Four star premise, service and amentied need a little work
This is a very nice hotel with thoughtful staff. Well decorated with spacious rooms, the location near the White House puts it in the heart of the District. It is nearest the McPherson rail station (Blue Line from DCA and Orange Line to other points). If you've stayed in one of the better Grand Hyatts, you'll have a good idea of the Sofitel experience.
My room on the second floor was spacious, bright and quiet. The toiletries and related items were very complete with several unique items probably more appreciated by female guests. There were abundant and conveniently places plugs so recharging my stash of electronics was no problem. There was a minibar, but no in room coffee, a fact I detest. C'mon folks, you stock a room with liquor but no coffee? Really? Unfortunately, this is a common practice with higher end hotels. Bizarre.
There were other shortcomings. The bed had a bottom sheet and a duvet containing a comforter, but no top sheet. During the heat wave we had, this meant either cranking up the AC all the way and sleeping under the comforter (still too warm), or sleeping with no cover at all. There was no middle ground. Personally, I could not get comfortable with this arrangement. Others attending the same conference had the same complaint. Since the Duvet is fairly elaborate, one wonders how often it's actually laundered. Mine smelled fresh and looked clean, but I did not see replacement duvets on the maids' carts.
The lack of in room coffee was a problem. Having a European employer, I'm apt to be on the phone early in the morning. In this case, the room service line was busy so I could get neither coffee nor food until lunch due to the length of my calls. Surely, this is not normal, but this was not the only example of service problems.
After checking in, I had to leave immediately for a speech and tried to find water. The room wasn't ready yet (I arrived early in the day), but there are no water fountains in the lobby. Other hotels have self service water stations, but this one requires you to go to the concierge and ask. He was intently engaged on a phone call, and not even the bellman could go behind the desk for a bottle. I left without. In fairness, the bellman caught up to me half a block way and brought me a nice cold bottle of water, so kudos to him.
Overall, the hotel is very nice, very elegant and very welcoming, but it seemed a bit understaffed at times. In room internet is $9.95, so I used a Verizon aircard instead. My schedule prevented me from using the fitness center or restaurant. The location is terrific near business, tourist, and dining locations. The Sofitel is ranked #2 in DC on TA, but I can't agree. I prefer the Grand Hyatt nearby or (especially) the Mandarin Oriental (location not nearly as good).