hotel again! The staff was obviously not concerned with providing an enjoyable stay for their guests. The concierge did not come in each morning until 10:00 am. The first morning that we stayed, our room did not receive maid service. We left early that morning for business and returned around 6:00 PM to find that our room had not been touched. We called the front desk and all they did was offer to send up some fresh towels t

Construction begins at 7:24 am. If you are an early riser, this hotel would be fine, but if not, do not expect to get a good night's sleep. Don't expect the staff to care--they act as if this is part of the hotel experience. I suppose it is at this dive.

The hotel is lovely, but it is undergoing extensive remodeling. Hotel is large and a major convention Center. It is busy. Lobby area is lovely.

The rooms on our floor were recently updated and were tasteful and clean with a widescreen TV. Rooms in the new section are not large, but this is typical of this type of DC hotel. The staff from the front desk to the shop personnel were helpful with requests and directions. Restaurants are pricey - even take out was about $2.00 for one banana. Hint: Many neighborhood and ethnic restaurants within walking distance. Subway is a short walk down the hill. Overall, This is a fine establishment. The rating reflects the renovation. I would return.