The Mayflower Hotel, Autograph Collection

bien

I want to LOVE this hotel, I really do. Over the past decade, we have come to DC two to three times a year for a week and pretty much always stay at the Mayflower. We love the location and the one-bedrooms are great since we often are working in the room. When our kids tag along, we get a 2-bedroom suite. While we appreciated how the hotel pivoted during COVID and provided coffee self-service in the lobby, we did expected room service to resume. But alas, the hotel continues to only offer CARRY OUT from the bar! For the class of hotel it claims to be, we consider this to be a HUGE drawback. I would like to understand WHY the hotel refuses to deliver food to the rooms? Come on! Get the trays moving again!

We stayed at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC from March 14–17, 2026, and overall, the experience delivered excellent value—especially given the range of perks bundled into the rate.

The “Luminous” rate stood out immediately, offering a surprisingly generous package: a welcome gift (including banana bread), daily breakfast credit, a tourist trolley credit, a $17 daily food credit, and even a $10 Uber credit. On top of that, we were upgraded to a suite, which made the stay feel particularly elevated for the price point.

The room itself was spacious, clean, and well-lit, with everything functioning as expected. Housekeeping was consistent and responsive—fresh towels and coffee were restocked daily upon request, which added to the sense of attentiveness. Check-in was smooth, with a friendly receptionist and generally welcoming staff, though there was some noticeable variation in training levels among team members.

There were a few minor inconveniences worth noting. The lack of a wastebasket under the kitchen sink felt like an oversight, and the mini-fridge placement in the living room rather than the kitchen area was a bit impractical. Additionally, if a food gift is provided, it would make sense to include basic utensils in the room. The thermostat was slightly inconsistent, requiring occasional adjustment to maintain comfort.

These issues were relatively minor and didn’t detract significantly from the overall experience. For the price—especially with the included credits and upgrade—the stay was a strong value. The Mayflower remains a solid choice for visitors looking for a comfortable, well-located hotel with meaningful extras.

I got a great rate of about $150/night at this hotel, so I am giving it five stars for the price. If I had paid more, I would give it four.

This is a massive old hotel in a very central location. I think the hotel staff are doing a good job keeping such a huge place in very good condition without charging luxury prices. The room was clean and comfortable. It's not a luxury hotel, but that is reflected in the price (at least it was with mine). It's walking distance to both the White House/National Mall area and the 14th Street/Logan Circle area with the best restaurants. Being down the block from the Red Line metro allowed us to have a vacation where we only used public transportation to and from Union Station.

Good location. Rooms are looking tired, overdue for a reno. Staff professionalism is all over the board, from very helpful to an attitude of seething annoyance because you are interrupting them from doing something else.

Beautiful ambiance

We had the most amazing stay here in February. The rooms were super clean and the staff was incredibly helpful. They were there to call us taxis and help with all the million questions we had. The food was great and we just had the best time!

Dinner was delightful!

朝食は高かったが美味しかった。また、シャワーの温水の出し方がわからなかったところ、フロントに電話したらすぐに技術者を派遣してくれた。クリスマスシーズンだったので館内の装飾が綺麗だった。ホスピタリティが十分だった。

Proximité lieux touristiques
Suite spacieuse

Great location, clean and great staff.

We had hoped to enjoy our stay at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, but unfortunately our experience felt cold and unwelcoming. We stayed just one night while in town for a comedy show and a short getaway.

To be fair, there were a couple of bright spots. A woman at the concierge desk was genuinely helpful, kindly guiding us to a restaurant across the street since the hotel restaurant was closed. The valet attendant, Raphael, was also exceptionally friendly and welcoming.

Our room experience, however, was disappointing. We were initially assigned a larger room on the 5th floor that felt cold, tired, and dated, with little warmth or character. More importantly, my husband has a disability that prevents him from using a tub-style shower, so we requested a room change. The second room, on the 6th floor, was much smaller but warmer and had a walk-in shower, which we appreciated. While the bathroom appeared slightly more updated, the towels were thin and far from the plush quality one expects at a hotel of this caliber. The bed was comfortable enough, but the bedside table had glass rings on it that showed it had not been wiped clean from the previous guests, the other table in the room had similar water marks and the heater was extremely loud. Even on the lowest setting, the noise was disruptive enough that my husband was concerned he wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Our biggest disappointment, however, was the experience at The Edgar Bar & Kitchen. After our show, we arrived around 9:50 p.m. As we were being seated, the server immediately informed us—rather brusquely—that it was too late to order food. While we only intended to have cocktails, the way this was communicated felt dismissive and unpleasant. During our brief visit, staff hovered in a way that felt more like pressure to order another drink than attentive service. We don’t feel that taking 30 minutes to enjoy a cocktail is unreasonable, yet the atmosphere made us uncomfortable.

The following morning at breakfast, the restaurant was quite busy, which we understand—especially since it appears to be the hotel’s only dining option. Busy is fine; unfriendly is not. The service felt rushed and impersonal. My husband’s coffee was poured so hurriedly that the pot was pulled away before his cup was full or even upright, resulting in repeated spills. It felt as though the staff were serving without ever really seeing the guests in front of them.

That said, the food itself was good. My breakfast of banana bread with scrambled eggs was enjoyable and arrived hot.

Ultimately, for us, staff make or break a hotel experience, and sadly, with the exception of a few individuals, the service at The Mayflower fell short and left us feeling unwelcome.

Stayed here for a conference that was held at the hotel, between major snow storms. Several of my colleagues decided to fly in before the storm to avoid travel delays. It worked out well but they found the hotel food to be very limited but decent.
The conference facilities were good, there was plenty of snacks and water/tea available. Some rooms were pretty chilly but that is to be expected during winter. However the water faucets in the ground floor bathrooms were ice cold the whole time. Hard to get good handwashing in after being around hundreds of people during flu season.
I am an elite member so I was given a top floor, 2 queen room. The room, while clean and updated, was very dark as the window was in a weird location. I learned from my peers that each of our rooms were all different in floor plan and sizes. It was very hard to sleep with the heater. It seemed like the temp control was fixed to auto fan at the temp you set it but one degree diff and it would be super hot or super cold.

Beautiful property

staff are nice and helpful

Nothing!