Great location, but poor hotel
Before staying at this hotel, I had a very positive opinion of Kimpton from previous stays. However this hotel substantially reduced my opinion. 
The Topaz has a great location near Dupont Circle, but the hotel itself has terrible views. Outside my window is an alley, a dumpster (which was dumped last night at 6 am and woke me up) and another building... and I'm on one of the highest floors. Next to the hotel are buildings with boarded up windows.
The rooms are very large, but old. The material of the building is cheap, for example there are popcorn ceilings and the paint in my room is chipped.
The amenities are terrible - no gym, and the room service menu is unacceptable, especially for a vegetarian. During a week, I'll normally eat 2-3 room service meals, but this week I've had none because nothing on the menu is even remotely appetizing. 
Also, the staff does not pay attention to detail. When checking in, I registered as Dr. Soandso, not that I care, but their registration form asked. During the entire stay (approximately 10 interactions with the front desk), I've been addressed as Mr. Soandso. Again, it doesn't bother me and I never say anything, but high end hotels (which Kimpton claims to be) usually pay attention to these details (for example, who is on vacation, who is on a honeymoon, etc). The hotel staff apparently do not care at this location.
All-in-all, the Topaz is about equivalent to a Holiday Inn in terms of service and room quality, and that may be a little generous.