Not as nice as in the past
I had previously adored staying at the Willard & it's usually my hotel of choice when in the District. But this stay was NOT worth the money. When I went to the Willard before, there was classical music playing when I entered the room, a robe & slippers in the bathroom, & chocolate on the pillow. Plus the room was beautiful & cozy, very colonial. This time I might as well have been at the Hyatt. There was no music, no slippers, no chocolate, and the room had been redone to well, look like a Hyatt. Used to, rooms at the Willard were so great you didn't want to leave. I couldn't wait to get out.
In addition, the sleep quality was horrible. I was in a different part of the hotel, so street noise was horrendous. Plus, the mattress was in such poor condition I could feel the boards of the bed frame through it. The Willard is supposed to remember your pillow choice and they had all the wrong kind in there. And the room simply wasn't as impeccably clean as last time. They've also remodeled, so all the beautiful colonial stuff is gone and it seriously looks as generic as a Hyatt.
Service this time was also lacking. The valet was impolite when I asked to have the hotel car brought around (an advertised amenity), claiming they didn't have a car, then finally his boss asked where I was going & admitted they did have a car & he guessed I could use it. The front desk clerk when I checked out didn't really seem to care when he asked how my stay was and when I hesitated in answering, then muttered, "Well, it was okay, I guess," he just handed me my bill & didn't ask how they could have made it better or anything.
If this Willard is truly this hit or miss, I guess I'm hunting a new hotel for the District. If all I'm going to get is like any other generic hotel, then I will stay at a generic hotel & save the money.