The Watergate Hotel

This morning Watergate's concierge, Mesfin, led me and my students on an amazing "Watergate Scandal" tour. Mesfin brought history to life as he narrated the story of the Watergate burglary and subsequent events. His detailed, informative account helped the students to understand and visualize the major events and key players that took place on site at the Watergate complex. Mesfin didn't just show us the artifacts, he relayed insider stories that kept us totally engaged. My students and I are very grateful that we had the opportunity to learn a critical part of our American story from Mesfin.

This was me and my wife’s first time to Washington D.C. and we had a great time. We hope to bring our friends next time to DC and stay here. We loved the views from the balcony and everyone was very friendly.

Room was great, location walkable and beautiful on the water. Bar in the hotel was subpar, waited for 15 minutes at the bar and never was greeted or asked if we wanted anything, and the robes are small and not size inclusive. The valet service was top notch as well as Kiya at the front desk, she was very helpful and super friendly!!

This is a wonderful hotel. Management appears to have thought of everything. It is pricey but worth the expense.

Great! Loved the sauna and waterfront views!

We recently stayed at the The Watergate Hotel and unfortunately had a very frustrating experience that overshadowed the positives.

To start with the good: the location is excellent and very convenient for exploring DC, and the hotel itself is clean and well-maintained. However, the building is clearly older, and the soundproofing is not great—you can hear noise from neighboring rooms, which affected our stay.

The main issue, though, was the service after we checked out. We accidentally left our laptop in the nightstand drawer. When we realized and called the front desk, our call was answered by an AI system, which was extremely unhelpful and could not assist with a time-sensitive situation like this. This forced us to drive all the way back to the hotel.

Once we arrived, the experience did not improve. We informed a front desk staff member about the situation, but no immediate action was taken. We ended up waiting about 30 minutes before anyone actually helped us. Eventually, a security staff member stepped in—the only person who showed professionalism and willingness to assist. She had to ask us again for details we had already provided and coordinate with the front desk to contact the current occupants of the room.

Even then, the front desk staff member who made the call was visibly impatient, rolled his eyes, and showed no empathy for what was clearly a stressful situation for us. After unnecessary delays, the security staff finally obtained permission to enter the room and retrieve our laptop—which had been there the entire time.

For a hotel that markets itself as a five-star property, this level of service is unacceptable. While the location and cleanliness are positives, the lack of responsive, human customer service—especially in urgent situations—does not justify the price or reputation.

I expected much better.

We spent 2 nights at The Watergate Hotel because it was a closer location to view the Cherry Blossoms. We utilized the valet overnight parking and walked everywhere which was very convenient. The service by everyone was stellar. We were somewhat disappointed in the room. The furniture looked average. Ex. laminate desk. The selection of black, glossy tiles in the bathroom area and in the shower were very slippery. I held onto the handicap bar in the shower because the tile floor was extremely slick when wet and when using soap/shampoo. Don't count on getting into your room early. The website states 4:00 p.m. We arrived at the hotel around 2:00 and didn't get into our room until 3:35.

Wonderful hospitality and service that went above and beyond. Lobby was gorgeous. Cannot wait to return

We are dc residents and decided to have a staycation. The propert lay is very nice and elegant. The entire Staff was very welcoming. The room was clean great amenities. The spa was lovely. I had a massage with a CBD oil enhancement to soothe my inflammation and sore muscles. The temperature of the pool and jacuzzi was perfect. Top of the line equipment in the gym for you to complete a full body workout. Great view of the Potomac overlooking the historic Georgetown. I will definitely return.

I had a wonderful time at Watergate and would like to thank all the staff. It was extremely luxurious, staff were very helpful, the location was excellent and the amenities and room were perfect. I will have to come back later in the year to enjoy the roof terrace! Thank you all! Miriam

I was looking for a luxury hotel to share a special occasion weekend with friends that I wanted to impress. The room I reserved 2 months prior was not available upon check-in (not a big surprise based on my experience), but I was NOT ADVISED OF THIS FACT and was checked into a downgraded room with 2 double beds for 3 adults instead of 2 queen beds. Upon returning to the front desk to fix the room mixup I was informed of an "upgrade" available BUT according to my reservation confirmation, this was the "correct" version of the room reserved with a king bed versus 2 queens. All luggage that had been delivered to the first room was not offered to be moved and we lugged it all to new room. The hotel boasts of a "river view" and while I understand uncontrollable variables, the view was obstructed by a construction site with a high crane that was AGAIN NOT DISCLOSED or compensated for. After replying to a text message from an AI bot that my expectations were NOT met, there was no follow up by a human being. On checkout i asked to please have a manager contact me regarding my reservation to walk through the process and what was good and what was bad. I have NOT heard from anyone and was charged FULL rates. While the bathrooms were top knotch and the hotel has a truly unique atmosphere and design, this experience was disappointing at best for the nightly RATES charged.

MK was the nicest at the front desk.
We had a wonderful experience and loved our elevated modern spacious room! Centrally located and enjoyed our walks to Georgetown.

Terrible experience. A security guard rudely stopped me from taking a Polaroid in the lobby. The absurd part? Everyone is allowed to take photos with their phones. Ridiculous double standard and awful service.

From the time the gentleman opened the door in the lobby to the front desk staff , as well as the hotel staff we were made to feel at home We highly recommend this place to anyone who is visiting the Washington DC area.

Our visit was amazing- helped byvHugo,Nishan and Mesfin! They set up a dinner for my sister who just got out of the hospital- complete w wheelchair and Prosecco ! Whiskey bar was magical

Excellent customer service! I’ve never been to a hotel that was so caring!

Fantastic hotel. Great service. Will do it again when in the area.

Best hotel in Washington, maybe in the states as a whole!

The folks who work here are extremely friendly and do a great job of providing an elevated experience. Would definitely come back!

This place is amazing. I choose this location because of thr history of watergate. The staff was amazing. They even do tours of the scandal room. The tour was amazing. Great place to stsy. I want to recognize Sarah Mesfon and Sami who all went out of their way to make mu stay amazing. The hotel is within walking distance of the Foggy Bottom metro station..this makes it so easy to get around DC.