Terrible experience
I stayed at the Helix for three nights in May while attending a conference in D.C. I have to agree with the reviewer who commented on the seediness of the hotel. The first impression was generally a little run down, but not terrible. I left for dinner immediately upon arrival and returned to my room after 11 pm. When I went to get into bed, the carpet next to the bed was soaking wet - looked like it was seeping from a locked door that I assume housed some HVAC. I could live with that. But when I pulled back the sheets, the bed was dirty!! I won't describe it - but it was disgusting!! There was no housekeeping at that time of night. Someone brought me a set of clean sheets. Not ideal. Then the sink in the bathroom backed up - also disgusting. I tried to get a room at another hotel the next day, but the few rooms available - including at other Kimpton hotels - were $500 plus. I would have expected Kimpton might have let me stay at one of the other hotels for what I was paying at the Helix - or something close. They did move me to another room the next day that was acceptable. But the hotel itself just didn't seem clean or well-maintained - trash on the floor of the elevator that stayed there for a couple days, general wear and tear. I've stayed in other Kimpton hotels in other cities and have generally been very satisfied, and I'm not particularly demanding - as long as my room is clean and things are generally acceptable, I won't complain. But this was the worst hotel experience I've ever had in many years of travel for business and vacation.