A conference brought me to Washington DC and the Ritz. My wife and teenage son joined me for some DC exploration. Everything about the Ritz was great: attentive service, clean rooms, friendly people, etc. The room was sufficient size with two full beds. The bathroom was very well appointed. The hotel advertises its spa which appeared to really be a fitness center/sports club in the building. There were a lot of people there from the neighborhood on the day we toured it. I was surprised to see a $15 charge on my statement when I returned home. I don't know if this was because we filled out the pass in our to tour the facility and see the pool, or an automatic one-time charge for all guests. We didn't use the facilities. The pool was somewhat small, and geared more for lap swim rather than recreational. There appeared to be a few lounge chairs on an outside deck. The hotel has a nice lounge and restaurant where we ate a few meals. It was also fun (and less expensive) to explore other neighborhood restaurants. I recommend a walk to Georgetown (about 10 minutes west on M) where you'll find lots of different places. We also enjoyed (very much) the Firefly, a restaurant serving locally raised and grown items, on New Hampshire, between the hotel and DuPont Circle. YOu can make a reservation through OpenTable.com.

There is more to a hotel than just a pretty room. Service is key and I don't think that asking for Internet at a reasonable rate is asking for too much. If I had a laptop, I believe I could have opted for wireless service in my room for around $10 a day. But I don't have a laptop, and I guess the hotel feels it can rip off people who don't have one. I needed to research something on the Internet, so I went to the Business Center and was dismayed to find the charge to use Internet was $.49 per minute! My bill for that alone came to almost $100, including printing at $.99 per page! Another disappointment: not only was there no coffee maker in my own room, but the free carafe in the lobby didn't provide decaf! (they weren't out of it, they just don't offer it.) I guess they don't know that some people can't have caffeine. Hey Ritz: get with the program! Wouldn't stay here again.

The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, DC is my hotel of choice for family, clients or personal accommodations in the city. The Ritz DC is located on 22nd and M Street in the West End (walking distance to Dupont Cir/ Conn Ave and Georgetown). The hotel lobby is very impressive- relaxed w/ live music in the evenings, beautiful floral arrangements and an international flavor w/ all the guests. The guest rooms are tasteful and refined (not contemporary or technical...just refined). The bathrooms are very luxurious and large (very large).

The staff is wonderful, always helpful and extremely talented.

I've stayed on their club floor numerous times--always wonderful. The lounge is large and executive style, perfect for doing work, visiting with friends or relaxing w/ the newspaper. The food and beverage presentations are always very nice. On one occasion, the club staff knew we would be taking a road trip and on our departure, they had packed us complimentary lunches in Ritz coolers! Completely impressive! Another time, my family returned to the Club after 3 months and the concierge welcomed them remembering specific conversations from 3 months previous and recalling questions about their lives. How unexpected, thoughtful and impressive!!! Now, my parents only want to stay at The Ritz DC when in the city!!!

I arrived at the hotel with my 4 year old son, who proceeded to be sick all night. The staff could not have been lovelier - they moved my room immediately when I called, and even offered to send up tea for him. We had an elaborate check-in system, with the other half of the family arriving the next day, and changes in our stay - all of which were accommodated graciously. The room (a regular suite) was very spacious, one of the largest bathrooms ever, with a nice layout. The only complaint is that -- not sure how this is possible -- rooms on both ends of the hotel appear to face, respectively, a fire station, and an emergency command center? So there were a lot of sirens. I prefer to sleep with the windows open (another plus - windows that open!) despite the noise; the sound might be better if the windows were closed. Also, although we did not use it, the health club is gorgeous.