Rundown rooms overlooking the highway
We took our children, ages 8 and 11, to Washington for a summer vacation and our first impression of the capitol was marred by the rundown accommodations we had booked at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel. The hallways, room and bathrooms were shabby and there was an unpleasant odor throughout. The tile on the bathroom floor was cracked and permanently stained, appearing dirty. The bedspreads and drapes were faded and dusty. Our balcony overlooked a noisy highway and we felt the design was a safety concern for our kids. It was evening when we arrived so we stayed the night. Unfortunately, we had booked through Expedia and had paid in full in advance so we were unable to cancel our other three nights. We chose to check out nonetheless and change hotels, doubling our trip costs, rather than staying in the Plaza L'Enfant.
We will say, however, the front desk staff was very understanding and pleasant. The morning clerk I checked out with acknowledged the hotel had not been updated in close to 30 years and had her manager write off our evening and morning meals. She provided exemplary service in a poor facility.
Lesson learned? I will not book accommodations, site unseen, through an online discount website again. There is no way out of a bad situation fee-free. On a happy note, once we changed hotels (the DC Marriotts are fabulous!!) we had a wonderful trip exploring our nation's capitol.