Promising, but doesn't yet live up to the Kimpton name
I had high hopes for the Donovan House considering it is one of the newest additions to the Kimpton brand. While certain aspects of my stay were great, overall I didn't find the Donovan House to represent the typically fantastic Kimpton experience - a first-time Kimpton guest wouldn't know what they were missing!
First, the good: The staff at the Donovan House was great. I stayed at the Donovan House during Hurricane Sandy, and the staff went out of their way to make sure that guests were comfortable and taken care of. The front desk staff were always pleasant and able to take care of requests quickly. The location is also great; it's just a few blocks to the Metro, a great Whole Foods, and some good restaurants, and a bit longer walk to the Mall and to Dupont Circle. The wine reception was fantastic, and even featured a tasty hurricane drink during the worst of Hurricane Sandy.
The not-so-great: The rooms look far too worn for a hotel so recently renovated. The carpet was coming up, the walls were scuffed and chipped, and fixtures in the bathroom were loose or broken. The lighting in the room is very dark. My room lacked the promised "cocoon shower" that was described when I booked the room - not a big deal, but for this and other reasons the room description on the website didn't match the room I was given. There was also a lingering odor of smoke in my room, but I'm not sure whether that was a holdover from the days when the Donovan had smoking floors, or if it was from neighbors violating the no-smoking policy.
For me, the greatness of Kimpton has always been its ability to do the little things well. It's clear that the staff at the Donovan House are trying their best, but more needs to be done to bring the Donovan House up to the standards of the Kimpton brand. I might try the Donovan again some day, but for now I'll stick with other DC-area Kimpton properties.